Gonzaga in Florence
Course Name: Trends in contemporary Music, from Rock’n Roll to the
extremes.
Course Code: MUSC 185; WGST 380
Semester: Fall 2015
Classroom number: 308
Scheduling: Wed 3:35-6:30 p.m.
Instructor Data:
Name: Daniela Costa
E-mail-address: [email protected]
Office hours: (by appointment only)
Prerequisites: None
Course Description:
Through an interdisciplinary approach, which examines the historical, theatrical,
sociological, aesthetical, and technological elements of contemporary music, the
course considers a range of musical forms from classical to contemporary pop. It
deals specifically with the origins and development of contemporary Rock’n roll
music, the relationship between culture, subculture, style and pop music,
globalization and theatre, and the production and marketing of the music. The course
gives a broad overview of music innovations, trends, creative practices and
movements in relation with culture, counter-culture, location, and the Global use
formula theatre - big, profit-orientated, professional musicals based on the taste of
the new globalized world-audiences.
The explosion of rock’n roll has influenced and altered Italian singer songs-writers
and Italian rock artists: the course also analyses how rock'n'roll and beat generation
were somehow adapted to Italian context and contributed to renovate the
contemporary Italian music and society.
Emphasis is also placed on analyzing the particular business-oriented species of
cross-cultural music-theatre, interbreeding the international genre of opera-musical
with world-pop music of Rock ‘n roll, to create the rock-opera, as a syncretic merging
of different theatrical arts. It analyzes how, through legendary, extreme theatrical
performances and Festivals productions (such as the Italian Sanremo’ s Festival of
the Song), certain bands or singers became some of the most popular ones in the
world.
As traditional gender stereotypes across the cultural map are increasingly
challenged, the topic also investigates, from the perspective of Gender Studies, the
origins and variations of theatrical cross-dressing through the ages and across
cultures, the complexity and the ambiguity of voices and bodies. It illuminates
mysteries of sexuality, fandom, obsessions, performances, recordings, extravagant
gestures, subversion, pop divas and Drags Queen. It explores the power of
contemporary music to capture the fluidity of sexuality through voices that transcend
the prescription of gender, reflecting at the same time the interests of young
generations for the transvestism-masquerading phenomena of the 21th century
productions.
No prior musical background (technical) or historical knowledge of music is required.
Classes include lectures, intensive listening to recorded material and watching
videotapes, class discussions, as well as attending live concert-performances
in Italian theaters and concert venues, and a workshop at the Theatrical
Costume Atelier (Sartoria Teatrale Fiorentina) in Florence.
Course Objectives
The course develops, throughout an interdisciplinary approach which brings together
Music and Gender Studies, a deep knowledge of the ways in which contemporary
Rock’n roll music and performances have changed over time. It also demonstrates
the relationship between the hybridity of the Italian phenomena of the Castrato crossdressing theatrical sound world and Italian Opera, and the contemporary
transgender-masquerading Rock’n Roll performances, Rock Operas and Rock
musicals.
The Songs that will be analyzed during the course are between some of the most
amazing examples of Rock’n Roll music, from the Sixties, Beatles included, to
nowadays. .
• Gain a thorough knowledge of the works of the most representative Rock’n Roll
pivotal artists, groups and related soloists. The vocal, socio-cultural and historicalpsychological aspects of their works, also as representation of gender roles.
Students will be able to relate each work to the social/historical and vocal context
of the artist/group’s time and style. Assessed in Mid-term and Final Exam.
• To develop a sense of the evolution of contemporary Rock’n Roll music and
gender roles. Students will be able to place different Rock’n Roll Songs on a
chronological line and to investigate voices as sites of multiple meaning, including
sonic and sexual ambiguity. Assessed in Term Paper and Final Exam.
• Acquire the ability to listen to voices and groups and to enjoy Rock’n Roll music
in general! Students will be able to recognize/identify different styles of music and
singing. Assessed in Quizzes on listening material.
• To conduct a semiotic analysis of the lyrics of some representative Rock’n Roll
songs and to identify their gender’s symbols. Assessed in Term Paper, in Midterm and Final Exam.
• To develop a vocabulary and communicative skills related to Rock’n Roll music.
Assessed in Term Paper, Home Assignment, and class discussion.
Teaching Method
Interdisciplinary approach by studying Rock’n Roll’s textual analysis, music features,
audience reception, and singing/production practices also from the perspective of
gender’s studies, sexuality, subject formation and related cultural theory. Classes
include lectures, class discussions, listening quizzes, individual and group work
assignments, and during the lessons musical recordings will be played and
videos/films shown. We will attend live performances at Theatres/Concert
Venues in Florence (TBA). We will also hold one special class/workshop at the
Sartoria Teatrale (Theatre Costume Atelier). Students are also responsible for the
success of the teaching method, as the pedagogical value of a method has to be
enacted by each participant in the process.
Teaching Commitment
As a teacher, my primary goal is to serve as a mentor to my students, to inspire their
enthusiasm for the learning process, and to create a setting that enables them to
strengthen their own talents, challenging them and demanding a level of competence
and commitment appropriate to their abilities. In my teaching experience I have been
able to shape my courses so as to make Music and Gender studies, vocalism, style,
language and culture come alive for my students. Having devoted my own life to
such studies I am able to bring a passion, enthusiasm and commitment to creative
scholarly inquiry and share with students a wide range of material that is both
innovative and inspiring.
Decorum
Cell-phones off; no food and beverages admitted, except for bottled water.
No technical devices are accepted (laptops, I pads, etc)
Disrupting behavior (doing something else during the course, engaging in private
conversations, playing with electronic devices) is not accepted and if repeated it will
negatively affect the attendance and participation part of the final grade or may result
in removal from the course.
Attendance Policy
Attendance is taken at the beginning of class from the first day of the semester. The
student entering class after attendance is taken has to contact the professor at the
end and announce his/her presence. However, this does not mean that coming late
is accepted. Two late arrivals may be excused, three turn automatically into an
absence and will affect the attendance and participation part of the final grade.
Students can miss one week’s work, irrespective of the course formula (three
sessions, two sessions, one session). It is their responsibility to make up for the
missed work. If they miss a quiz or a report they are not allowed to have it at another
time, unless the absence is for certified medical reasons and the professor and Dean
agree.
More than one week’s work missed is going to be penalized as follows:
One extra absence:
1. by lowering the attendance and participation grade
Two extra absences
2. by lowering the final grade by a whole letter grade
Three extra absences
3. by grading the whole course F
Assessment Criteria
The final grade for the course will be compounded from the following:
Class Participation
Mid-term test
Research paper
Final test
Listening Quizzes
Home Assignment
10%
20%
25%
25%
10%
10%
Total:
100%
Class Participation (10%): The grade will be calculated to reflect your participation
in class discussions, your capacity to introduce ideas and thoughts dealing with the
texts, your ability to interpret different uses of literary language and to express your
analysis in intellectual, constructive argumentation. When determining your class
participation grade, traditional criteria such as material preparation, completed
reading before class, and collaborative group work are also evaluated. But it is the
active, meaningful and informed verbal and written contribution that you make that is
most important to your overall participation grade.
Midterm (20%) and Final (25%) examinations: The midterm and final exams are
designed to establish and communicate to you the progress you are making towards
meeting the course learning objectives. They are comprised of both ID and essay
questions, which test your abilities to identify, apply, and synthesize course content.
Research Paper (25%): The purpose of the research paper is for you to assess the
development of your competence over the course outlines of the semester. The final
paper requires you to drawing on activities and exercises from throughout the
semester to help you write a thoughtful and reflective self-assessment essay that
tracks the development of your own personal intercultural competence in terms of
analysis of the issue, coherent development of the thesis showing grasp of the
aspect discussed, and correct references to good sources.
The final research paper has to focus on a topic regarding Trends in contemporary
music, from Rock’n Roll to the extremes chosen by the student and approved by
the teacher and developed through serious researches, readings, analysis,
comparisons, observations. Guidelines for the paper will be distributed in class on
the first days of class (research paper form).
• The subject of the research paper should be decided by the end of the third
week of class.
• The essay consists in the articulated and convincing treatment of a topic
pertinent to the course, with a clear formulation of the ethical issue to be
investigated and an equally clear conclusion. As ethics is applied philosophy,
students are expected to address ethical theory and concrete examples in a
balanced manner. The topic has to be screened and approved by the
professor.
• On the delivery date hard copies typed in standard format are to be handed in
to the professor at the beginning of class and an electronic copy readable by
Word-Windows or Microsoft Word is to be submitted by email.
• Standard format: Title, minimum 8 pages but preferably more, Times New
Roman, 12, 2 line spacing, Bibliography.
• Handwritten, and e-mailed papers without hard copies typed in standard
format handed in to the professor, are not accepted. Also, papers left in
Professor Box are not accepted. If you are absent on the date the paper is
due, it must reach me nonetheless. Papers will be accepted before the
established date, but only during the class hours.
• All papers should have a pertinent bibliography and properly footnoted.
• Please use at least 4 sources (of which no lore than 2 internet sources/NO
WIKIPIDIA!)
• Plagiarism will bring you F grade. (Plagiarism is passing off anyone else's
work your own. This includes unauthorized assistance with the writing of an
assignment, improperly cited sources, submission of an assignment which
you did not write, submission of a “recycled” version of your old work as new,
and turning in the same assignment to two or more courses without
permission).
• Submitting work on time is an important part of both scholarly and
professional practice. Further, Faculty schedule demands that we can grade
work within SET PERIOD. It is also unfair to those who submit work on time if
late work is graded without any penalty:
Essays submitted late will receive a grade penalty as follows: 1 day—1 letter
grade (e.g., A- to B-), 2 days—2 letter grades (e.g., A- to C-), more than 2 days—
grade of 0 / F on the assignment.
The deadline for handing in the paper is..
Listening quizzes (10%): Listening quizzes are experiential activities designed for
you to acquire and develop the ability to recognize voices and groups, and different
styles and to enjoy Rock’n Roll music in general.
Home Assignment (10%): The purpose of the home assignment is for you to
assess the development of your critical competence in attending a live mandatory
performance/concert at the Theatre or in Concert Venues. The home assignment
requires you to write a review of the mandatory performance (TBA), based upon your
personal impressions and critical analysis of the vocal cast, music style, performers,
staging, costumes, etc.
•
•
•
Standard format: Title, minimum 3 pages but preferably more, Times New
Roman, 12, 2 line spacing.
Handwritten, and e-mailed assignments without hard copies typed in standard
format handed in to the professor, are not accepted. Also, assignments left in
Professor Box are not accepted. If you are absent on the date the assignment
is due, it must reach me nonetheless. Assignments will be accepted before
the established date, but only during the class hours.
The deadline for handing in the home assignment is..
The evaluation of papers and home assignments is done according to the following
criteria:
• well formulated argument (rhetorical strategy)
• ability to approach an issue from various points of view and
evaluate them critically
• good use of bibliography. Sources need to be cited and
listed at the end in the Bibliography. Class notes can build
the frame of your argumentation, but will not be cited as
primary sources.
• clarity of expression including quality of style (grammar,
spelling).
All quizzes and exams are cumulative in terms of their content and their contribution
to the calculation of your final grade. The written essay/project will involve you in one
piece of investigating reading and reporting.
Failure to submit or fulfill any required assessment element results in failure
for the class.
Significance for the final grade of attendance and participation
A: the student has no absence, is punctual and respectful with the professors and the
classmates, is always prepared for class (has done the reading and writing
assignments); He/she vividly participates in class discussions and contributes with
interpretations which prove fine critical sense and creativity, using a grammatically
correct, semantically rich and conceptually clear language.
B – the student is respectful and punctual, is prepared for class, participates in
discussions, has a good level of understanding the issues under focus and an
appropriate use of language.
C – has a adequate but schematic or superficial understanding of the texts and
issues under focus, is not always prepared for class, uses a simple language.
The language/art teachers will describe their own definition of grades.
Grades Significance for written assignments
Example:
Grade A: the work is an excellent synthesis of elaborated course in-puts, extensive
reading and original ideas; it is well articulated in a balanced argumentation and
formulated in a clear, fluent style.
Grade B: the work shows a good elaboration of the course inputs, a well-conducted
discourse and a good use of bibliography; it has a good level of style.
Grade C: the work proves a basic understanding of the research issue, but does not
use the bibliography properly/or does not express ideas in a persuasive clear style or
lacks in discourse planning, therefore needing improvement.
Grade D: The work is acceptable, but weak in terms of formulating and discussing
the question under focus and organizing the discourse. It relies on non-academic
sources and does not, in general, comply with the requirements, unless in minimal
way.
Grade F: The work is not acceptable in terms of the basic requirements or has not
been submitted in time.
Grade 0 : the work has not been submitted
Grade 0 + Main Campus Report: the work has been plagiarized.
Grades Conversion Example
Version I
A= 94-100
A - = 90-93
B+ = 87 – 89
B= 84-86
B- = 80-83
C+ = 77-79
C = 74-76
C- =70-73
D+ = 67-69
D = 65- 66
F = below 65
Version II
93,6-100
89,6-93,5
86,6 – 89,5
84,6 -86,5
79,6 -84,5
76,6 – 79,5
73, 6 – 76,5
69, 6 – 73,5
66, 6 – 69, 5
64, 6 – 66, 5
Academic Honesty
Academic honesty is essential to education and represents the bond of trust between
the university, the instructor and the student.
Academic dishonesty is any action by which a student seeks to claim credit for the
intellectual effort of another person or uses unauthorized materials or fabricated
information in any academic exercise. It includes unauthorized assistance in tests
and examinations; intentionally impeding or damaging the academic work of others;
submitting another person’s work as your own, or providing work for this purpose;
submitting work of your own that has been substantially edited and revised by
another person, or providing such an editing and revision service for others;
submitting material from a source (books, articles, internet sites) without proper
citation and bibliographic reference; paraphrasing material from a source without
appropriate reference and citation; submitting substantially the same piece of work in
more than one course without the explicit consent of all the instructors concerned;
assisting other students in any of the above acts.
Students who are academically dishonest will receive “0”, zero on the work in
question or a failing grade for the course as a whole, depending on the
importance of the work to the overall course grade and the judgment of the
instructor.
Plagiarism
Academic dishonesty can manifest itself in plagiarism, defined as claiming
intellectual property on somebody else's work, in other words as cultural theft.
Written assignments will be submitted to the plagiarism detection procedures of
TurnItIn.com., activated on Blackboard.
A plagiated assignment/paper, research project, etc will be graded 0 (zero) and
sent to the Main Campus accompanied by a report.
Special Accommodation for students with learning disabilities
Documented learning disabilities or other medically certified problems that need
special accommodation for any of the student's expected academic performances
will be treated with the due attention.
Required Readings
Textbook: photocopies of selected chapters from different textbooks to be bought at:
Florence Copy in Via Giuseppe La Farina, 10. Estimated cost Euro 15.
Recommended Additional Resources
David Suisman, Selling Sounds: The Commercial Revolution in American Music, 1st
ed. (Harvard University Press, 2009).
Elijah Wald, How the Beatles Destroyed Rock n Roll: An Alternative History of
American Popular Music, 1st ed. (Oxford University Press, 2009).
Miller, Paul D., Ed. Sound unbound : sampling digital music and culture. Cambridge,
Mass.: MIT Press, 2008.
Diane Pecknold, The Selling Sound: The Rise of the Country Music Industry (Duke
University Press, 2007).
Gracyk, Theodore. Listening to popular music: or, how I learned to stop worrying and
love Led Zeppelin. Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, 2007.
Savage, Jon. Teenage : the creation of youth culture. New York: Viking, 2007.
Richard Ekins, Dave King: The Transgender Phenomenon 2006 ISBN-10:
0761971645
Penny M. Von Eschen, Satchmo Blows Up the World: Jazz Ambassadors Play the
Cold War (Harvard University Press, 2006).
Gilmour, Michael J., Ed. Call me the seeker: listening to religion in popular music.
New York: Continuum, 2005.
Shapiro, Peter. Turn the beat around: the secret history of disco. New York: Faber
and Faber, 2005.
Stark, Steven D. Meet the Beatles: a cultural history of the band that shook youth,
gender, and the world. New York: HarperEntertainment, 2005.
Rodger, Gillian, Drag, Camp and Gender Subversion in the Music and Videos of
Annie Lennox, Popular Music 23/1 (2004).
McWhorter, John H. Doing our own thing : the degradation of language and music
and why we should, like, care. New York: Gotham Books, 2003.
Pinn, Anthony B. Noise and spirit : the religious and spiritual sensibilities of rap
music. New York: New York University Press, 2003.
Wall, Tim. Studying popular music culture. London : Hodder & Stoughton
Educational, 2003.
Rupp, Leila J. and Verta Taylor. 2003. Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press.
LaFont, Suzanne (ed.), Constructing Sexualities: Readings in Sexuality, Gender, and
Culture (Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2003).
Phillip, Kim M. and Barry Reay, Sexualities in History: A Reader New York:
Routledge, 2002.
Robinson, Paul, Opera, Sex, and Other Vital Matters Chicago: University of Chicago
Press, 2002.
Colegrave, Stephen; Sullivan, Chris. Punk: The Definitive Record of a Revolution.
New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2001. ISBN 1-56025-369-X.
Dahl, Bill. Motown: The Golden Years. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications,
2001. ISBN 0-87349-286-2.
Suzanne E. Smith, Dancing in the Street: Motown and the Cultural Politics of Detroit
(Harvard University Press, 2001).
Victor, Barbara. Goddess Inside Madonna. New York: Cliff Street Books, 2001.
Kassabian, Anahid, Hearing Film: Tracking Identifications in Contemporary
Hollywood Film Music New York: Routledge: 2001.
Benjamin Filene, Romancing the Folk: Public Memory and American Roots Music
(University of North Carolina Press, 2000).
Krims, Adam. Rap Music and the Poetics of Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2000.
Degnan, Lisa. Christina Aguilera. New York: Michael Friedman Publishing Group,
Inc., 2000. ISBN 1-58663-036-9.
Degnan, Lisa; Law, Deborah. Ninety-Eight Degrees. New York: Michael Friedman
Publishing Group, Inc., 2000. ISBN 1-56799-975-1.
MacDermot, Molly. Britney Spears--Confidential: The Unofficial Book. London:
Virgin Books, 2000. ISBN 0-8230-7866-3.
Laurence Senelik The changing room London: Routledge 2000
Scholz, Piotr. O., Eunuchs and Castrati: A Cultural History (Markus Wiener, 2000).
Whiteley, Sheila, ‘Challenging the Feminine: Annie Lennox, androgyneity and
illusions of identity’ in Women & Popular Music: Sexuality, Identity and Subjectivity
(New York: Routledge, 2000).
Bergquist, Kathie. Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life. London: Virgin Books, 2000.
Stuessy, Joe. Rock and Roll: Its History and Stylistic Development, 3rd ed.
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1999.
Bozza, Anthony; Dahl, Shawn; and Pinfield, Matt. Rolling Stone Raves: What Your
Rock & Roll Favorites Favor. New York: Rolling Stone Press, 1999. ISBN 0-68816304-1.
Campbell, Michael; Brody, James. Rock and Roll: An Introduction. New York:
Schirmer Books, 1999. ISBN 0-02-864727-0.
Barbier, Patrick, The World of the Castrati: The History of an Extraordinary Operatic
Phenomenon (Souvenir Press, 1999).
Cusick, Susan, ‘Gender, Musicology and Feminism’, in Nicholas Cook and Mark
Everist (eds.), Rethinking Music (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999).
Negus, Keith, The Music Business and Rap: Between the Street and the Executive
Suite, Cultural Studies 13/3 (1999).
Thomas Swiss Mapping the Beat: Popular Music and Contemporary Theory
(paperback edition), (editor), Blackwell (1998);
Mark Anthony Neal What the Music Said: Black Popular Music and Black Public
Culture (paperback edition), , Routledge (1998).
Dean, Jeremy. Celine Dion: Let's Talk About Love. New York: Welcome Rain,
1998. ISBN 1-56649-044-8
Milkowski, Bill. Rockers, Jazzbos & Visionaries. New York: Billboard Books, 1998.
ISBN 0-8230-7833-7.
Morse, Tim. Classic Rock Stories: The Stories Behind the Greatest Songs of All
Time. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1998. ISBN 0-312-18067-5.
Moser, Margaret; Crawford, Bill. Rock Stars Do the Dumbest Things. Los Angeles:
Renaissance Books, 1998. ISBN 1-58063-023-5.
Clément, Catherine, Opera, or, The Undoing of Women (Minneapolis: University of
Minnesota Press, 1988).
Kramer, Lawrence, Franz Schubert: Sexuality, Subjectivity, Song (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1998).
Cook, Nicholas, Analysing Musical Multimedia (Oxford: Clarendon, 1998).
Robbins, Ira A. The Trouser Press Guide to '90s Rock. New York: Fireside, 1997.
ISBN 0-684-81437-4.
Timothy Taylor Global Pop: World Music, World Markets (paperback edition), ,
Routledge (1997);
George Lipsitz Dangerous Crossroads: Popular Music, Postmodernism and the
Poetics of Place (paperback edition), Verso (1997).
Pollock, Bruce. The Rock Song Index: Essential Information on the 7,500 Most
Important Songs of Rock and Roll. New York: Schirmer Books/Prentice Hall
International, 1997.
Adjaye, Joseph K. and Adrianne R. Andrews (eds.), Language, Rhythm and Sound:
Black Popular Cultures into the Twenty-First Century (University of Pittsburgh Press,
1997).
Bristow, Joseph, Sexuality (New York: Routledge, 1997).
Medhurst, Andy and Sally Munt (eds.), Lesbian and Gay Studies: A Critical
Introduction (London: Cassell, 1997).
Ortner, Sherry B., Making Gender: The Politics and Erotics of Culture (Boston:
Beacon, 1996).
Redding, Noel; Appleby, Carol. Are You Experienced: The Inside Story of the Jimi
Hendrix Experience. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996. ISBN 0-306-80681-9.
Rees, Dafydd; Crampton, Luke. Encyclopedia of Rock Stars. London: Dorling
Kindersley Ltd., 1996. ISBN 0-7894-1263-2.
Bayles, Martha. Hole in our soul : the loss of beauty and meaning in American
popular music. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.
Bego, Mark. The Rock & Roll Almanac. New York: Macmillan, 1996. ISBN 0-02860432-6.
Hutcheon, Linda, and Michael, Opera: Desire, Disease, Death (Lincoln: University of
Nebraska Press, 1996).
Cee, Gary. Classic Rock. New York: Michael Friedman Publishing Group, Inc.,
1995. ISBN 1-56799-168-8.
Nickson, Chris. Mariah Carey. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1995.
Rose, Tricia, Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America
(Wesleyan University Press, 1994).
Cook, Susan C. and Judy S. Tsou (eds.), Cecilia Reclaimed: Feminist Perspectives
on Gender and Music (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994).
Brett, Philip, Elizabeth Wood and G.C. Thomas (eds.), Queering the Pitch: The New
Gay and Lesbian Musicology (New York, 1994).
Dunn, Leslie C. and Nancy A. Jones (eds.), Embodied Voices: Representing Female
Vocality in Western Culture (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994).
Solie, Ruth (ed.), Musicology and Difference: Gender and Sexuality in Music
Scholarship (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993).
Bradby, B. ‘Sampling Sexuality: gender, technology and the body in dance music’
Popular Music 12/2 (May 1993) pp.155-176
Frith, Simon, Andrew Goodwin and Lawrence Grossberg (eds), Sound and Vision:
The Music Video Reader (New York: Routledge, 1993).
Hart, L. and P. Phelan (eds.), Acting Out: Feminist Performances (Ann Harbor:
University of Michigan Press, 1993).
Citron, Marcia J., Gender and the Musical Canon (Urbana: University of Illinois
Press, 1993).
Koestenbaum, Wayne, The Queen's Throat: Opera, Homosexuality, and the Mystery
of Desire (London: GMP, 1993).
––– (ed.), Georges Bizet: Carmen (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992)
(Cambridge Opera Handbooks).
Flinn, Caryl, Strains of Utopia: Gender, Nostalgia, and Hollywood Film Music
(Princeton Univ. Press, 1992).
Bergeron, Katherine and Philip V. Bohlman (eds.), Disciplining Music: Musicology
and Its Canons (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992),
McClary, Susan, Feminine Endings: Music, Gender and Sexuality (Minneapolis:
Minnesota University Press: 1991).
Abbate, Carolyn, Unsung Voices: Opera and Musical Narrative in the Nineteenth
Century (Princeton University Press, 1991).
Wicke, Peter. Rock music: culture, aesthetics, and sociology. New York: Cambridge
University Press, 1990.
Butler, Judith, Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (New York:
Routledge, 1990).
Frith, Simon and Andrew Goodwin (eds.). On Record: Rock, Pop and the Written
Record (New York: Routledge, 1990). (especially "Rock and Sexuality.")
COURSE GENERAL OUTLINE (A detailed Syllbus with dates will be provided
at the beginning of classes):
Please consider that the contents of individual classes may be changed
throughout the course according to the class's progress, and that some visits whenever available and pertinent- may be included within regular class time.
Classes include lectures, class discussions, excerpts of recorded material and
videotapes, as well as attending live performances in Italian theaters and
concert venues and a workshop at the Theatre Costume Atelier (Sartoria
Teatrale Fiorentina) in Florence.
SEPTEMBER
23rd (1) Introduction to the course syllabus and used material. Aesthetic principles of
Rock Music, voice, and gender.
30th (2) The maturity of Rock: the Sixties and the English scene. The Beatles and the
Rolling Stones.
OCTOBER
7TH (3) The Who. Led Zeppelin. Pink Floyd.
14th (4) Theatre of Gender: David Bowie at the climax of the sexual revolution.
21st (5) Workshop at the Theatrical Costume Atellier.
28th (6) Freddy Mercury and Queen. The creation of Rock Opera.
Summing –up of the first half of the course content and review.
NOVEMBER
4th (7) MID-TERM WRITTEN EXAM.
11th (8). The disguise category performance’s origin: Italian Castrati. Operatic
influences on Rock music.
18th (9) Music and Media: the Sanremo Festival: Queen’s Radio GA-Ga playback
1984, Bowie1997, Brian May, Irene Fornaciari e Kerry Ellis 2012. The music industry.
25th NO CLASS (SCHOOL OPEN)
DECEMBER
2nd (10) Transposition of genre: Bohème into Rent rock musical.
LISTENING QUIZZES
9th (11) Madonna. Women’s voices in motion: performance, costumes, choreography
and visual effect. Sexual desire and power. New Divas. Lady Gaga – The body
language and the multimedia approaches.
Summing-up and Consolidation of Course Content. Final review.
16th (12) ) FINAL EXAM
TODAY IS THE DEADLINE FOR HANDING IN THE HOME ASSIGNEMENT
Special Visit and workshop at the Theatrical Costume Atelier Sartoria
Teatrale Fiorentina in Florence. Date TBA. Attendance is mandatory.
Concerts dates TBA. Attendance is mandatory.