Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Music Around the World
Music Around the World will discuss world music from various places of interest, including China, Japan, Europe and the Americas. The course will explore unique instruments from these locations, characteristic elements of their music, the origins of their style and their influence upon Western classical music.
October 10: Instruments and Music From Japan, China and Korea.
This lecture will discuss the history, properties and repertoire of the Japanese pipa, yangqin, gunqin, shakuhachi, the Chinese sheng and erhu and the Korean bowu.
October 24: Folk Music From Around Europe
This lecture will discuss European folk music and its reflection in classical music: from czardas and hopak to floating birches, flamenco, polka and waltzes in the music of Dvorak, Brahms, Kalman, Liszt, Brezensky, Glinka, Manuel de Falla and more.
November 7: Music from the Middle East and Beyond.
The lecture will explore Bulgarian folk songs, Croatian klapa, klezmer music, Greek music and instruments such as the dulcimer, cymbalom and music and instruments brought to Europe via the 711 Muslim conquest of the Iberian peninsula.
November 21: Music of South America
This class will explore the music of South America, including the tango, milonga and condomne, and its transcription in Argentinian and Uruguayan music. The music of the composers Piazolla and Ginastera will also be discussed.
December 5: American Music
This lecture will discuss American music and how it influenced the music of Europe, from spirituals to Gershwin to musicals to Dvorak and Copland.
Speaker Bio
Presenter: Marketa Hancova received a Masters of Arts degree in the dual disciplines of Literature & Linguistics and Music Pedagogy from Prague’s Charles University. She moved from her native Czech Republic to the United States in the early 1990’s and has served as a professor of literature and classical music and later as the Dean of Education at Platt College. She is active in the community, producing professional classical music concerts, offering public lectures and leading a band and a Czech performing heritage children’s group. She translated two books from English to Czech language, receiving critical praise. Her creative writing can be found at her blog www.aroundtownwithmarketa.com.