INQ-110 | Myths of Musical Genius

Full Title: Myths of Musical Genius: An Inquiry into Originality in Music

Topic Description:

What do we mean when we say a composer is a genius, or speak of a musician’s genius, or the genius of a singer? How can we say a work such as an opera or Broadway show or record album is a work of musical genius, when it is essentially a collaborative project? This course pursues an inquiry into the notion of musical genius by proposing how popular culture creates musical myths about artists and works held to be “great.” The term ‘myth’ can refer to any abiding story of human action and achievement. This course introduces students to several myths of musical genius--stories about originality in music and musicians across the ages. To complicate these myths of musical greatness, we will consider how the teachers and mentors, collaborators, and the artistic milieu of each artist’s epoch actually shaped the “genius” attributed to them and their work. Our goal is to learn the “back-story” of each myth, and to thus learn how our knowledge of music history can inform an understanding all too often framed simply by the myths and legends of popular consciousness.

Counts as Global? No

Topic Approved: April 2010