HarvardX: 18th-Century Opera: Handel & Mozart
Study Baroque and Classical opera through Handel’s Giulio Cesare and Mozart’s Don Giovanni
Learning Journey Context
This course serves as an entry point into Art & Culture, building foundational knowledge before moving on to advanced frameworks or specialized paths.
Relevant for professionals pursuing roles within Art & Culture.
Quick Facts
What You’ll Learn
In this breathtaking course, you'll get to know the music of two beautiful operas — both in their spellbindingartistry and colorful histories.
First, you'll travel to London in 1724, where George Frideric Handel premiered his most famous opera, Giulio Cesare. Meet the performers and experience what it was like to attend the first production, all while gaining an appreciation for the typical characteristics of Italian opera represented in this popular Baroque opera seria.
Then fast-forward 63 years to the Estates Theatre in Prague for the premiere of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s enduring classic, Don Giovanni. Learn about the challenges Mozart faced during the rehearsal process and the revolutionary relationship he created between music and drama in this opera.
Outcomes
- How singers and the orchestra interact.
- How performances of these works have changed since their premieres.
- The basic structures of Baroque opera.
- Essential characteristics of Classical music.
- Mozart’s techniques for representing characters through music.
- How to compare the social and cultural contexts of the two premieres.
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