Last modified: 11 Jan 2024 12:46
There was an abundance of song in nineteenth-century Britain. On the street and in the home, on the stage and in the classroom, singing was by turns ordinary and astounding – a feature of everyday life and a wonder to behold. This course introduces students to some of the best-known songs and singers of the era while providing them with the tools to explore many more pieces and performers off the beaten track. No detailed prior knowledge of nineteenth-century song is required.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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The course is taught in a series of ten seminars where the emphasis is on discussion of set reading and listening as well as students’ independent research. In the first weeks we explore methodological questions related to the historical study of songs and singing, drawing on musicology, performance practice, print culture, political history, Victorian literature, and other related fields. Students are encouraged to explore a range of critical and creative approaches to the course material; ideally no two students will have the same experience of ’19 Songs’.
As the weeks go by, and each seminar introduces new case studies, students develop a sense of the different sorts of songs that were popular in the British nineteenth century alongside the settings in which they were typically sung. Christian hymns, national anthems, operatic arias, street ballads, children’s choruses, and music-hall numbers are just some of the songs we explore. To help students gather their thoughts along the way, everyone on the course keeps a physical scrapbook or ‘commonplace book’ with notes, pictures, and cuttings relevant to nineteenth-century song. This book, which should include at least 19 entries on nineteenth-century song, forms part of the assessment. Each student will also give a short oral presentation and either write an essay or submit a creative alternative (e.g., a composition, arrangement, or performance agreed with the course coordinator).
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 70 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 40 | Feedback Weeks | 43 | |
| Feedback |
One option is a 4,000-word essay. Alternative submissions of an equivalent value - e.g. 12-minute recorded performance or 7-minute composition - are also possible. Written feedback will refer to relevant departmental guidelines for different types of assessment. Whatever the type of assessment, credit will be given for engaging with the themes and material of the course. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Knowledge and understanding of: A selection of C19 songs and singers Shifts in the social settings and functions of singing The conceptual frameworks of the study of C19 |
| Procedural | Analyse | Be able to: appreciate C19 songs in their literary, musical, and cultural contexts understand the formal and stylistic factors that bear on the history of C19 songs engage in independent research |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Be able to: discuss relationships between singing and society discuss the reception of the C19 songs respond critically and creatively to C19 songs |
| Reflection | Create | Be able to: discuss complex issues with clarity and cogency respond to material in the course to produce a historically-informed piece of work organise study time effectively |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 35 | Feedback Weeks | 38 | |
| Feedback |
The portfolio is a scrapbook – or ‘commonplace book’ – containing clippings, drawings, and notes relating to the course. This is submitted along with a reflective piece of writing (approx. 500 words) that provides a supporting narrative. Credit will be given for including and elaborating on material beyond what is provided in class. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Knowledge and understanding of: A selection of C19 songs and singers Shifts in the social settings and functions of singing The conceptual frameworks of the study of C19 |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Be able to: discuss relationships between singing and society discuss the reception of the C19 songs respond critically and creatively to C19 songs |
| Assessment Type | Formative | Weighting | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 30 | Feedback Weeks | 33 | |
| Feedback |
5-minute individual oral presentation on a nineteenth-century song or singer. Students will submit presentation slides and/or bibliography along with a recording of the presentation. Students will be allocated to groups to watch a selection of presentations ahead of a class discussion. Students concerned about their peers watching their work will have the option of opting out but the course coordinator will still see the presentation. Feedback will be in the form of brief written comments as well as oral feedback in class. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Evaluate | Be able to: discuss relationships between singing and society discuss the reception of the C19 songs respond critically and creatively to C19 songs |
| Reflection | Create | Be able to: discuss complex issues with clarity and cogency respond to material in the course to produce a historically-informed piece of work organise study time effectively |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 49 | Feedback Weeks | 50 | |
| Feedback | ||||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Evaluate | Be able to: discuss relationships between singing and society discuss the reception of the C19 songs respond critically and creatively to C19 songs |
| Reflection | Create | Be able to: discuss complex issues with clarity and cogency respond to material in the course to produce a historically-informed piece of work organise study time effectively |
| Procedural | Analyse | Be able to: appreciate C19 songs in their literary, musical, and cultural contexts understand the formal and stylistic factors that bear on the history of C19 songs engage in independent research |
| Conceptual | Understand | Knowledge and understanding of: A selection of C19 songs and singers Shifts in the social settings and functions of singing The conceptual frameworks of the study of C19 |
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