Event—Adult Education

Mediterranean Music: Sea, Sound, and Society from Antiquity to the Present

Participants in this course will view three Mediterranean civilizations through the lens of their music and culture. We will see how the musical remnants of ancient Greece are deeply rooted in the culture’s philosophy and mythology, while the songbooks of medieval Castile and the courtly suites of Moorish Granada reveal the Iberian peninsula’s fabled religious diversity...

Cost and Registration Information

Early Registration Price (August 27 at 9 am** – September 13 at 4 pm): $230
Regular Registration Price (September 13 at 4 pm – first day of class): $253

** Registration opens online at 9 am. Phone registration will be accepted starting at 10 am.

Members, seniors, and students get a 10% discount.

Register online

Seminar Description

Participants in this course will view three Mediterranean civilizations through the lens of their music and culture. We will see how the musical remnants of ancient Greece are deeply rooted in the culture’s philosophy and mythology, while the songbooks of medieval Castile and the courtly suites of Moorish Granada reveal the Iberian peninsula’s fabled religious diversity. We will conclude with the Levant, where musicians of the early 20th century adapted a thousand-year-old Mediterranean legacy to the complex politics of Arab nationalism.

Six sessions. E - $230, L - $253

Brian Oberlander holds a PhD in musicology from Northwestern University. He conducts research on music and culture in the Mediterranean and has taught music history at Northwestern, National Louis University, Columbia College Chicago, and the Newberry.

Materials List

Required:

  • A free digital course packet of additional material, compiled by the instructor and distributed electronically before the seminar begins. **Please note that you can purchase a printed copy at an additional cost to be paid at the first session (cash or check accepted).

First Reading:

  • For the first class, please read the file that will be sent upon registration, in the confirmation email.

This class is part of the Newberry’s Adult Education Seminars Program. Learn more about our registration procedures.