MUHS3061: Vienna as City of Music in the Long Nineteenth Century

What you'll do in this course:

• Discover Austria's history through music, from the roots of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the Fin de Siècle and the prologue to World War I
• Explore the complex relationship between cultural and political change in the 19th century
• Travel to Vienna and Salzburg to experience Austria's musical and cultural legacies firsthand

Try this course if you:

• Want to know why, when it was first invented, the waltz was considered scandalous
• Are curious about the role art and artists play in society at large, and how perceptions of that role have changed across time
• Are ready to learn about music history in a tight-knit community (and maybe try a sachertorte...)

The Austrian capital of Vienna proudly touts itself today as “Musikstadt Wien,” or “Vienna, City of Music.” This claim largely hinges on the presence of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler, Arnold Schoenberg, and dozens of other world-class musicians who called the city home between c. 1780 and 1913. This course examines these musicians—their compositions, writings, and other activities—against the changing artistic, social, and political climate of the “long” nineteenth century. Focus on primary sources, local institutions, and performances; knowledge of foreign language or music notation not necessary. This course concludes with a week-long tour of Vienna.

Exploring nineteenth-century Vienna will help develop your abilities to:

• Recognize how political, economic, artistic, and other cultural forces gave rise to Vienna as a unique center of artistic creation
• Relate aspects of the culture and history of nineteenth-century Vienna and Salzburg to events in our modern world
• Identify, discuss, and write about aspects of Viennese music, literature, and art in concrete terms using appropriate vocabulary
• Evaluate the role of patronage and other economic forces in artistic creativity
• Cultivate an historical imagination
• Travel internationally, navigate an unfamiliar city, and courteously communicate basic needs in German
• Acquire an appreciation for another culture

Please note that this itinerary may change prior to the start of the semester!

Day 1 - Friday, April 30: depart Cincinnati, travel to Vienna

Day 2 - Saturday, May 1: arrive in Vienna, bus to Salzburg, check into hotel, city walk and welcome dinner

Day 3 -  Sunday, May 2: visit Hohensalburg Fortress and the Salzburg Cathedral

Day 4 - Monday, May 3: morning at Mozarteum University. Travel to Vienna, guided city sightseeing tour 

Day 5 - Tuesday, May 4: visit Haydn House, Mozarthaus, and the Vienna Central Cemetary, then free time

Day 6 - Wednesday, May 5: Schonbrunn Palace visit, Vienna museum, then free time

Day 7 - Thursday, May 6: State Hall guided visit, Musikverein visit

Day 8 - Friday, May 8: UN visit and Belvedere Museum. Gather for farewell dinner and attend the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (pending availability)

Day 9: Saturday, May 9: depart Vienna for Cincinnati.