Francesca Brittan, Guest Lecturer forMusic Theory 405/Comparative Literature 492 “The Fantastic in Music and Literature”

Grant:

Instructional Development Fund (IDF)

Academic Year:

2011 - 2012 (June 1, 2011 through May 31, 2012)

Funding Requested:

$453.00

Project Dates:

Tue, 09/06/2011 - Tue, 12/13/2011

Applicant(s):

grantrm

Overview of the Project:

I seek the support of the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching to bring Francesca Brittan to my fall undergraduate class, "The Fantastic in Music and Literature." Dr. Francesca Brittan--an Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University--is one of the foremost American authorities on the burgeoning field of musicological research that applies the literary theory of the fantastic to the study of classical music. During her visit to my class, Professor Brittan will speak to us about her recent research and share her findings concerning little-known and heretofore unpublished musical works in the fantastic genre (including works thought to be lost). Because Professor Brittan is also a noted keyboard performer, she will enhance her academic lecture with live demonstration at the piano.

Final Report Fields

Project Objectives:

Thanks to the generous support of the CRLT I was able to bring Dr. Francesca Brittan to Ann Arbor and to my fall undergraduate class, “The Fantastic in Music and Literature.” Professor Brittan—an Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University—is one of the foremost American authorities in the burgeoning field of musicological research that applies the literary theory of the fantastic to the study of classical music. The author of two foundational articles on this topic, Professor Brittan is also a noted performer of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century keyboard music.

Project Achievements:

During her visit to my class, Brittan presented her recent research on Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique and its relationship to romantic autobiography. In addition she was able to share with us her new, unpublished work on Jean-Etienne Soubre’s “Sinfonie fantastique” (which was, until recently, thought to be lost). Students in the class prepared questions in advance on her work and its relationship to literary theory and music analysis. The last hour of the seminar was devoted to a discussion of the future directions for research on the fantastic. Many students took up themes from this discussion in their final papers and were able to cite Brittan’s existing and forthcoming work. In discussions following the visit, students also expressed gleeful enthusiasm about the ability to be in personal contact with the author of such foundational scholarship.

Continuation:

Dissemination:

The dissemination of information took place within the context of the seminar.

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