Course instructor: 
Dr Frances Lee

Course Schedule: Thursdays, 4–6pm (Semester 2, AY2023/24) 

*Additional dates may be involved for projects/assessments during the semester period of 15 Jan – 11 May 2024. Added make-up classes may also be scheduled due to public holidays coinciding with class dates.

Objectives
Through this course, learners will assess the repertory and canon of keyboard works with a critical eye, and broaden their scope of vision when engaging with composers and their music. They will deepen their understanding of how a genre evolves and the development of styles and forms throughout history. They will acquire and apply analytic tools to engage with and reflect upon musical works in a more holistic manner, and independently formulate well-reasoned judgments, aesthetic and otherwise, when encountering new works. They will sharpen and hone their communication and research skills. Learners are encouraged to apply the modes of thinking exercised in this course to their own practice by making informed decisions on programming and interpretation.

Content
The genre of the sonata has a rich history and comprises a significant portion of the repertoire available to pianists. This course explores various meanings and incarnations of the keyboard sonata, approaching works from historical, sociological, and theoretical perspectives, and including both works that traditionally appear in the repertory and those that do not. Learners will think critically about the genre and the larger conceptual issues surrounding it, acquire and apply analytic tools to understand and reflect upon the works studied, and emerge with a fuller picture of keyboard sonatas and a curiosity to continue discovering and rediscovering this repertoire.