Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LH British Music Renaissance 1880 - 1914
School	Lan, Cult, Art Hist & Music
Department	Music
Module Code	09 21890
Module Lead	Module lead: Paul Rodmell
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	none
Contact Hours	Seminar-20 hours Total: 20 hours
Exclusions
Description	British musical culture is often referred to as having experienced a ‘renaissance’ at the end of the nineteenth century (symbolically dated to the first performance of Parry’s Prometheus Unbound in 1880), from which point Britain started to shed a reputation as being ‘das Land ohne Musik’ (‘the land without music’). Composers associated with this period include Stanford, Parry, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Holst and many others. This course examines the work of these and other composers active in Britain at this time, the genres upon which they focused (oratorio, secular cantata, orchestral music, art song, operetta, etc.), and places them in context by investigating such issues as the aesthetic values these composers embraced, how the nation’s musical life was organised, music education and the status of the music profession.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module the student should be able to: Identify significant topoi and themes that influenced British composers of this period. Critically analyse a variety of musical works and genres and relate them to their appropriate contexts, whether musical, literary, religious or social. Demonstrate an in-depth and sophisticated knowledge of relevant repertory and recent scholarly literature .
Assessment	21890-01 : Reading Responses : Coursework (10%) 21890-02 : Essay 1 : Coursework (40%) 21890-03 : Essay 2 : Coursework (50%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 10% Reading Responses (500 words) 40% Essay I (2000 words); 50% Essay II (2500 words) Method of Reassessment: Resubmission of failed element
Other
Reading List