The Piano Sonata: Russian and 20th-21st Century Composers

The Piano Sonata: Russian and 20th-21st Century Composers

This course is part of Exploring Piano Literature: The Piano Sonata Specialization

Instructor: Matthew Bengtson

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4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

15 reviews

Intermediate level

Some related experience required

1 week to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

15 reviews

Intermediate level

Some related experience required

1 week to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Learn how the piano sonata was revitalized in the 20th century.
Study both Neo-Classical and avant-garde styles.
Explore the work of Russian composers, such as Scriabin, Medtner, and Prokofiev.

Skills you'll gain

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Assessments

6 assignments

Taught in English

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This course is part of the Exploring Piano Literature: The Piano Sonata Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

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There are 4 modules in this course

In this course, you’ll review sonata form and learn how the piano sonata was revitalized in the 20th century, with a particular attention to composers from Russia, where the sonata was an especially popular and successful genre. You’ll study some of the most influential piano sonatas of the 20th century, in both Neo-Classical and avant-garde styles. This course will also expose you to a variety of lesser-known and more recent compositions, showing how the piano sonata genre continues to expand and to thrive.

In the first week, you'll be introduced to the course structure and to the fundamentals surrounding sonata form and the history of the genre.

What's included

5 videos3 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

5 videos Total 29 minutes

Course Introduction: Setting the Stage 4 minutes
Sonata Characteristics & Composers 7 minutes
Sonata Form: Principles, Origins, Processes, & Theorists 6 minutes
Sonata Form Overview 8 minutes
Movement Architecture 4 minutes

3 readings Total 17 minutes

Course Syllabus 10 minutes
Help Us Learn More About You 5 minutes
Putting Sonatas Together 2 minutes

1 assignment Total 30 minutes

Sonata Form & Movement Architecture 30 minutes

1 discussion prompt Total 10 minutes

Introduce Yourself 10 minutes

This week looks at Russian composers, who were highly invested in the piano sonata genre in the 20th century. We will focus primarily on the works of the three major sonata composers: Scriabin, Medtner, and Prokofiev. We will also get acquainted with a number of other important Russian composers in this genre.

What's included

13 videos9 readings2 assignments3 discussion prompts

13 videos Total 123 minutes

The Russian Piano Sonata 3 minutes
Scriabin's Early Sonatas 13 minutes
Scriabin's Piano Sonata no. 5, op. 53 6 minutes
Scriabin's Late Sonatas 7 minutes
Scriabin's Piano Sonata No. 10, Op. 70 8 minutes
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) 10 minutes
Medtner's Piano Sonatas 3 minutes
Medtner's G Minor Sonata 21 minutes
Sergei Prokofiev Sonatas 12 minutes
Prokofiev's Second Sonata 9 minutes
Prokofiev's War Sonatas 7 minutes
Prokofiev's Sixth Sonata 9 minutes
More Russian Sonata Composers 14 minutes

9 readings Total 85 minutes

Alexander Scriabin (1871-1915) 10 minutes
Introduction to Scriabin's Fifth Sonata 10 minutes
Introduction to Scriabin's Late Sonatas 10 minutes
Introduction to Scriabin's Tenth Sonata 5 minutes
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) 10 minutes
Nikolai Medtner (1880-1951) 10 minutes
Introduction to Medtner's G Minor Sonata 10 minutes
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) 10 minutes
Introduction to Prokofiev's War Sonatas (1939-1944) 10 minutes

2 assignments Total 50 minutes

Scriabin, Rachmaninov & Medtner 30 minutes
Prokofiev & Other Russian Composers 20 minutes

3 discussion prompts Total 30 minutes

Sonata Form & Programmatic Ideas 10 minutes
Exploring Characteristics of Medtner's Style 10 minutes
Prokofiev & Characterization 10 minutes

This week looks at some of the most extraordinary piano sonatas composed after the Romantic Era (excluding Russians). We consider seven sonatas in some detail, by three French composers, two of German descent, and two born in America. The end of the course points towards the music of today by considering the extraordinary diversity of composers and works that led to it.

What's included

8 videos10 readings2 assignments2 discussion prompts

8 videos Total 116 minutes

20th and 21st Century Composers 3 minutes
Ravel's Sonatine 11 minutes
Dutilleux's Sonata 12 minutes
Berg's Piano Sonata op. 1 18 minutes
Hindemith's Third Sonata 13 minutes
Ives's Piano Sonata no. 2 "Concord, Mass., 1840-1860" 22 minutes
Barber's Sonata in E-Flat minor, op. 26 23 minutes
Boulez's Sonata no. 2 16 minutes

10 readings Total 77 minutes

Introduction to Maurice Ravel's Sonatine 5 minutes
Introduction to Henri Dutilleux's Sonata 2 minutes
Introduction to Alban Berg's Sonata 10 minutes
Introduction to Paul Hindemith's Third Sonata 5 minutes
Introduction to Charles Ives's "Concord Sonata" 10 minutes
Ives's Father's Influence and Social Context of Piano Sonata no. 2 10 minutes
Introduction to Samuel Barber's Sonata 5 minutes
Introduction to Pierre Boulez's Second Sonata 10 minutes
Overview of Early Twentieth Century Sonatas 10 minutes
More Recent Sonatas 10 minutes

2 assignments Total 50 minutes

Ravel, Dutilleux, & Berg 20 minutes
Hindemith, Ives, Barber, and Boulez 30 minutes

2 discussion prompts Total 20 minutes

Ives vs. Boulez 10 minutes
Tensions Between Modernity & Tradition 10 minutes

For more advanced learners, an Honors Formal Analysis is available in this final week (not required for completion of the course).

What's included

4 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

4 readings Total 127 minutes

Post-Course Survey 5 minutes
Honors Lesson: Score Analysis 2 minutes
Formal Analysis: Scriabin's Sonata No. 3 in F# minor, op. 23 90 minutes
Answer Key: Scriabin's Sonata No. 3 in F# minor, p. 23 30 minutes

1 assignment Total 2 minutes

Honors Lesson Commitment 2 minutes

1 discussion prompt Total 15 minutes

End of Course Discussion 15 minutes

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Instructor

Instructor ratings

(6 ratings)

Matthew Bengtson

University of Michigan

3 Courses 3,864 learners

Offered by

University of Michigan

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