Bring on the Music!
Sept. 15, 22, 29, Oct. 6, 13, 20
On Campus – Tuesday 3:10 pm – 4:50 pm
A course for lovers of all kinds of music, including a couple of symphonies, some opera, songs of social significance, and the American Songbook. We sample an eclectic selection of well-known and exciting pieces of classical music, show tunes and folk music: Ludwig van Beethoven, Gustav Mahler, Woody Guthrie and Cole Porter. In addition, some downright socialist ideas expressed a post-WWII musical, Finian’s Rainbow. We provide historical and biographical contexts for these works, and opportunities for special requests for your particular favorite works.
- Week 1: Beethoven: V for Victory, Ode to Joy
- Week 2: Some of the Boys: Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Frank Loesser, and one Girl: Dorothy Fields, and The Great American Songbook
- Week 3: A Piece of Mahler’s, including his Resurrection Symphony
- Week 4: Songs of Social Significance, Protest and Justice
- Week 5: The Music of 20th century great, Nicolas Flagello, including The Passion of Martin Luther King
- Week 6: Ragtime: E.L. Doctorow’s epic novel, James Cagney’s final film (1981) and a glorious 1998 musical, now in revival
Art Gang has a BA from NYU, a JD from Brooklyn Law School and a MA in American Studies from Fairfield University. After retiring from 40 years of legal practice, he has taught in adult education programs and served as a docent at the Fairfield University Museum. He is the past president of the Fairfield County Chorale.