Print this page Unfinished and Incomplete Musical Masterpieces

Savour some of the delights of the most beautiful and interesting unfinished and incomplete musical masterpieces from the Renaissance to Fauré. Learn the reasons why these works were left or have survived only in this state, and hear some of the attempts made by later composers and scholars to complete them. Evaluate the success of these completions. The music included will be by Tallis, Sheppard, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Fauré, and feature both instrumental and vocal music. The guiding principle will be Christina Rossetti’s question and answer ‘Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished? Yes; work never begun.’

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

COURSE OUTLINE

• Tallis and Sheppard – the turbulent Tudor period in England, Reformation and Counter-Reformation
• Handel in Italy and England – his compositions, their performance history, and their transmission after his death
• Haydn’s work for the Eszterházy family and beyond
• Mozart – a surprising number of incomplete works composed for Salzburg and Vienna
• Schubert and his Unfinished Symphony - the most celebrated unfinished work in the repertoire in context
• Felix Mendelssohn – his unfinished oratorio ‘Christus’
• Fauré – his incomplete instrumental works

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Discuss the various reasons why these works included in the course were left unfinished or have survived only in an incomplete state
2. Appreciate the achievements of the various composers in these works despite the lack of completeness
3. Evaluate the success of later composers and scholars to complete the unfinished and incomplete masterpieces
4. Outline the different stylistic features of the works covered in the course