The Marshall University School of Music and Theatre’s lecture series, MUsic Mondays, resumes at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 15, at the Cellar Door, 905 Third Ave.
The lecture, “Schubert and The Wanderer: A Winter’s Journey,” focuses on Franz Schubert’s intriguing song cycle, “A Winter’s Journey.” Lead presenter Dr. Vicki Stroeher, professor of music history at Marshall, said Schubert, arguably the most important song composer of his generation, was a master at capturing images in the text and finding hidden meanings.
“In Schubert’s ‘Winter’s Journey,’ a man undertakes both a physical and a spiritual trek in order to discover who he really is,” Stroeher said. “In his music, Schubert highlights images of winter and the barren landscape, contrasting them with thoughts and images of happier times. The wanderer, which was a favorite subject of poets and artists, sets off in a desolate landscape only to encounter his past, his present and a possible future.
“Schubert knew that he was terminally ill when he wrote [“A Winter’s Journey”], and these songs reflect both his own loneliness and that of the central character,” Stroeher said.
The spring series, titled “Music for the Season,” will investigate music that reflects the season for which it was written. Johann Sebastian Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion” will be the focus of the lecture for Monday, March 14. On April 11, the series will explore Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony, and on May 9, the series will present Benjamin Britten’s Spring Symphony, which concludes aptly with the medieval English round, “Sumer is icumen in” (“Summer is Coming In”).
Seating is limited. Participants are invited to arrive early to enjoy conversation and refreshments.
Each lecture costs $10, payable at the door. Checks should be made payable to Marshall University. All proceeds will go to support the music program.
For more information about MUsic Mondays, call Marshall’s School of Music and Theatre at 304-696-3117.