What Kind of Text Is That?

Focused Topic in Vocal Performance: Beginning
with an historical and contextual study of vocal
works that utilize unconventional or atypical
texts, students will research and perform
representative works while exploring, creating
and building works and analyses of their own. The
course will involve collective and individual
readings of various texts and in-class coaching
of works based on such texts, with a large
portion of the course devoted to the composition
of new pieces/readings/performances based on
unusual texts. Collaborative development and
performance is highly encouraged. Writers,
artists and composers covered may include Filippo
Marinetti, Tristan Tzara, Kurt Schwitters,
Gertrude Stein, Lewis Carroll, James Joyce,
Samuel Beckett, concrete poets, e.e. cummings,
John Cage, Luciano Berio, George Aperghis, and
others.