1.2 Reading: Syllabus
New lectures!
In three new lectures, Jonathan Biss plays more examples and provides comprehensive insights into the following sonatas:
• Sonata No. 1, Op. 2, No. • Sonata No. 6, Op. 10, No. • Sonata No. 23, Op. 57 (“Appassionata”)
• Sonata No. 28, Op. 101
Coursera's new On-Demand format offers the following benefits: • All course content is posted and available for you to complete at your own pace.
• There are progress indicators above the video lectures to keep you informed of where you are in the course. A green check mark will appear next to an item in the course outline when you have completed it.
• You can work through the course with the “Suggested Deadlines” turned on, or completely at your own pace.
• There are no assignments or peer-assessments (therefore, no grades).
• A Statement of Accomplishment or Course Certificate is not offered.
• Video lectures in On-Demand courses cannot be downloaded at this time.
• Our forums provide global online conversations that will inspire and engage you while you are working through the course and after you finish. We hope you will join in the conversation. (Learn more here.)
• Navigating through the course is easy! On any course page, click the right arrow to go to the next page and the left arrow to return to the previous one. To return to the main section or home page, click the links at the top left of your screen.
TIP: We recommend that you complete Jonathan's lecture videos in the order presented to gain maximum value. Create Your Own Learning Goals
Your knowledge in this class can grow from various sources and interactions:
• Watching lecture videos.
• Using in-video quizzes to test what you have just heard.
• Participating in discussion forums with your classmates.
• Exploring related material from the supplementary resources.
• Further reinforcing your knowledge of lecture material through quizzes.
• Listening to sonatas and exploring them more deeply on your own.
You can set your own goals for the course. Perhaps you want to build your listening skills for the next concert you attend, or gain insight to pass along to your own students, or consider another perspective when practicing, or make connections with other classical music listeners.
There are many ways to measure learning, and setting personal goals will enable you to reflect on your experience and enrichment. Enjoy the music and the company along your learning journey—which we hope will continue long after this course.
Lecture Videos
Lecture topics include 4 to 13 videos. Watching all of the videos for one topic should take you about one hour.
English captioning is available. Turn it on by clicking the CC icon on the video player.
For more on videos, read the overview in Coursera's Help Center. Use the Help Center button on the right of the screen button on any course page to contact Coursera for technical help or to report technical issues.
Additional Resources and the Learning Library
Download the Lesson Notes and Resources from the Learning Library to use as a listening guide and as a place to take notes while viewing the lectures. This guide identifies terms and people mentioned in lectures, along with providing context about works and links for further study. A link to lecture-specific resources is provided with each lecture.
The Learning Library includes Jonathan Biss's own recordings of many of the Beethoven piano sonatas discussed in this course. They are streaming for free here on Coursera for the students of Exploring Beethoven's Piano Sonatas. (Note that Jonathan has not yet recorded the sonatas discussed in the new Lectures 6, 7 and 8.)
Suggested Readings
There are no pre-requisites for this course. For those who would like to explore the subject from a different perspective, though, there are several terrific studies of Beethoven. Please visit Notes from the Instructor for details.
Online Forums
Explore the sonatas further and join a worldwide community of people interested in classical music by participating in the Curtis Online Forums. There are two active forums where you can post responses to Jonathan's questions and comment on your classmates' remarks: 1) Use the Coursera Discussion area (found below the videos in the course), or
2) Go to the Curtis Online Forum (Google Group).
• Go to the forums here.
• Learn more about it here.
When reading and posting in the forums, please remember that the course is open to students of all backgrounds. This means not only that individuals may be much more or less familiar with Beethoven's music than you are, but that he or she may have a first language other than English. Quizzes
After listening to the lecture video, you can reinforce what you learned by taking a multiple-choice quiz. Quizzes may be taken more than once and are not graded.
For more about the quiz tool, refer to Coursera's Help Center. There are no additional assignments. We hope that you take the opportunity to engage further with the lecture materials and resources, and participate in the Curtis Online Forums.
List of Featured Works
