MUS 79 — Puccini, Please! The Life and Music of Opera’s Great Master
Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): Kip Cranna
Date(s): Jan 27—Mar 17
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Tuesdays
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 7:00—8:50 pm (PT)
Tuition: $475
Refund Deadline: Jan 29
Unit(s): 1
Status: Open
Quarter: Winter
Day: Tuesdays
Duration: 8 weeks
Time: 7:00—8:50 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jan 27—Mar 17
Unit(s): 1
Tuition: $475
Refund Deadline: Jan 29
Instructor(s): Kip Cranna
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Open
Giacomo Puccini, the last of the great Italian opera composers, remains beloved for his soaring melodies, dramatic intensity, and emotional realism. His operas—from the tragic romance of La bohème to the raw passion of Tosca—combine sweeping Romanticism with gritty “verismo,” bringing real-life characters and dilemmas to the stage. This course brings Puccini’s world to life, exploring the events, passions, and struggles that shaped his unforgettable music.
Born in Tuscany and steeped in Italy’s operatic tradition, Puccini modernized post-Romantic opera with works that were both dramatically compelling and musically sophisticated. Together, we’ll uncover the real people and events that inspired his unforgettable characters, from Parisian seamstresses to Chinese princesses, and examine the creative risks that made him both celebrated and controversial. Through curated video and audio examples and close study of key scenes, students will come to understand how his innovations reshaped opera and appreciate what continues to make his dramas so compelling over a century after their premieres.
Born in Tuscany and steeped in Italy’s operatic tradition, Puccini modernized post-Romantic opera with works that were both dramatically compelling and musically sophisticated. Together, we’ll uncover the real people and events that inspired his unforgettable characters, from Parisian seamstresses to Chinese princesses, and examine the creative risks that made him both celebrated and controversial. Through curated video and audio examples and close study of key scenes, students will come to understand how his innovations reshaped opera and appreciate what continues to make his dramas so compelling over a century after their premieres.
No opera background is required.
KIP CRANNA
Dramaturg Emeritus, San Francisco Opera
Clifford "Kip" Cranna served on the San Francisco Opera staff for more than 40 years, including over 30 years as director of music administration. In 2008, he received the San Francisco Opera Medal, the company’s highest honor. Cranna received a PhD in musicology from Stanford, focusing on early Italian baroque music. He writes and lectures frequently on opera and teaches at the Fromm Institute at the University of San Francisco and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLI) at UC Berkeley, SF State, and Dominican University of California. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.