MUS 73 — The Beatles: The Early Years, 1962–64
Quarter: Summer
Instructor(s): Joel Phillip Friedman
Date(s): Jul 9—Aug 27
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Wednesdays
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 6:00—7:50 pm (PT)
Tuition: $465
Refund Deadline: Jul 11
Unit(s): 1
Status: Open
Quarter: Summer
Day: Wednesdays
Duration: 8 weeks
Time: 6:00—7:50 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jul 9—Aug 27
Unit(s): 1
Tuition: $465
Refund Deadline: Jul 11
Instructor(s): Joel Phillip Friedman
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Open
Sixty years after they exploded onto the music scene, The Beatles still capture our imagination. This course examines the band's career, development, and songwriting process through their first four extraordinary albums. After their single “Love Me Do” reached the UK Top 20 in October 1962, The Beatles recorded most of the album Please Please Me in one grueling day. As Beatlemania swept the UK, “She Loves You” and their second album, With The Beatles, solidified their reputation (as did performing for the Queen). Starting with “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and A Hard Day’s Night, the group’s first album of all original songs and a brilliant film, The Beatles did what no other British band had: they conquered the US market. In 1964, after Ed Sullivan and a whirlwind world tour, the band released the aptly titled and often overlooked Beatles for Sale. The course will include lectures, discussions, and the opportunity to listen closely to individual tracks as we examine the studio process, equipment, techniques, and songwriting craft that brought these albums to life.
JOEL PHILLIP FRIEDMAN
Composer and Music Scholar
Joel Phillip Friedman's concert, theater, and film music has been performed worldwide at such venues as Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, in London’s West End, and in off-Broadway theaters. He has taught courses in composition, theory, and history at Swarthmore, Georgetown, Stanford Continuing Studies, and elsewhere. He received a DMA from Columbia, where he was a President’s Fellow. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.