This course surveys European music in the seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries, beginning with the first experiments in opera and culminating in the works of Handel, Vivaldi, and J.S. Bach. In this era we will consider how musicians pioneered new genres, created a repertoire of instrumental music, and sought new ways to excite emotion in their listeners. We will also explore the complexities of how musicians worked and made a living during this period, as well as the many external forces that shaped the music they made. Course activities center around listening, analysis of primary sources, and writing about music. Not offered 2026-27.