Richard Strauss – a first-class second-rate composer
The last of the great German romantic composers, Strauss provides an important bridge between 19th century ideals and early modernism. We’ll discuss his life-story and his guiding philosophical beliefs as well as listening to his tone poems, his operas, his … More details …
The Cult of Gloriana – Elizabeth I and the Elizabethans – a cultural golden age
This course is fully booked. Please contact us if you would like to be placed on the waiting list for any cancellations. Elizabeth I was the most remarkable woman of a remarkable age. Her reign was one of the great … More details …
It’s a sensation!
Sensation fiction was an instant commercial success and took the literary world by storm in the 1860s. With scandalous protagonists and thrilling plots, sensation fiction captured the imagination of readers and outraged many critics. We will consider Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s … More details …
More Mixed Media
This course is now fully booked. Please contact us if you wish to be placed on the waiting list for any cancellations. On the first Mixed Media course we experimented with mixing different art materials. Even more variations still wait … More details …
The Romanov Tsars – Power and Conflict in Tsarist Russia
This course is now fully booked. Please contact us if you wish to be placed on the waiting list for any cancellations. In this course we will be covering: The origins of Russia and the Romanov Dynasty and the reigns … More details …
‘Answering Back’
Contemporary poets were invited to select a poem from our literary heritage and respond to it in any way they wished. “Answering Back” is the resulting anthology. In this day school, we shall be discussing a selection from the anthology, … More details …
Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Four
This course is now fully booked. Please contact us if you would like to be placed on the waiting list in case of any cancellations. Charles Rennie Mackintosh is now lauded as Scotland’s greatest modern architect but sadly his potential … More details …
Film Music in the Modern Era
An exploration of movie scoring from the 1970s to the present day. Following on from Ben’s Film Music course last year, this day course will look at the art of writing music for movies and TV, including examples of music … More details …
Shakespeare and History: the real Wars of the Roses
Shakespeare’s earliest plays deal with the most turbulent period in English history, from the loss of France through to the Battle of Bosworth. Along the way he addresses the burning of Joan of Arc, the murder of a king, and … More details …
‘Life after Life’ by Kate Atkinson – the shaping of history in fictional worlds
This was Kate Atkinson’s ninth novel. A tricky narrative, playing games with story and reader. Is it a family saga? Is it a historical novel? A war novel? Do we need to categorise a work of fiction? As well as … More details …
Mozart – The Soul of a Genius
Mozart stands as the epitome of musical genius, revered and cherished by scholars, critics, performers and listeners alike. The universal allure of his compositions begs the question: what elements make his music so universally captivating? Our exploration today aims to … More details …
From Power to Prodigy House: the country house in Tudor England
This study day will survey the development of the country house in Tudor England. We will begin with discussion of “power houses” including Sutton Place and Hampton Court, with consideration of their architectural features as well as their internal fixtures. … More details …
Better than Nothing
We find it so easy to write down any number using our ten digit system that we do not realise how long it took to invent or appreciate how difficult it was. In this day school we shall look at … More details …
Caspar David Friedrich – Humanity and Nature
2024 sees the 250th anniversary of the birth of Caspar David Friedrich, the father of German Romanticism. He transformed landscape painting into ‘art for a new age’, examining the relationship between man and the natural world. Key pictures by Friedrich … More details …
‘Moon Tiger’ by Penelope Lively – the shaping of history in fictional worlds
Penelope Lively’s seventh novel was published in 1987. Ostensibly a novel about one woman’s extraordinary life, the story is complex, playing with time and view-points. It raises questions about history that provide us with a starting point for exploring our … More details …