Noel Verzosa, Jr.

Biography

I am a music historian specializing in Western art music (“classical music”) of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with a particular interest in French music, especially that of Francis Poulenc, Claude Debussy, and Erik Satie. More broadly, I am interested in the history and historiography of modernism: how modern music and art were thought to reflect various historical and cultural trends; how these trends were thought to be different from other trends; why, and to whom, these trends mattered; and how all of this has influenced the way we tell the history of the twentieth century.

I offer courses on a variety of topics: the history of Western art music from the medieval era to the present; American popular music (including rock, jazz, and Broadway); world music; aesthetics and the philosophy of art; and general humanities courses. Outside of the music department, I also teach in the Honors Program, the philosophy department, first-year seminars, and the M.A. in Humanities program.

In a former life I was a pianist, and on rare occasions I have been known to dust off the keys and jam for old times' sake. When I’m not teaching, I enjoy playing German board games and collecting fountain pens.