Course: Chapters from the History of Pop Music 1: Czech Popular Music

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Course title Chapters from the History of Pop Music 1: Czech Popular Music
Course code KMU/KDPH1
Organizational form of instruction Lecture + Seminar
Level of course Bachelor
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter and summer
Number of ECTS credits 4
Language of instruction Czech
Status of course Compulsory-optional
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Lecturer(s)
  • Blüml Jan, Mgr. Ph.D.
Course content
Thematic Areas: Periodization and terminology Theoretical reflection on Czech popular music Jazz and swing Mass songs and variety entertainment Small-form theatres Composers of popular songs Rock music of the 1960s Alternative music and the underground Music publishing houses and artistic agencies Festivals (jazz, pop, folk) Magazines, fanzines, and samizdat Music criticism (key figures and discourses)

Learning activities and teaching methods
Lecture, Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming), Listening
  • Attendace - 26 hours per semester
  • Homework for Teaching - 30 hours per semester
  • Semestral Work - 15 hours per semester
  • Preparation for the Exam - 29 hours per semester
Learning outcomes
The aim of the course is to understand the important moments in the history of Czech popular music of the twentieth century. Through the selected chapters and case studies, students will be acquainted with the historical, aesthetic, general as well as music-theoretical issues of specific musical styles (tramp song, swing, rock and roll, art rock, pop music etc.). Selected music phenomena will not be explained in isolation; they will be consistently placed within a broader social, cultural, political, economic and another contexts.
Students will gain knowledge of the key personalities, styles, and other phenomena of Czech popular music of the twentieth century. They will realize the diversity of Czech popular music, understand its differences from foreign models, and also learn to think of popular music as a cultural-historical, and not only a musical fact.
Prerequisites
Student should be generally acquainted with the history of music, aesthetic and sociological categories.

Assessment methods and criteria
Written exam, Student performance

Attendance, thorough knowledge of literature and the issues discussed in the course of the lectures, at least 70% in the final exam test.
Recommended literature
  • Blüml, Jan. Bohuslav Ondráček a česká pop music. Praha. 2025.
  • Kotek, J. (1998). Dějiny české populární hudby a zpěvu: (1918-1968). Praha.
  • Kotek, J. (1990). O české populární hudbě a jejích posluchačích: od historie k současnosti. Praha.
  • Matzner, A., Poledňák, I., & Wasserberger, I. (1983). Encyklopedie jazzu a moderní populární hudby. [Díl 1]. Část věcná. Praha.
  • Vaněk, M. (2010). Byl to jenom rock and roll?: hudební alternativa v komunistickém Československu 1956-1989. Praha.


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Musicology (2019) Category: Theory and history of arts - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Musicology (2026) Category: Theory and history of arts - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Musicology (2026) Category: Theory and history of arts - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Musicology (2019) Category: Theory and history of arts - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Science of Arts (2019) Category: Theory and history of arts - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Musicology (2026) Category: Theory and history of arts - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Musicology (2019) Category: Theory and history of arts - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Science of Arts (2024) Category: Theory and history of arts - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Musicology (2022) Category: Theory and history of arts - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Science of Arts (2026) Category: Theory and history of arts - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Musicology (2024) Category: Theory and history of arts - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -