I would like to draw your attention to a remarkable article, written by pianist and university professor Florian Hölscher of Frankfurt Music University, on hierarchies, abuse of power, and misconduct in classical music education. The author puts this sensitive issue into a historical perspective, relates recent developments to 19th-century Meisterlehre and aesthetics of artistic genius, elaborates on the example of the George circle as a prominent example of mental and sexual dependence, and introduces a typology of potential offenders in teaching relationships. This text was thankfully provided by courtesy of the author for the Pro Musik Magazine.
The Digital Music Theory Classroom
I tried to summarise all my recent experiences in technology-based teaching and developed some personal guidelines for the digitised music theory classroom. The comprehensive concept includes diverse forms of instruction, such as face-to-face, online and hybrid teaching, and also considers synchronous and asynchronous usage of collaborative cloud documents and whiteboards—a central element of my music theory classes during the last three years. Other components are learning management systems, open educational resources, and multimedial interaction by means of virtual music-making apps and MIDI devices. Please share your thoughts if this is somewhat inspiring to you, and let me know if you have additions or suggestions!
» View my teaching concept for the digital music theory classroom (in German language)
Types and Prototypes: Study Day in Hamburg
This month is already bursting with music conferences and symposia, but the following event could indeed be worthwile to experience: Together with Patrick Becker and Roberta Vidic I am co-organising a hybrid study day, titled Types and Prototypes: Towards a Theory of Compositional Models in East-European Music, which will focus on theories of Satzmodelle and schemata in the repertoire in question. It is hosted by Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg and will take place both on-site and remotely via Zoom next Saturday, 18 February, 3–8 pm.
We are glad to have a promising line-up of presenters, including musicologists and music theorists from four different countries: Bart de Graaf (Amsterdam), Inna Klause (Hannover), Olha Kushniruk (Cambridge), Rebecca Mitchell (Vermont), and Jeff Yunek (Georgia). The study day will be chaired by Christoph Flamm (Heidelberg). Everybody interested is cordially invited to participate—please see this website for information on how to register.
Schicksalslieder with Vokalsystem Berlin
Another intriguing choral weekend lies behind me, having performed music by Melissa Dunphy, Ēriks Ešenvalds, and Johannes Brahms with Vokalsystem Berlin, Johannes David Wolff and Adrian Heger at Martin-Luther-Kirche Neukölln in two subsequent concerts on 11 and 12 February. It’s been a fascinating event, taking place in sort of an enhanced-reality setting, featuring illumination, fog, and immersive surround vocalisation. Already looking forward to our next rehearsal period!
A Conspectus of Four-Part Harmony
The final week of my semester at TU Dortmund University is over, having reached an intriguing (and literal) climax in the examination of Scriabin’s Poem of Ecstasy, and finishing with the workshop concert of my historical composition seminar. Eleven pieces, created during the last months, were performed by the students themselves: Renaissance-style partsongs, Lutheran choral settings in Schütz’s and Bach’s idioms, and Romantic folksong adaptations in various four-part realisations. The vocal ensemble consisted of twelve dedicated students from the BA programmes in music education and music journalism, the latter of who contributed a number of written and spoken work introductions. This was quite a rewarding experience—many thanks to everybody involved!
