Research
Research

Research

Seminar on Piano Sonatas

I am currently teaching a musicology seminar at Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf, focusing on piano sonatas of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. While the works are considered in their particular aesthetical and genre-historical contexts, the primary approach is analytic, and we are examining the various conceptions of musical form and cyclic construction as seen in the music.

The start of the semester has been auspicious, with student presentations on works by Franz Liszt and Joachim Raff, besides sonatas by Josef Rheinberger, Edvard Grieg, Ethel Smyth, and Felix Draeseke. As the journey continues, we will delve into music by Peter Tchaikovsky, Mykola Lysenko, Leoš Janáček, Cécile Chaminade, Alexander Scriabin, Zara Levina, Béla Bartók, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Viktor Ullmann, and others. Moreover, we will have two guest appearances by pianists Kyra Steckeweh and Severin von Eckardstein who will introduce and perform sonatas by Dora Pejačević and Nikolai Medtner. I am looking forward!

 

Delving into Stravinsky

I am currently preparing a contribution for a Stravinsky volume that kind of absorbs me. The chapter will focus on analytical examinations of Old Igor’s music, confronting historical writings (starting with Messiaen’s and Boulez’s analyses of the Sacre) with contemporary approaches. Beyond the ubiquitous Taruskin, Kholopov, Straus, Horlacher, et alii: is there anything notable or indispensable in Stravinsky studies that you think I should care about and include in my survey? Any leads and opinions are much appreciated.

Music Theory Teaching with Digital Tools

My article »The Digital Music Theory Classroom: Considerations for Technology-Based Teaching at Music Universities« has now been published in the ZGMTH, the journal of the Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie. It outlines a concept for teaching music theory to undergraduate or graduate students based on the application of digital media, online platforms, and collaborative tools and documents. Two different strategies of realisation are suggested, varying with regard to contact time and course organisation: a blended learning approach and a combined face-to-face and flipped classroom scheme, both comprising a mixture of on-site instruction, remote teaching, and asynchronous e-learning units.

Cooperation and Competition

I am currently working on a paper concerning the relationship of the academic disciplines of musicology and music theory in a broader sense. The main focus will be on possible aspects of cooperation / collaboration and competition / rivalry between the two subjects. If you have experienced certain situations, projects, employments, or structural issues in your work that can shed light on either relation, and if you are willing to share your insights, please feel free get in touch! My perspective is mostly concerned with the situation and academic tradition in Germany, but remarks and observations from other countries are welcome as well.

Medtner January 2: Article

The three piano concerti of Nikolai Medtner, his only orchestral works, belong to the most fascinating yet underrated pieces of the repertoire. Hardly ever discussed in music scholarship, they present an astonishing variety of melodic contours and formal designs. The third concerto even features a narrative dimension, portraying the mythical figure of Rusalka in derivation from a Lermontov poem. My approach to the three concerti has now been published in VAN Magazin, including a number of musical examples. Hope you enjoy the read!