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.
Research
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!
Interview with Two Multimedial Composers
Some months ago I conducted a fascinating interview with two multimedial music creators from Berlin: the film composer Dascha Dauenhauer and the instrumental and electroacoustic composer Martin Grütter. We talked about their preferred working methods and environments, aesthetic influences, and ways of making their music available and accessible. The interview has now been published in the online magazine niusic.de. Hope you enjoy the read!
Survey on Diversity in Music Completed
The results of my diversity survey for music students are now available. From April through September 2023 I conducted an anonymous poll among students from German universities and conservatories, inquiring their opinions and attitudes towards various issues in music business and professional music education. In particular, there were questions regarding the diversity of composers and repertoires, researchers and teachers, academic topics, and conceptions in musicology and music theory. I am sharing an overview of the results here, hoping that these will enable some insights and can maybe encourage to develop ideas and strategies for making curricula and course contents more diverse.
» Have a look at the survey results (in German language)
Musing with Musicologists
I am currently staying in Saarbrücken for a few days, participating in the annual conference of the Gesellschaft für Musikforschung that has a focus on digital humanities and computer-aided research in music. Yesterday I took part in an interesting panel on the role of music theory in undergraduate musicology programmes. The roundtable was convened by Felix Wörner and featured lightning talks by Carmel Raz, Andreas Feilen, Gregor Herzfeld, and myself.