Music history
The historical musicology or music history is concerned with the origin and development of music. Thus, the subject matter is about the division of music into epochs. Facts of the past to be uncovered and interpreted according to sources. But the music of today is the focus of historical musicology.
Formation
The cradle of modern musicology was in the European and German- room of the 19th century. The first chairs of Musicology and history were built in the second half of the 19th century in Vienna, Berlin, Prague and Strasbourg. First, the history of music in the sense of a high culture history was the subject of the tray. It is sometimes said, referring to ancient Greece, musicology is 3,000 years old. The music was both Pythagoras, and Plato and Aristotle subject of philosophical discussions. Another important ancient thinkers was Aristoxenus, who dealt extensively with music and its theory.
The developed theory of music was recorded in the Middle Ages and acts in the terminology to this day, if one considers the musical terms: music, harmony, melody and rhythm. All these concepts have their roots in ancient Greek. In the 19th century continued the non-university music history that existed longer. The operation of musicology or music research in the sense of historical- philological oriented spiritual science does not coincide with the institutionalization of the university, but is earlier in the 19th century detectable. Guido Adler (1855-1941), introduced division of the subject into an historical and a systematic part still exists today. He was decisive for the historical orientation of musicology until the second half of the 20th century. Adler's method of music history (1919) describes the outline of the historical musicology: Discussion of eras, people, countries, cities, schools and artists. This is especially the focus on notation, grouping of musical forms, systems ( theorist, art exercise ) and instruments.
Subject matter and methods of historical musicology
Subject of historical musicology is the music in history. Your goal is to detect situations of the past. The Historical Musicology wants to make available sources and interpret them. In order to arrive at objective and verifiable statements, use historical musicologist humanities and philological methods, such as source research, notation, musical text analysis and design. There are different kinds of sources, which are analyzed: Intentionally traditional sources such as textbooks, unintentionally traditional sources such as the musical instrument a composer, letters and pay stubs, music sources ( autographs ) and sketches.
Historical Musicology is operated partly in empirically - positivist orientation ( focusing on document studies ) and partly also in theoretical orientation ( change of time, periodization, genre history, contextualization, history of ideas about music). In the positivist historiography history of music is considered as the sum of facts. In contrast, Andreas Haug and Andrew Dorschel have argued that the so-called music-historical facts are not comprehensible in itself, but only against the background of historical unrealized potentials. This can, as Haug and Dorschel be realized depending on relevance to the particular music historical situation in different ways: as an unfulfilled intention unsolved problem, suppressed experimental or non- chosen alternative within a decision-making process.
Until 1945, the musicology presented not of contemporary music; rather, the professional representative specialized in individual older eras. It was not until the 1960s, the study of the music of the 20th century was tackled. For the particular devotion to new music was of great importance Rudolf Stephan ( b. 1925 ). Stephan is one of the most important personalities of historical musicology in Germany in the second half of the 20th century; He sees the history of music as part of the general history of the culture and history of art. In addition to Stephan Hans Heinrich Eggebrecht secondly (1919-1999) mentioned, which made the musical works to the subject of historical reception research, and third, Carl Dahlhaus (1928-1989), the newly founded the historical musicology content and method.
Historical Musicology outside Germany
In Austria, Historical Musicology preoccupied with style historiography and local music research. It is similar to Germany above all a university discipline. Significant for the historical musicology in Austria were Erich Schenk (1902-1974), Wilhelm Fischer (1886-1962), Othmar Wessely (1922-1998) and Rudolf Flotzinger ( b. 1939 ).
Musicological research in Switzerland is mainly at German universities and is dedicated to European music from the Middle Ages to the 20th century and non-European music. The Schola Cantorum is particularly concerned with historical performance practice. The Paul Sacher Foundation archives the estates of Webern and Stravinsky and undertakes studies on the music of the 20th century.
After 1945, the university musicology in the Netherlands dealt particularly with the history. Albert Smijers (1888-1957) and Karel Philip Bernet Kempers (1897-1974) studied particularly the theme "Age of Dutch ", such as Sweelinck or Josquin. In particular, the critical edition total expenditure, medieval studies, historical performance practice and organology are the focus of research. Since the 60s, took an opening of historical musicology by modern methods of analysis, structuralism and semiotics.
Musicology is a post-war phenomenon and university in the U.S., and there are few non-university research institutions. The American musicology has the sub-disciplines of history, theory and ethnomusicology, the historical musicology the greatest importance is attached to. Dahlhaus fonts, which were almost all translated into English, led from the 80s to a structural -historical approach. Building on the work of Sophie Drinker, the gender dimension is now included.