Centre of Music Theory
Music Theory represents the interface between artistic and academic endeavours. As a result, students are educated and trained on two levels.
Graduates have access to a broad spectrum of professions, whether at university-level teaching, publishing houses, media companies or music schools.
AI composes historically
The "Music Generator" goes online! A first prototype is available and allows the generation of music from past eras, sorted by composer, genre, key and time signature. The application was programmed by Alex James Vaughan under the artistic direction of Prof. Jörn Arnecke. He presented the project at the eTeach dialog forum (photo: Dorothea Warneck). On June 5/6, the "Music Machine" made a guest appearance at the University Future Festival in Berlin, where it was presented by Prof. Jörn Arnecke and student assistant Sebastian Oliver Eck.
Jörn Arnecke will present the "Musik-Automat" once again on June 20 as part of the Bauhaus University's Talks@eTeach series. Further information on this hybrid event can be found here.
Excursion to Meiningen - project for this year's "Güldener Herbst - Festival Alter Musik Thüringen"
On April 18, students explored the Anton Ulrich Collection of the Meiningen Museums with Prof. Jörn Arnecke. Under the direction of Dr. Maren Goltz, copies of Italian cantatas from the 18th century were examined and performed in the Schlosskirche on a trial basis. In the spirit of artistic research, the students will analyze the musical texture and compose new works in the same style. Early music students will perform the results in a concert on September 28, 2024 at 4 p.m. in the Augustinerkirche Gotha.
Other highlights of the excursion included the students leafing through manuscripts by Max Reger and marveling at the exhibition with objects from Reger's estate and numerous instruments from the Meiningen collection.
Newly published: Libretti by Reinhard Febel. Benjamin Button and other works (edited by Marcus Aydintan)
The new volume of the series Paraphrasen - Weimarer Beiträge zur Musiktheorie (Paraphrases - Weimar Contributions to Music Theory), which is dedicated to the libretti of the composer Reinhard Febel (*1952), has recently been published. Febel's music theatre works span a thematic arc from fantastic and strange events to science fiction - some are about historical figures such as Oswald von Wolkenstein or Howard Hughes, while in others famous paintings come to life as stage sets.
The edition contains all the libretti written by the composer himself, including that of the recent opera Benjamin Button, which celebrated its premiere at the Landestheater Linz on 6 April. In accompanying essays, Jörn Arnecke, Marcus Aydintan, Jeffrey Arlo Brown and Ulrich Alexander Kreppein reflect on Reinhard Febel's music.
Why study Music-Theory in Weimar?
The Master’s degree in Music Theory in Weimar is characterised by its great practical relevance. Students are prepared for potential teaching roles via tutorials and courses, in conjunction with the "Johann Nepomuk Hummel" music school in Weimar.
Teachers cover a broad spectrum of music theory, from medieval music through to the present day, from composition through to musicology.
Projects for "Innovations in university teaching" demonstrate the wealth of ideas with which new developments are incorporated into the teaching programme - currently artificial intelligence.
The Centre for Music Theory presents the conference "Musiktheorie und Hörerziehung" every year, which is renowned across Germany, in collaboration with the Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie (GMTH).
The book series "Paraphrasen – Weimarer Beiträge zur Musiktheorie" ("Paraphrases" – Contributions to Music Theory from Weimar’), published by Olms Verlag, opens up the opportunity to have outstanding papers published.
With its excellent tradition of spiritual history, Weimar is a stimulating environment within which to bring together art and academic research.