About
Musical Life of the Late Middle Ages in the Austrian Region (https://musical-life.net) is a research project at the University of Vienna. It is supported by the FWF Der Wissenschaftsfonds. We uncover and communicate new insights in the early musical culture of the Austrian region, from c. 1340-c. 1520.
“We” are: Univ.-Prof. Dr Birgit Lodes, chair of historical musicology at the University of Vienna; Prof. em. Dr Reinhard Strohm, Faculty of Music, University of Oxford; Dr Marc Lewon, musicologist and performer, Professor for Lute instruments of the Medieval and Early Modern Period at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, with junior researchers as temporary collaborators.
Over 35 international experts of music history, cultural history, literature and affiliated disciplines are contributing to the project as authors; another c. 30 specialists support the project as honorary advisors. Four performing ensembles, in varied groupings, have recorded for us over 100 sound examples (Hörbeispiele), of which the majority had previously not been available as recorded sound. Several other sound examples have been provided for us by various labels and copyright owners.
Dozens of Museums, libraries, archives and private collectors in Austria and abroad have given permission to publish source materials, photos, artworks, text documents and music in their possession.
It is our aim to bring a significant period of European historical culture to life. Long before the creation of the Habsburgian empire, the Austrian region together with its nearest neighbours was a central arena of European music. This music had previously been almost unexplored as an aesthetic heritage and was little-known as a cultural past.
Musical Life is distinguished from earlier research in this field especially by its concentration on cultural history (» 0. SL Kulturgeschichte). The transmitted music is being placed in the context of the lives of people of that era: materiality and spirituality, everyday experience, artistic practice, popular and courtly environments, ceremonial and intellectual traditions. The material and spiritual presence of this cultural heritage consisted not only of beautiful compositions, but also of simple songs and church hymns, dance melodies, cries, bellringing and march rhythms. Temporal and spatial distances are being newly assessed, including the relationship of the region with the rest of Europe.
In presenting the importance of this musical culture, we consider musical notations, archival documents, literary texts, images from art and architecture as well as instruments and other objects, which are embedded in a new history of the musical life of the region. The text, written in understandable prose, is articulated in 12 lead themes (Leitthemen), which contain a total of c. 120 essays and“spotlights” (Schlaglichter) with many sub-chapters. In the manner of a scholarly museum catalogue, the text often singles out individual detailed topics, compositions, manuscripts or documents. Sound examples (Hörbeispiele) serve as examples of musical art and are contextualised with evidence from material life of the period in images and documents. An audible instrument museum introduces the user to the sound world of the instruments. A media gallery facilitates access to the various topics starting from individual images or musical examples.
Musical Life aims to reassess the applicability of cultural studies for the music history of this epoch and to offer a new evaluation of the significance of regional music in a European context. Its impact concerns methodology – as a cultural historiography of music – and a new view of the Austrian region in European musical culture of the late Middle Ages.