The (FIMT) is a research institute for the study of

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

and music theater. It is located in the Thurnau Castle, Thurnau, near

Bayreuth Bayreuth ( or ; High Franconian German, Upper Franconian: Bareid, ) is a Town#Germany, town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtel Mountains. The town's roots date back to 11 ...

, Bavaria. FIMT is associated with the

University of Bayreuth The University of Bayreuth (German: Universität Bayreuth) is a public research university located in Bayreuth, Germany. It is one of the youngest German universities. It is broadly organized into seven undergraduate and graduate faculties, with ...

. The director of the Institute has also been chair of Theater Studies with Focus on Music Theatre at the University of Bayreuth, and the staff of FIMT teach Music Theater and related subjects at the university, including

musicology Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, ...

Theater Studies Theatre studies (sometimes referred to as theatrology or dramatics) is the study of theatrical performance in relation to its literary, physical, psychological, sociological, and historical contexts. It is an interdisciplinary field which also enco ...

, and

Media Studies Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but it mos ...

. FIMT grants

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degrees in "", and

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

and Ph.D. degrees in "Musik und Performance" and "Oper und Performance".

History

The Research Institute for Music Theatre Studies was founded in 1976 with the participation of

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 19255 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war contemporary classical music. Born in Montb ...

Carl Dahlhaus Carl Dahlhaus (10 June 1928 – 13 March 1989) was a German musicologist who was among the leading postwar musicologists of the mid to late 20th-century. #Selected bibliography, A prolific scholar, he had broad interests though his research foc ...

, Werner Egk, August Everding, and Wolfgang Wagner as a central institution of the University of Bayreuth. Since 1977, it has been based at Thurnau Castle, where it has a specialist library containing around 40,000 items of media, and a programme collection numbering approximately 30,000. From 1983 to 2006, the Institute was directed by Sieghart Döhring, who placed one of his research focuses on the opera composer

Giacomo Meyerbeer Giacomo Meyerbeer (born Jakob Liebmann Meyer Beer; 5 September 1791 – 2 May 1864) was a German opera composer, "the most frequently performed opera composer during the nineteenth century, linking Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart and Richard Wa ...

. From 1986 to 1997, together with Carl Dahlhaus, the Institute published Piper's Encyclopaedia of Music Theatre, a seven-volume handbook in which almost 2,500 works of music theatre are described in detail. Since 2006, the Institute has been headed by Prof. Dr. Anno Mungen. His academic work focuses on the approach of analysing opera, music theatre, and music through their performance, including important perspectives such as gender and mediality. Since the Institute returned to the restored premises of the Hans-Georgen building in 2007, chamber concerts as well as experimental performance formats have been realised in the Ahnensaal of Thurnau Castle. A number of renowned scholars have worked at fimt over the decades and have made significant contributions to research on music theatre. These include Gabriele Brandstetter, Maren Butte, Markus Engelhardt, Rainer Franke, Melanie Fritsch, Ulrike Hartung, Knut Holtsträter, Arnold Jacobshagen, Manuela Jahrmärker, Dominic Larue, Marion Linhardt, Katrin Losleben, Stephan Mösch, Ruth Müller-Lindenberg, Gunhild Oberzaucher-Schüller, Thomas Steiert, Susanne Rode-Breymann, Stephanie Schroedter, Mathias Spohr, Susanne Vill, Sebastian Werr, and Saskia Woyke.

Teaching

In cooperation with the professorships of Musicology and Theater Studies, a fully comprehensive study programme is offered by the Department of Music Theatre. At the University of Bayreuth, the degrees Bachelor of Arts "Music Theater Studies", the Master of Arts "Opera & Performance", and the Master of Arts "Music & Performance" can be obtained. Furthermore, a doctorate can be completed in the programme "Music & Performance". In addition, staff of the Institute also participate in the Bachelor of Arts "Theater & Media". The master's programme "Opera and Performance" focuses on opera in contexts related to its performance. It is thus integrated into the field of opera studies, which has been gaining in academic breadth in recent years. The programme examines opera as a performative phenomenon and cultural practice. With its interdisciplinary approach, it focuses on methods from musicology and theatre studies. In a multi-perspective approach, in which aspects of media studies and cultural studies, including gender studies, are also significant, opera can be treated in the various medial states of its transmission. In the master's and doctoral programme "Music & Performance", the interaction of music and performative phenomena is examined from different perspectives. The term "performance", borrowed from English, encompasses both general aspects of performance and performance art in the narrower sense. Thus, the fields of music and theatricality (concerts, street music culture, and pageants as theatrical events), music and audiovisual media (film and television) as well as the interactions of music and visual art are very much in the spotlight. The study programme requires a multi-perspective approach that uses methods and findings from film, theatre, and art and dance studies and develops them independently.

Research

With its events and projects, fimt offers an international discussion forum and mediates between science and practice. As a centre of interdisciplinary research, fimt promotes cooperation with national and international musical theatre institutions. The Institute houses an extensive library as well as an archive of music theatre programmes. The staff of fimt work in an interdisciplinary and cross-faculty manner in the fields of musicology and theatre studies. Furthermore, fimt cooperates with many renowned institutes and cultural institutions: Almaviva e.V. - Alumni- und Förderverein Musiktheater Bayreuth, Concerto Köln, Staatstheater Nürnberg, Landestheater Coburg,, Klaviermanufaktur Steingraeber & Söhne, Bayreuth Academy of Advanced African Studies, Theaterwissenschaftliche Sammlung der Universität Köln (Schloss Wahn), Theater Erfurt, Dramaturgische Gesellschaft AG Musiktheater, Richard Wagner Museum Bayreuth, and Oper Dortmund, Staatstheater Kassel . Current research projects of the Research Institute for Music Theatre include "Staging Power and Entertainment - Propaganda and Music Theatre in Nuremberg 1920-1950", "Wagner Singing in the 21st Century - Historically Informed" and "Music Theatre in Institutional Change between Musealisation and New Formats".

Publications

The series "Thurnauer Schriften zum Musiktheater" has been produced since 1978. Until the 21st volume in 2006, the publication series was published by Laaber Verlag. With the 22nd volume in 2008, the series underwent a conceptual and visual overhaul due to the change of publisher to Königshausen & Neumann. "Thurnauer Schriften" also reflect the broad concept of music theatre that underlies the research and teaching activities of the Institute. Since 2010, the Institute has published the online publication "ACT - Zeitschrift für Musik und Performance". The journal focuses on the fields of music and performance, with each issue pursuing its own focus, which is determined by its revolving editors. "ACT" offers a place for innovative research approaches, especially for young academics. The electronic journal contains articles in German and English and is aimed at an international audience.

References

* ''Musiktheater - Quo vadis?'', edited by Anno Mungen and Anne-Henrike Wasmuth, Schliengen: Edition Argus, 2007.

External links

Forschungsinstitut für Musiktheater Thurnau

University of Bayreuth
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forschungsinstitut fur Musiktheater History institutes Research institutes in Germany Musicology University of Bayreuth History organisations based in Germany Buildings and structures in Kulmbach (district) 1976 establishments in West Germany Research institutes established in 1976