TRAINING EARLY MUSIC PERFORMERS IN AUSTRIAN UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

Scientific and artistic interest in historically informed performance (HIP) has led to the emergence in Ukraine of a number of ensembles specialising in early music, festivals of ancient music, and cultural projects aimed at reconstructing works by 18th-century Ukrainian composers. Ukrainian musicological thought in the field of early music has become more active, and the issue of training specialists in historically informed performance at music academies has become increasingly urgent. Therefore, studying the experience of training HIP specialists at European higher education institutions and applying their achievements to domestic education is particularly relevant. Based on an analysis of the educational programmes for early music performers at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and the Mozarteum University, this article identifies the main features of specialist training in Historically Informed Performance. Both the Mozarteum University and the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna offer master’s programmes in Historical Performance Practice. At the bachelor’s level, elements of HIP are integrated into instrumental and vocal courses. Such training is provided by the Institut für Alte Musik at the University of Vienna and the Department of Early Music at the Mozarteum. These universities apply an interdisciplinary approach to the study of early music, consisting of three components: preparing specialists as (1) interpreters of early music; (2) researchers of early music; and (3) teachers capable of instructing students in authentic instruments and transmitting knowledge and practical skills of authentic performance. While the Mozarteum focuses primarily on Baroque music and the works of W. A. Mozart, the Institute of Early Music at the University of Vienna emphasises the music of Viennese masters of the 17th and 18th centuries and compositions associated with the imperial court of the Austrian capital. For both vocalists and instrumentalists, special courses are offered in Baroque acting and historical dance. According to course developers, understanding the performance characteristics of the gavotte, minuet, sarabande, and other early dances enables students to better grasp and apply the theory of affects and to deepen their understanding of the connection between music and movement — essential for both opera and ensemble performance. An analysis of the training of early music performers at these universities allows several conclusions to be drawn: the effectiveness of the interdisciplinary approach; the necessity of incorporating historical and regional context; the logic of integrating early music components into bachelor’s degree programmes and creating dedicated master’s programmes in Early Music; and the importance of a practice-oriented approach in the education of performing musicians.