Papers by Martin Link
Musikalische Schrift und Gender, 2024
Im Mittelalter spielte die Klosterwelt eine besondere Rolle, was die Rolle der Geschlechter angeh... more Im Mittelalter spielte die Klosterwelt eine besondere Rolle, was die Rolle der Geschlechter angeht. Aufgrund des gemeinsamen Strebens nach einem kontemplativen Leben war eine geschlechtliche Differenzierung bezüglich der zu verrichtenden Arbeit dort zunächst nicht vorgesehen, was sich allerdings in den folgenden Regelwerken schnell änderte. Dennoch sind viele Schriftzeugnisse von Nonnen erhalten, die einige kalligrafische Besonderheiten aufweisen. Dabei erweist sich der Zugang zur Schrift für beide Geschlechter als monastisches Alleinstellungsmerkmal, das zusammen mit dem Streben nach Vollkommenheit einen „dritten Weg“ jenseits von stereotypischen Geschlechterrollen darstellt.
In the Middle Ages, the monastic world played a special role when it came to the role of gender. Due to the common striving for a contemplative life, there was initially no provision for gender differentiation concerning daily labour which quickly changed in the following regulations. Nevertheless, many written documents from nuns have been preserved exhibiting special calligraphic features. Consequently, access to writing for both genders proves to be a unique monastic characteristic that represents together with the endeavor for faith a “third way” beyond stereotypical gender roles.
In contemporary music history, electroacoustic music plays a major role. This is not just because... more In contemporary music history, electroacoustic music plays a major role. This is not just because of the new methods and specific selection of material in electroacoustic music but also due to an international exchange which has taken place. Especially the perspective of electroacoustic music in Latin America demonstrates, how crucial interactions have been for the manifestation of this genre. One example of such interplays is Brazilian composer, musicologist and theoretician Flo Menezes who traveled from 1986 until 1997 to Europe and experienced a huge scholarship of linguistic research which he later took back to Latin America and has remained as a lasting effect in his compositions. This linguistic influence shall be examined in detail with the intention one the one hand to see how this experienced scholarship exactly looked like, and on the other hand to demonstrate to what extent this can be traced back in Menezes‘ compositions.
Since the birth of electroacoustic music, the development of methods to understand this new genre... more Since the birth of electroacoustic music, the development of methods to understand this new genre is well underway and today, numerous examples of analysis methods can be seen that help us to understand its architecture. While classical concepts of music theory like Schenkerian analysis or musical set theory approach instrumental material in different ways in order to highlight structural aspects, electroacoustic music implies exceptional challenges for examination because of the nature of its novel texture. This paper wants to investigate in a first step three conventional models of music theory by outlining their fundamental characteristics. Then, a new method of analysis will be presented which is focusing on larger coherence deriving from the field of linguistics.
Thema (Omaggio a Joyce) is maybe the only electroacoustic work ever created involving a musician ... more Thema (Omaggio a Joyce) is maybe the only electroacoustic work ever created involving a musician and a semiologist at the same time. During their short cooperation in the Milanese Studio di Fonologia Musicale during the 1950ies at the Italian broadcasting company RAI, Luciano Berio and Umberto Eco reached the height of the studio work with this tape music produced in 1958. Originally intended as a radioexperiment, this œuvre grew out of a study of onomatopoeia from Eco and Berio as a survey of the eleventh chapter of James Joyce's novel Ulysses. Although Eco‘s semiotic profession would come to full performance only after this period, his fundamental thoughts on openness and the meaning of open forms were already on the table when he published his article L'opera in movimento e la coscienza dell'epoca in 1959. This article wants to outline the production of Thema (Omaggio a Joyce), which includes the reading of the text from Ulysses in French, Italian and English which was then put together and treated with special procedures developed in the Milanese studio such as overdubbing, filtering and variation of speed as well as dynamic. The result is a piece with the text of James Joyce becoming gradually difficult to comprehend because of its multi layer structure equipped with a new dimension of meaning and understanding.
Thesis Chapters by Martin Link
Musikwissenschaft: Aktuelle Perspektiven , 2020
The marriage between Clara and Robert Schumann is one of the most popular relationships in mu- si... more The marriage between Clara and Robert Schumann is one of the most popular relationships in mu- sic history. In 1840, a song cycle named Liebesfrühling with songs from Clara Schumann as well as from her husband was collectively published under their names. Despite the fact that the married couple did not specify the voice register and gender of the vocal parts within the score, some hints indicating the gender of the personas can be found for instance in the personal pronouns of the text. Yet, some parts of the song cycle do not provide such clues, leaving the question, to which gender the vocal parts are ascribed, completely open. Nevertheless, some scholarly examinations like Melinda Boyd’s publication Gendered voices. The “Liebesfrühling” Lieder of Robert and Clara Schumann try to answer this question using semiology as a method to indicate gender assignments. However, this raises the question of how far gender aspects can be examined through semiotic approaches. What symbols are used to specify gender? Did this change in history? And can these ascriptions be found in the music of Clara and Robert Schumann? The chosen method will show difficulties because of its time-constraint and the problem of relevancy. This is why the proposed theses of Boyd will be inspected regarding the text and the score of the song cycle Liebesfrühling. At the same time, the investigation will try to consider the importance of contemporary performance practice.
Drafts by Martin Link
More than half a century ago, electroacoustic music has found it's way to the stage of contempora... more More than half a century ago, electroacoustic music has found it's way to the stage of contemporary music. Fortunately, we are able to conclude today that this occurrence was not in vein and this completely new genre became quite well known as a repertoire so that compositions like Gesang der Jünglinge oder Epitaph are important terms of today's music history. What is not so well known however, is the uniqueness of electroacoustic music in its approach to specific research areas which are not primarily technological but certainly related to the new discoveries of the acoustic research labs as British Musicologist John Dack has pointed out:
‘‘There can be little doubt that the technology installed in studios in post-war Europe had a decisive influence on the development of contemporary musical thought. In the early 1950s many composers ignored or even abandoned instrumental music (…) to take advantage of the oppurtunities offered by the electronic studio. (…) Although as a result of the compositional intelligence of composers like Stockhausen and Koenig, those who worked in this studio soon discovered new sounds and ways of organizing material that led to an elaboration and revision of serial thought itself.’’
This article wants to investigate the new possibilities of organizing sound in electroacoustic music by outlining the piece Thema (Omaggio a Joyce) from Umberto Eco and Luciano Berio. The study will show a shift of language structure as well as a new model of understanding and perception during listening.
Uploads
Papers by Martin Link
In the Middle Ages, the monastic world played a special role when it came to the role of gender. Due to the common striving for a contemplative life, there was initially no provision for gender differentiation concerning daily labour which quickly changed in the following regulations. Nevertheless, many written documents from nuns have been preserved exhibiting special calligraphic features. Consequently, access to writing for both genders proves to be a unique monastic characteristic that represents together with the endeavor for faith a “third way” beyond stereotypical gender roles.
Thesis Chapters by Martin Link
Drafts by Martin Link
‘‘There can be little doubt that the technology installed in studios in post-war Europe had a decisive influence on the development of contemporary musical thought. In the early 1950s many composers ignored or even abandoned instrumental music (…) to take advantage of the oppurtunities offered by the electronic studio. (…) Although as a result of the compositional intelligence of composers like Stockhausen and Koenig, those who worked in this studio soon discovered new sounds and ways of organizing material that led to an elaboration and revision of serial thought itself.’’
This article wants to investigate the new possibilities of organizing sound in electroacoustic music by outlining the piece Thema (Omaggio a Joyce) from Umberto Eco and Luciano Berio. The study will show a shift of language structure as well as a new model of understanding and perception during listening.
In the Middle Ages, the monastic world played a special role when it came to the role of gender. Due to the common striving for a contemplative life, there was initially no provision for gender differentiation concerning daily labour which quickly changed in the following regulations. Nevertheless, many written documents from nuns have been preserved exhibiting special calligraphic features. Consequently, access to writing for both genders proves to be a unique monastic characteristic that represents together with the endeavor for faith a “third way” beyond stereotypical gender roles.
‘‘There can be little doubt that the technology installed in studios in post-war Europe had a decisive influence on the development of contemporary musical thought. In the early 1950s many composers ignored or even abandoned instrumental music (…) to take advantage of the oppurtunities offered by the electronic studio. (…) Although as a result of the compositional intelligence of composers like Stockhausen and Koenig, those who worked in this studio soon discovered new sounds and ways of organizing material that led to an elaboration and revision of serial thought itself.’’
This article wants to investigate the new possibilities of organizing sound in electroacoustic music by outlining the piece Thema (Omaggio a Joyce) from Umberto Eco and Luciano Berio. The study will show a shift of language structure as well as a new model of understanding and perception during listening.