The research carried out at the Section for Musicology is mainly concerned with Western music (European/Afro-American). The field of study is under permanent change due to the development of new media, new forms of music and new methodological and theoretical approaches. Research activities cover ancient and classical music as well as the most recent musical art, music as a social phenomenon, a specific art form, an acoustic phenomenon, a part of a multimedia soundscape . The Section works closely together with the other research units in the Institute of Aesthetic Studies and the Faculty of the Humanities, and takes part in research projects with national and international partners. The homepages of individual researchers show their specific research interests ( staff members ).

Research Domains

The main focus points of the Section are:

• History and theory of music, comprising Renaissance and Baroque music, symphonic music, music as dramatic art and studies of individual composers
• Popular music including its theoretical aspects, Danish musical culture, jazz, rock and youth culture
• Musical modernism including (post)minimalism and the artistic environments of modern composers
• Theory and analysis of music and intensive analytical practice
• Music and modern media including the aesthetics and manifestations of digitalized music and its changing media-determined functions in different cultural contexts, the use of computers as an instrument and working tool in the production of music
• The history of criticism of music, including an analysis of the vested interests behind the constitution of the various branches of musicology
• Evaluation of musical quality and politics of music
• Critical editions of Danish music
• Audio culture and cultural soundscapes.

The research is carried out by tenured academic staff and by post-docs and doctoral students working on individual projects. The education of doctoral students takes place in the Doctoral School in Arts and Aesthetics. Some research activities receive external funding, others are financed by Aarhus University as part of individual staff members’ ordinary research obligations. The research is publicized in various national and international publications, in conference papers presented abroad and in Denmark, in research-based teaching and, in order to reach a wider audience, in popular publications, talks and interviews.

Research contexts

The research opens different perspectives in a variety of contexts:

• Local contexts: Both at the Department of Aesthetic Studies and the Faculty of the Humanities researchers are active in research teams across disciplines. We work together in groups with subjects such as the globalization and culture of aesthetic experience with special regard to audio culture.
• Other projects: A great deal of our research is carried out as individual projects, at times receiving external funding, and we act as members of Danish or international research teams and as contributors to publications. At present we are working on a project on Danish rock and its cultural context, HipHop, a new history of Danish music and a biography on Knud Jeppesen.
• Performative and pedagogical developments: Musicology as a discipline has a long tradition of working both theoretically and practically. This double orientation defines the composition of the academic staff, research and teaching. The performative and pedagogical activities take place in the form of individual piano and singing lessons and classes in film music, dramatic music etc., resulting in the publication of text books and scores, in concerts and CD/DVD production.
• Teaching: An important goal for research carried out by universities is the development of  the form and contents of teaching, so that students may be provided with the most up-dated knowledge in the field. The continuous reforms of our study programs therefore reflect the state-of-the-art in national and international research.
• Other contexts: Our research is disseminated to a larger public through text books for high schools and secondary schools, re-education of teachers, public talks, reviews and committee work for ministries and municipalities.