Theory and performing Practice of Ancient Music

Study is focused to the theory of music performance of early music and its practical aplications. Circa the two thirds of study content consist of lectures and seminars (history and theory of early music, paleography, rhetorics, counterpoint, ornamentation, basso continuo etc.). The rest are individual practical instrumental or vocal lessons led by lecturers according to individual specializations (singing, viola da gamba, violoncello, lute, flauto traverso, recorder, harpsichord, organ), ensemble playing and specialized workshops. The proportion between theoretical disciplines and practical subjects coming-out of the necessity of interdisciplinary aproach to the interpretation of early music.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• Apply in practice theoretical principes of historicaly informed interpretation
• Analyze musical compositions and compositional style
• Define principles of early music interpretation
• Orientate oneself in historical development of music styles
• Orientate oneself in methodology of musicology
• Describe the basic disciplines of the field of study

Upon successful completion of the study will be graduate able to have an understanding of the early music issues: period performance practices, ornamentation and diminution, period instruments and their intonations, historical concepts of style in music etc. He will be able to analyze: score in terms of musical rhetoric; musical form with special emphasis on tempo and metrum; notation systems, basso continuo part etc. All the theoretical issues will graduate apply in active performance on period instruments according to individual specialization (singing, lute, baroque violin, viola, traverso, recorder, viola da gamba, violoncello harpsichord, organ).

The graduates of this study programme have knowledge and skills to be able to

perform in pedagogical disciplines, academic institutions and artistic ensembles focusing on performing practice of ancient music.

Practical training is an obligatory part of the curriculum for this field in chosen specialisation of musical instrument or singing to an extent of 60 hours of individual performing practice and 180 hours of group workshops. Practical training starts in the first semester.

A standard scope of a Bachelor's thesis is 70 000 characters including footnotes, cover sheet, content, index, list of literature, and annotations. Students can work with already published texts and data accessible for secondary analysis. They should demonstrate the ability to work critically with specialized texts, process the concepts and theories discovered there, and find relevant answers to the given question.

Thesis topics must refect problematics of music to the beginning of 19th cenutry. All formal requirements of a thesis can be found on website of ÚHV: http://music.phil.muni.cz/

After completion of the Bachelor's studies, it is possible to continue further studies in Master's degree programme of Musicology (after satisfying the admission requirements).