070036 SE BA-Seminar - Music in the Habsburg Empire in the Fin de Siecle and the First World War (2024W)

Music in the Habsburg Empire of the Fin de Siècle and in the First World War
The seminar begins with the thesis of Carl Schorske's epochal Fin de Siècle Vienna that the collapse of the Habsburg Empire was preceded by the dissolution of the general aesthetic consensus as to what music (and other arts) was considered beautiful. Although this thesis has been considered outdated since the most recent books on the late Habsburg Empire (by Pieter Judson, among others), we want to take it as an opportunity to examine the history of music in the Habsburg Monarchy since the turn of the century and during the First World War in more detail. The fin de siècle was characterized by the continuation of some 19th century trends, including the development of a mass culture and popular music (including Viennese song, operetta and dance music). Although military music no longer played a major role on the fronts and battlefields of the First World War, it was used, like all other music, to stabilize the home fronts. In this context, the seminar examines censorship and war propaganda in various genres of music, paying particular attention to the Music History Center founded in 1917 at the Imperial and Royal War Ministry. It served to document soldiers' songs and at the same time saved a number of up-and-coming composers such as Béla Bártok and Alois Hába from military service on the front. The existence of this institution proves once again how important music was to the Habsburg Empire.
The students' choice of topics within this spectrum is largely open. You are welcome to develop your own topics, for example by focusing on popular composers (e.g. Emmerich Kálmán, Franz Lehár, Julius Fučík, Oskar Nedbal, Carl Ziehrer etc.) and their relationship to the Habsburg Monarchy or individual works and the question of how they addressed the First World War (e.g. the Csardasfürstin). The seminar combines social and cultural-historical as well as musicological approaches, which is why previous knowledge of music (through a corresponding course of study, possibly also through a music hobby or regular concert visits) would be desirable.
As this proseminar is intended to lead to a Bachelor's thesis that is largely developed during the semester, it is essential that you think about one or two possible topics before the start of the semester. Please bring an outline to the first seminar unit with a working title that is as thesis-oriented and limited as possible, your research questions and a short bibliography. If possible, the BA thesis should contain independent research. In order to have time to listen to and analyze musical sources in the seminar, the course will be partially blocked (3 lessons per session, but you will have free time for research and writing in between).
Please note that there is a close connection in terms of content to the excursion to Brno on "Janáček and Czech Modernism" that I am also offering.