From "Exekution" to "Performance". A 'Begriffsgeschichte' of musical performance from the 18th century.

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Hermann Danuser
• Subject Area: Musicology
• Term: from 2011 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 201079759

In studies about the 18th, 19th and 20th century, this project investigates constants, developments and revolutions in the conceptual field of musical performance. By choosing nine case studies (chronotopoi), which focus the investigation onto a handful of locations and relatively short time-spans, it is possible to situate the concepts "Exekution", "Vortrag", "Ausführung", "Aufführung", "Interpretation", "Wiedergabe", "Reproduktion" and "Performanz" within their respective aesthetic, institutional and cultural spheres. In order to document a broad variety of musical activities and discourses about music, a plenitude of different type of sources are collected and analysed. By combining a broad synchronic approach within the single case studies with diachronic developments between the studies, the usually separate concepts of semasiological and onomasiological history of concepts are made to work together. This project is part of the research-endeavour "Music as 'Ereignis'. Perspectives of a performance-focused historiography". As such, it lays out the endeavour's conceptual and terminological groundwork.In the first phase of the extension period (11/2013-10/2014), the current results will be broadened, leading to completion of the three single studies. First, additional, less accessible sources will be explored. Explorations transgressing the boundaries of scientific disciplines and languages will then situate the findings-so-far in a interdisciplinary, European context. Some select conceptual developments that lie outside of the case-studies will be highlighted. Finally, the time before and after of the current period of investigation (1720-1975) shall be looked into.The second phase (11/2014-10/2015) begins with composing a joint explanation of the project's theoretical and methodical implications, which is meant to serve as the introduction to the volume in which the single studies are to be published. In particular, the concept of "chronotopos" will be introduced, explained and critically dissected. After that the collected sources about musical performance will be published on the internet. The data will be enriched with additional information, a so-called annotation. Aside from musical parameters, such as composers and works, some linguistic parameters, such as part-of-speech or syntactical features, will be marked as well. In the end, the endeavour "Music as 'Ereignis'" will be made the focus of an international and interdisciplinary symposium, reflecting upon the results obtained and opening perspectives towards the future.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants