Musicology and History of Opera

Abstract

• Show the study programme profile

  Profile of the study programme

  The study programme provides the crucial skills for a career in musicology:

  – It enables students to acquire historical, aesthetic and analytical knowledge, both general and advanced, on a variety of specific subjects;
  – It teaches students to reflect analytically about the role of music in cultures past and present;
  – It helps students develop the specific skills which are crucial in teaching or in any career which involves music appreciation with regard to the relationship between music and images;
  – Thanks to different methods of evaluation, it promotes not only learning but also oral and written scientific reasoning, as well as music appreciation.

  Fribourg profile
  The teaching of this discipline at the University of Fribourg - the oldest course of its kind in Switzerland and one of the first to be established in Europe – is noteworthy for its international character and interdisciplinary approach. For example, it prioritises the study of music as a language and its relationship with the codes of other forms of expression, the role it plays in complex systems such as opera, liturgy and cinema, and the audiovisual dissemination of music in contemporary societies.

  Moreover, the University of Fribourg Department of Musicology is one of the most active centres of research at the national and European levels.

  Some of the teaching units can be completed at the universities of Berne and Neuchâtel under the agreement signed between universities of Berne, Neuchâtel and Fribourg (BeNeFri) or as part of national or international mobility programmes (Swiss Mobility/SEMP, ISEP, International Student Program Québec).

  Students are also encouraged to become involved in the research and outreach activities organised by the Department: symposiums, conferences, commented concerts and operas, film club, etc.

  Learning outcomes and career openings
  The programme is aimed at people wishing to pursue a career in musical institutions, music appreciation, teaching or academic research. Some career openings require a subsequent master programme with 90 or 30 ECTS (research and culture, teaching).

  The list below provides some insights into possible careers:

  • Teaching: Baccalaureate schools; Hautes Écoles de Musique (higher musical education institutions), – subject: music history;
  • Journalism and cultural mediation (radio; press; television; Internet; musical and cultural institutions);
  • Management and conservation of musical and audiovisual sources (music archives; music libraries and music collections of general libraries; music collections of historical museums; specialised museums, sound archives; Répertoire International des Sources Musicales);
  • Organisation and administration in the cultural sector (concert societies; orchestras; festivals; organisations for the promotion of music, e.g. SUISA or ProHelvetia);
  • Music and musicological publishing (music publishers; musicological reviews, digital humanities, recording labels);
  • Careers in music or the performing arts (in addition to studies at a Haute École de Musique;
  • Research and academic careers (Swiss National Science Foundation; universities; Hautes Écoles de Musique; international institutions).

Studies organisation

Structure of studies

Curriculum

Admission

Alternatives

Minor study programmes to be chosen