Conducting (Bachelor of Music)

Course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Music
Regular course length 8 semesters

Options Orchestral conducting, Choir and ensemble conducting

Germany is still considered to be the leading musical country in the world. Nowhere else in the world are there so many symphony orchestras, opera houses, chamber music ensembles and music groups of the most diverse kinds within such a small area and performing at such a high level. The independent musical scene (music theatre, Early Music, New Music, alternative interdisciplinary stage and film projects etc.) is also very lively and diverse.

The field of European art music has in the course of its history produced, and is still producing today, a heritage of many great works that have become firmly and permanently embedded in our musical culture, and which we must be committed to preserving. There are thus many tasks to be performed in the field of managing and directing musical activity, for which well trained and highly qualified conductors are required.

The HMTMH offers training for precisely such tasks.

I. Option: Orchestral conducting

  1. Course content and objective
    The content of the course is diverse, in line with the practical requirements of a later career, and the central study subjects assume not only existing skills, but also a high degree of talent and of potential for development.
    In addition to the principal study subject, Orchestral conducting, there are important subsidiary subjects which, like the principal subject, are taught individually: Choral conducting, Full score reading, Vocal score reading, Sight reading, Figured bass/Continuo, Singing. In addition, there are seminars in the subjects Interpretation, Music theory, Musicology and Italian, and a variety of courses and workshops, e.g. for Early Music and New Music.
  2. Tuition One enormous advantage of the tuition is that individual teaching is provided in the subjects that are central to the course and the later professional activity (see under Course content).
    In addition, the HMTMH regularly institutes symphony orchestra and opera projects under the direction of its own internationally renowned faculty members. This interdisciplinary cooperation leads to outstanding musical results, providing students with important learning experiences from which students of conducting too can benefit through their own work with student ensembles.
    The HMTMH maintains a small opera house of its own, something which few comparable institutions in Germany are able to do. This gives students of conducting an outstanding arena to work in, and a fine opportunity to train and qualify for a later career as an opera-house conductor.
    The training is supplemented by regular master classes in conducting, supported by external orchestras such as the Orchestra of Hildesheim Civic Theatre, and by placements with and observation visits to the NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Lower Saxony State Opera, both in Hannover; all of these provide important elements of practical experience in preparation for a professional career.
  3. Who is the course aimed at?
    The Bachelor‘s degree course in Conducting/Orchestral conducting is directed above all at young musicians who have an enthusiasm for opera, are strongly attracted by symphonic music and have the will to realise such music as conductors. An outstanding ear, good piano playing, experience with other (preferably orchestral) instruments, enjoyment of composition, arranging, analysis and musical ideas, but also the specific motoric gifts required of a conductor and communicative talent / social intelligence are further important requirements and aptitudes which students ought to be able to contribute to this course and to their subsequent Profession.
  4. Professional field
    The professional field of orchestra conductors includes conducting, assisting and repetition activities, especially in the areas of concert and opera. Conducting activities are in demand in opera orchestras (general music director, conductor, choir director, solo accompanist with conducting duties), concert orchestras (artistic direction), as a freelance activity with guest engagements in the various areas of the professional and semi-professional music scene (artistic direction functions).

    There is also a demand for professional musical leadership roles in ensembles in the independent music scene with alternative projects and innovative repertoire.

    Teachers have direct contact with professional practice, whose precise knowledge has a decisive influence on the artistic content and pedagogical goals of the programme. The lecturers on the degree programme usually have their main job in a professional institution and in this dual function are important advisors and contacts with regard to the upcoming career entry.

Programme learning outcome

 

The central objectives of the BA Conducting/Orchestral Conducting programme are the development of an independent artistic personality, the development of the ability to work independently at a musical level, the acquisition of a professional conducting technique, the differentiated examination of the diverse possibilities of an orchestral sound and its technical implementation as well as the development of an independent ideal of interpretation based on the current state of research in musicology and performance practice.

Graduates have the ability to professionally practise the conducting profession in its many forms, especially in the areas of concert and opera. They will have developed into a musical and artistic leader with the appropriate artistic and technical skills, creative ability and individual interpretation skills.

On the basis of developed pianistic skills and abilities, graduates master various reading and playing techniques of piano reductions and scores of the opera and symphonic repertoire - prepared and prima vista - and are able to rehearse singers and vocal ensembles from the piano.

Students are able to work artistically with professional vocal and amateur ensembles, they have mastered the specific technical basics of choral conducting and have acquired a broad knowledge of the repertoire of oratorio and opera choral literature. In addition, they are able to deal with questions of style and historical performance practice and their own voice in choral singing in a differentiated manner.

Students master the grammatical and linguistic basics of the Italian language as a prerequisite for understanding and interpreting Italian opera libretti.

Graduates have basic knowledge of academic work and musicological methodology and have an overview of European music history from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Students have also acquired sound knowledge and skills for understanding, writing and analysing music. They have an in-depth understanding of music and music theory.

They have developed a musical imagination as part of a comprehensive understanding of music, their auditory perception (intonation, tone colours, hearing of form and structure, etc.) is professional and differentiated.

Graduates have a perfect ability to read basso continuo abbreviations and the practical ability to play pieces from the basso continuo period prima vista on the piano. In addition, they have the ability to utilise the continuo method across epochs for the understanding and presentation of musical and piano scores.

 

II. Option: Choir and ensemble conducting

1. Course content and objective
The main subject of choir and ensemble conducting is accompanied by important subsidiary subjects, some of which are taught individually like the main subject: Vocal and instrumental tuition, aural training, new music, Gregorian chant, orchestral conducting, chamber music, ensemble singing/playing, score and piano reduction playing, basso continuo playing. There are also theory-orientated subjects such as interpretation, music theory, musicology as well as courses and workshops, e.g. for historically informed performance practice and new music.

2. Tuition
In addition to individual lessons in the main subject, vocal music ranging from classical a cappella literature to modern music is regularly worked on and performed in a wide variety of formations from small (solo) ensembles to large-scale choral works and oratorios, also mixed with purely instrumental pieces depending on the programme. Learning to combine vocal and instrumental conducting is an important part of the training programme. Regular courses/masterclasses – both on historically informed performance practice and on contemporary music – , collaboration with composers, internships etc. are offered. Interpretation means understanding the content of a work and transforming it into sound; the technical skills and intellectual prerequisites for this are to be acquired in this programme.  

3. Who is the course aimed at?
The Bachelor's degree programme in Conducting with the option Choir and Ensemble Conducting is aimed at talented students who want to work responsibly with traditional musical forms and are also curious about unfamiliar sounds and their realisation. An excellent ear, good piano playing or other instrumental or vocal skills, a sense of sound, enjoyment of analysis, an interest in music history, but also specific motor skills and communicative talent/social intelligence are important prerequisites and aptitudes that should be brought to this degree programme and the future profession.

4. Professional field
The professional fields that this programme always focuses on in terms of concept and content are still diverse in Germany and are one of the reasons for the great interest shown by foreign applicants. Conducting jobs are in demand in opera orchestras (general music director, conductor, choir director, solo accompanist with conducting duties), concert orchestras (artistic direction), as a freelancer with guest engagements in the various areas of the professional and semi-professional music scene (artistic direction functions). There is also a demand for professional musical directorships in the ensembles of the independent music scene with alternative projects and innovative repertoire. The choral city of Hanover offers many opportunities for well-trained choir conductors to work with choirs, further their education and set their own accents.

Teachers have direct contact with professional practice, whose precise knowledge has a decisive influence on the artistic content and pedagogical goals of the programme. The lecturers on the degree programme usually have their main job in a professional institution and in this dual function are important advisors and contacts with regard to the upcoming career entry.

Programme learning outcome

 

The practical music objective of the Conducting/Choir and Ensemble Conducting degree programme is to enable students to conduct vocal and instrumental ensembles, independent ensembles as well as professional, opera and radio choirs.

To this end, they receive comprehensive academic, music-theoretical and music-practical tools that enable graduates to act with artistic autonomy in terms of valid interpretations. Lessons in repetition and the rehearsal technique to be acquired in the main subject also strengthen professional mediation skills. The central element of the programme is the development of an independent artistic personality, the ability to work musically independently, the acquisition of a professional conducting technique and its application in working with vocal and instrumental ensembles.

Graduates have the ability to professionally practise the conducting profession in its many forms and to lead and shape both choirs and instrumental ensembles. They are proficient in the combination of vocal and instrumental conducting and can perform works in a wide variety of instrumentations from small (solo) ensembles to large choirs with orchestra. You will have developed into a musical and artistic leader with the appropriate artistic and technical skills, creative ability and individual interpretation skills.

On the basis of developed pianistic skills and abilities, graduates have mastered various reading and playing techniques for piano reductions and scores.

They have developed their voices technically to such an extent that they can be role models for choral singers through clean, clear auditions and knowledge of vocal physiological functions.

Graduates have basic knowledge of academic work and musicological methodology and have an overview of European music history from the Middle Ages to the present day. In particular, they will have familiarised themselves with historically informed performance practice and contemporary music.

Students will have acquired sound knowledge and skills for understanding, writing and analysing music. They have an in-depth understanding of music and music theory.

They have developed a musical imagination as part of a comprehensive understanding of music, their auditory perception (intonation, tone colours, hearing of form and structure, etc.) is professional and differentiated.

Graduates have a perfect ability to read basso continuo abbreviations and the practical ability to play pieces from the basso continuo period prima vista on the piano. In addition, they will be able to utilise the continuo method for the understanding and presentation of scores and piano reductions across all epochs.

 

Representative Professor

  • Prof. Martin Brauß

    Professor of Opera/Conducting, Head of Institute for the Young and Highly Gifted (IFF)

    Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, Institute for the Early Advancement of the Musically Gifted
    Neues Haus 1, 30175 Hannover

    Phone: +49 (0)511 3100-253
    martin.brauss@hmtm-hannover.de
    More information:

Examination Office

  • Daniela John

    Department for Studies and Teaching | Examination Board for FüBA, Higher Secondary Teaching Qualification, Music Research and Music Education M. A., Music Theory M. Mus., Doctorates, habilitations, Spokesperson of Staff Council

    Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media
    Neues Haus 1, 30175 Hannover
    E002 | Loebensteinstraße 2

    Phone: +49 (0)511 3100-7227
    daniela.john@hmtm-hannover.de

    Office hours: Mo 09:30-12 Uhr | Di 09:30-12 Uhr und 14-15:30 Uhr | Do 14-15:30 Uhr | und nach Vereinbarung

Student Registration Office

  • Beate Heitmüller

    Department for Studies and Teaching | Matriculation Office, Examination Office Junior Students, Solo Class

    Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media
    Neues Haus 1, 30175 Hannover
    E007 | Loebensteinstraße 2

    Phone: +49 (0)511 3100-7223
    I-Amt@hmtm-hannover.de

    Office hours: Mo 09:30-12 Uhr | Di 09:30-12 Uhr und 14-15:30 Uhr | Do 14-15:30 Uhr | und nach Vereinbarung

Last modified: 2024-03-20

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