Early Music Performance Practice
Three-year full time Bachelor of Arts programme
Besides practical lessons in the major subject, which guide students through the interpretation of music of different styles of pre-romantic music and the specific techniques of playing, the study programme includes a course in the history of music of late-renaissance to classic period, the study of music forms and a course on conducting academic research. The theoretical-practical disciplines include aural analysis, harmony and counterpoint, formal analysis of musical compositions and practical study of figured bass. Ensemble playing and masterclassses in the performance practice of the 17th– and 18th-century music guided by renowned specialists from various European countries form an integral parts of the study programme.
The Early Music Performance Practice study programme benefits from international collaboration of many years’ standing with cultural institutes, festivals and musical universities abroad. The specialized musical subjects on the programme as well as the supplementary masterclasses are conducted by performing artists from the Czech Republic as well as by musicians and pedagogues-specialists from some of the top institutions around the world, such as Conservatoire National Supérieur in Paris and Lyon, University of Oregon, Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Trossingen and Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag. Students take part in the classes of the Académie de Sablé à Prague, organized in collaboration with the French Institute in Prague, the international music festival in Sablé, France, and with the Conservatoire national superiéur de musique et de danse in Paris.
An important part of the study programme is academic research carried out in archives. The results of students’ research, such as editions of manuscript music materials, regularly appear on the programmes of students’ concerts. The research activities carried out by the teachers have resulted in some musical and scenic projects produced by the ensemble in residence Collegium Marianum, mostly in modern-day premieres.
Information:
University: Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
Faculty: Faculty of Education, M. D. Rettigové 4, 110 00 Prague 1
Accredited External Campus: Collegium Marianum
Study Programme: Specialization in Pedagogy
Departments: Early Music Performance Practice
Form and Length of Study: Three-year full time Bachelor of Arts programme
Qualification: Bachelor of Arts Degree
Conditions for entry on the course are based on the successful completion of study at music conservatoire and on audition on a period instrument (string instrument candidates must play with a baroque bow). The audition comprises two parts: performance on the instrument of choice (one compulsory piece and one of the candidate’s choice) and a test of aural abilities, music theory and singing from sight reading. In the aural examination the candidate is expected to demonstrate his or her interest in the field, namely his or her motivation for study.
The study programme is concluded by a BA Final Examination (BZK) which includes a graduate’s concert with orchestra and the examination of the BA thesis. The BA thesis requirements include mastering of musical-historical rudiments and the basics of editing practice.