Early Music Medieval-Renaissance instrument/voice

The aim of this Master’s degree programme is to develop the independent artistic personality of instrumentalists and singers with excellent musical and technical ability, both as soloists and ensemble performers. It also imparts specific knowledge of music theory and history pertinent to Early Music, which will equip students to make independent and well-founded decisions about performance practice and aesthetics. This artistic and intellectual autonomy is necessary in order to succeed in a market which is defined less by traditional institutional employers and more by an interest in the creativity and persuasiveness of individual musicians.

The primary aim of this Master’s programme is to hone the students’ instrumental and vocal proficiency as well as their ability to work as part of an ensemble. Furthermore, independent academic work and the students’ artistic/creative output are fostered through a yearly project on a subject specific to medieval-Renaissance music and under the supervision of a member of the teaching staff. A Master’s thesis provides proof of the candidate’s capacity to deal with a subject in a scholarly and reflective manner.

This SCB Master’s programme is aimed at students (instrumental/vocal) who are highly qualified and prepared to dedicate themselves to a course of study in historical performance practice that meets the highest artistic standards.
Prerequisites are: talent, high level of ability (voice/instrument) as well as potential for further artistic development, experience in Early Music and an interest in the historical foundations underpinning its practice.

This Master’s programme is aimed at students who hold a very good Bachelor of Arts with a specialisation in medieval/Renaissance music from the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, as well as those who have studied elsewhere but have a solid grounding in the theory and practice of Early Music. The focus of the study programme is European music from Carolingian period until the 16^th century.

Career opportunities for medieval-Renaissance music specialists include performance work in concert, festival and Early Music concert series settings. As expert ensemble musicians, they are qualified to play with existing ensembles or establish their own ensemble. A number of graduates opt to pursue a career in academic research, while others choose to share their experience and expertise in workshops and masterclasses.

Study Course Regulation MA Early Music Musical Performance Medieval–Renaissance instrument/voice in German

Structure MA Early Music Musical Performance Medieval–Renaissance instrument/voice in German

Minor Improvisation
Structure Minor Early Music Improvisation

Minor Renaissance-Studien
Structure Minor Early Music Renaissance-Studien

Minor Zweitinstrument/Gesang
Structure Minor Early Music Zweitinstrument/Voice

Minor Musikalischer Satz und Geschichte
Structure

Below please find the link with all the information on the module descriptions of several FHNW universities.

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To be admitted to the Master’s programme, applicants must hold a Bachelor degree in Music/Music and Movement or an equivalent qualification.

Applicants who have failed any part of their Bachelor degree programme may be provisionally admitted to the Master’s programme under the condition that they successfully resit the relevant exam(s) by the end of the first MA semester. In order to be accepted for study, enough billable ECTS credit points must be available to fulfil all requirements of the diploma programme. For the Master's degree the minimum is 30 ECTS credit points. Applicants must declare any ECTS credits they have acquired from a previous course of study that they had failed to complete.

The admission procedure requires applicants to pass an aptitude test.

The admission procedure breaks down as follows:

1. Verification that the applicant meets all formal admission criteria
2. Admission to the aptitude test
3. Aptitude test (entrance exam)
4. Decision on admission.

Admission shall be granted for the academic year to which the aptitude test applies. This test may be retaken no more than once per degree programme/major, but no earlier than the next official aptitude test date.

Places on the degree programme are limited; a quota is set for first-year admissions. Based on the framework regulations governing student intake restrictions for Bachelor and Master’s degree programmes at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts (FHNW), the FHNW Academy of Music shall make its final selection based on the level and comparative ranking of the applicants' examination results.

For further information on the admission criteria, please see the Study Course Regulation MA Early Music Musical Performance Medieval–Renaissance instrument/voice in German

The aptitude test takes place on site in Basel. Persons unable to take an on-site assessment for visa, financial or environmental (long distance travel) reasons may submit a request for an online entrance assessment (video presentation and live interview). This request must be sent to scb.hsm@fhnw.ch at the same time as the application (by 31 January), stating the reasons, and must then be approved by the management.

Audition plus interview:  Please prepare a programme of 15 to max. 20 minutes with pieces from at least three different stylistic fields. Use the repertoire samples as a guide. The programme must be submitted together with the list of works for the entrance exam on-site. The candidate may choose the first piece. Then, the jury will decide which works to play and is allowed to interrupt the audition at any time. Afterwards, there will be a short conversation about the study objectives and contents as well as the applicant´s prior education, experience and career goals, the preferred professor, etc.

The general section of the entrance exam (theory) takes place on the same day, usually before or after the on-site audition for the main subject (duration: 20 min.).

• sing and identify intervals, tone sequences and simple chords.
• sing and notate a simple tonal melody (e.g.: a tenor)
• improvise a continuation to the dictated melody with your voice and, if possible, sing a simple contrapuntal counterpart to it.
• answer questions about tonality and the function of the melody in the movement
• sight-sing a simple vocal part from modern notation (e.g. from a chanson)

For a Minor second instrument, the requirements are generally the same as for the main subject but with the following changes:

• Please prepare two pieces of music from the requested repertoire for main subject
• Duration: 10 minutes

The Minor exam takes place together with the examinations for the main subjects. Please keep the corresponding date (see list of entrance exams per main subject) free in any case. The entrance examinations for the Minor in improvisation will take place at the same date as the exam for improvisation as a main subject.

The on-site auditions will take place between mid-March and mid-April. The exact dates may be seen here after the beginning of January.

You may apply from 15 December until 31 January.

The following documents must be handed in with your application: Curriculum Vitae including motivational letter, school leaving qualification (Matura, Abitur, Baccalauréat, High School-Diploma) and Bachelor Diploma. If the applicant already holds a Master Diploma, please include.

The results will be communicated by email in the beginning of May.

• Welcome: A brief overview
• Studying in Switzerland
• Tuition fees & Financing
• Scholarship
• Module descriptions

• Dates Entrance Exam on-site
• List of works for Entrance Exam on-site
• Regulations
• Semester dates