A diverse and international community of lecturers and students awaits you at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. The Medieval programme is the world’s only full-time Bachelor’s programme of its kind. It combines technical support on instruments from the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance with contemporary vocal techniques. The programme offers a specialisation in repertoire studies and historical improvisation practice. Students gain access to the theoretical and music-historical basis for musical practice.
Factsheet
- Degree
- Bachelor of Arts FHNW in Musik, Studienrichtung Mittelalter-Renaissance instrumental / vokal
- Study mode
- Full-time
- Learning environment
- Onsite
- ECTS points
- 180
- Duration
- 6 semester
- Language
- level B1 in German is required
- Staying abroad
- Not applicable
- Application fee
- 200 CHF
- Semester fee
- 750 CHF (CH) | 1000 CHF (EU/EFTA) | 1250 CHF (Not-EU/Not-EFTA)
At a glance
- Technical and musical support, instrument/voice
- Historical music practice based on source work
- Development of one’s own artistic personality as a soloist and as part of an ensemble
Why study this?
As a rule, the Bachelor degree programme prepares students for continuing their education at graduate level (Master’s). However, the experience and skills acquired during this course of study are also transferable to other professions, such as musicology, music journalism, publishing, music management and instrument making.
This particular Bachelor degree programme does not have a teacher-training component. Students wishing to pursue a career as a music educator may apply for the special Master's degree programme in Music Pedagogy upon completion of the Bachelor's studies. Career opportunities for Medieval-Renaissance music specialists include performance work in concert, festival, and Early Music concert series settings. As expert ensemble musicians, holders of this BA are qualified to play with existing ensembles or establish their own ensemble. A number of graduates opt to pursue a career in academic research within their chosen field of specialisation, while others choose to share their experience and expertise in workshops and masterclasses.
Permanent employee positions are rare in this field.
This SCB Bachelor degree programme is aimed at highly talented instrumentalists and vocalists wishing to acquire an undergraduate qualification in the study and practice of medieval and early Renaissance music. A separate track is offered for students wishing to specialise in music from the Late Renaissance through the Romantic periods (see course description: Bachelor degree with a Renaissance-Romantic specialisation).
Students should be highly qualified and prepared to dedicate themselves to a course of study and training 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.
What is a Lute, Gittern, Citole, Cetra, Cythara? Which medieval plectrum instruments can be learned and studied at the Schola?
Prof. Marc Lewon, Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, presents medieval plectrum instruments
Structure and programme contents
The Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (SCB) offers a Bachelor of Arts in Early Music with a specialisation in the Medieval-Renaissance eras. As such, it is the only full-time undergraduate study programme of its kind in the world. The programme focuses on improving students’ mastery of medieval and early Renaissance instruments and vocal techniques, coupled with an in-depth study of Early Music repertoires and extensive exposure to historical improvisation practices. At the same time, students acquire an excellent foundation in music theory and history, which will in turn inform the development of their own musical practice.
Extensive ensemble-playing experience
Thanks to its exceptionally talented teaching staff and students, the Medieval Department of the SCB offers an array of opportunities for ensemble work. As a result, students are able to develop their artistic autonomy and gather valuable practical experience working with early source materials and notations.
In addition to singing, the Early Music Bachelor degree programme is offered for the following instruments:
- Medieval plucked string instruments: plectrum lute, harp etc.
- Medieval keyboard instruments: organetto, clavicytherium, clavicymbalum etc.
- Medieval string instruments: vielle (da braccio and da gamba) etc.
- Medieval wind instruments: recorder, traverso (transverse flute), shawm
Modules and Reglements
The BA and MA degree programmes at the Basel Academy of Music are based on modules.
The legally binding structure provides an initial guide to the content and weighting of the subjects on the degree programme.
The detailed content and modalities of the individual subjects can be found in the module descriptions.
The study regulations come into force together with the study and examination regulations of the Basel Academy of Music FHNW and form the legal framework.
Structure
Module descriptions
Below please find the link with all the information on the module descriptions of several FHNW schools.
- Switch the language settings to English.
- Filter by semester, Hochschule für Musik Basel FHNW, the desired degree programme or other criteria to display the relevant module information.
- Use the PDF button to call up a document from each overview and save it for yourself.
- Course registrations are made via the intranet.
Module descriptions
Study Regulations
History window: Music in the Middle Ages
Prof. Dr. Marc Lewon and Prof. Dr. Johannes Menke of Schola Cantorum Basiliensis as a guest on the podcast
Part 1: Early and High Middle Ages (in German) Part 2: The Late Middle Ages (in German)
Lecturers
Medieval Department
Schola Cantorum Basiliensis
Requirements, admission, entrance exam
We expect students to have good German language skills at the beginning of the studies. Students who are not German native speakers must present at least a B1 German language certificate (according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)) at the beginning of the studies.
More Admission Criteria
Applicants must satisfy the standard admission criteria to a FHNW Bachelor degree programme. In other words, they must hold one of the following qualifications:
- a federally recognised academic Swiss baccalaureate (Matura);
- a federally recognised specialised Swiss baccalaureate in music;
- a federal vocational baccalaureate;
- a diploma from another recognised upper-secondary general education provider;
- proof of an equivalent general education qualification from another education provider.
Exceptions may be made for applicants who do not have an upper-secondary qualification but demonstrate exceptional musical talent.
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 bachelor's degree the minimum is 60 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 entrance exam.
The admission procedure breaks down as follows:
- Verification that the applicant meets all formal admission criteria
- Admission to the entrance exam
- Entrance exam
- Decision on admission.
Admission shall be granted for the academic year to which the entrance exam applies. This test may be retaken no more than once per degree programme/major, but no earlier than the next official entrance exam date. Applicants who perform very well in the audition but who fail or barely pass the theoretical entrance examination (p. 54 “Aptitude Test”) may be admitted to the first year of the Bachelor programme, but will be required to meet a number of conditions during said academic year. Failure to do so will mean removal from the given degree programme. 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 Regulations BA Early Music Medieval-Renaissance instrument/voice in German.
Entrance exam
The entrance exam is individual for each study programme direction.
Dates
Registration
You may apply from 15 December until 31 January.
The following documents must be handed in with your registration:
- A curriculum Vitae incl. motivational letter
- school leaving qualification (Matura, Abitur, Baccalauréat, High School Diploma).
On-site
The on-site auditions will take place between mid-March and mid-April. The exact dates may be seen here in the beginning of January.
Announcement of the results
The results will be communicated by mail in the beginning of May.
Procedure
The entrance exam 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 exam (video presentation and live interview). This request must be sent to scb.hsm@fhnw.ch at the same time as the registration (by 31 January), stating the reasons, and must then be approved by the management.
Please also refer to the document Eignungsabklärung.
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: 10 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)
Organisational matters
Advising and information events
Contact
Prof. Kelly Landerkin
- Phone
- +41 61 264 57 57 (Central office)
- kelly.landerkin@fhnw.ch
Information events
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Registration
The next registration window is open from 15th December to 31th January.