The winter term at my university is about to commence. Also looking forward to some events and travels: the annual conference of @musikforschung.bsky.social in Weimar, the conference of the Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie in Lübeck, and the final symposium of @openmusicacademy.bsky.social in Munich.

My daughter Cosima composed an accomplished solo harp piece at the beginning of the year, named »Dreaming Willow«, which is also playable on the piano with a few decent alterations. I now took the opportunity to record the piece—hope you have as much fun listening as I had while performing!

I will be appearing with Vokalsystem Berlin in two great projects: the interdisciplinary concert »Horizons« with music by Aleotti, Whitacre, Panufnik and Shaw (12–13 July, www.t.ly/eKUPx), and a staging of Johann Strauß's operetta »Die Fledermaus« at Kammeroper Rheinsberg (2–15 Aug, www.t.ly/StL8Z).

This has been the most intense university semester I've experienced so far: two half-time positions in Düsseldorf and Dresden, part-time work as managing director of Tonkünstlerverband Berlin, two lectures, two job interviews, apartment hunting, as well as significant developments in private life.

My daughter Cosima (14) passionately loves to play the harp. She started on a celtic harp five years ago and recently switched to the pedal harp. Her current rental instrument won't be available any longer, so we now seek to finance her first own harp. Please consider a donation in our crowdfunding!

Am 17.05.2025 hat die diesjährige ordentliche Mitgliederversammlung im Tonkünstlerverband Berlin stattgefunden, bei der ein neuer Vorstand gewählt wurde. Ich freue mich, auch künftig ein dynamisches und vielversprechendes Team mit meiner Tätigkeit in der Geschäftsführung unterstützen zu können.

Herzliche Einladung zum Lecture Recital im Kammermusiksaal der RSH Düsseldorf. Am Dienstag, 6. Mai, um 19:30 Uhr spreche ich über Klaviermusik von Maurice Ravel. »Im Fluss. Ravels Wassermusiken für Klavier: Jeux d'eau, Une barque sur l'océan, Ondine«. Sukyeon Kim und Dingyuan Chang spielen Klavier.

I'll be teaching an analysis class on the piano music of Maurice Ravel, starting in April at RSH Düsseldorf. In addition, there will be a lecture concert on Ravel's water-inspired compositions on Tuesday, 6 May, 7:30 pm, where I will talk about »Jeux d'eau« et alii. Join me if you like! #ravel150

Der Vorstand der Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie hat eine Stellungnahme zu der im Mai 2024 erschienenen MULEM-EX-Studie zum Musiklehrkräftemangel veröffentlicht, die sich mit der Empfehlung, für das Lehramt Musik auf Eignungsprüfungen in Musiktheorie und Gehörbildung zu verzichten, auseinandersetzt.

I have the pleasure of welcoming two guests to my current piano sonatas seminar at RSH Düsseldorf. Both sessions will be open for colleagues and friends. Let me know if you'd like to join! — 22 January, 9 am: Severin von Eckardstein plays Medtner — 5 February, 9 am: Kyra Steckeweh plays Pejačević

Excited to perform Giuseppe Verdi's Messa da Requiem today with Vokalsystem, Enchore, and Sibelius Orchester under the direction of Simon Rössler in the Philharmonie Berlin! The concert is sold out, but you can join us on Feb 15, 6 pm, for a singalong concert at Martin-Luther-Kirche. www.t.ly/lv6Hs

I am mourning the death of my friend and colleague Stephan Schönlau (1985–2024), who passed away recently during the Christmas holidays after a fierce battle against cancer for two and a half years. Read my small obituary here: www.wendelinbitzan.de/in-remembrance-of-stephan

I pondered over the relationship of #musicology and #musictheory, examining different aspects of collaboration, cooperation, and competition between the two fields and their protagonists. See my article »Along with, side by side, or past each other« in Die Musikforschung 77, no. 4 (2024): 332–343.

The first-ever complete recording of Nikolai Medtner's vocal music is finally finished. With this 5-CD series, Ekaterina Levental and Frank Peters have made a substantial contribution to the Medtner discography that can hardly be overestimated. Congratulations to everybody involved in this project!

Currently teaching a musicology seminar at RSH Düsseldorf on piano sonatas of the late-19th and early-20th centuries. After delving into music by Liszt, Grieg, Smyth, and Draeseke, I am now looking forward to Lysenko, Janáček, Chaminade, Pejačević, Bartók, Korngold, Ullmann, and others.

I will be conducting an online workshop for the Netzwerk 4.0 der Musikhochschulen on designing open educational resources and tutorials using the platform Open Music Academy. If you are teaching at a conservatory or music university, feel free to join!

This week I will begin teaching as a visiting professor at Hochschule für Musik Dresden. For the coming academic year, I will lecture music theory, aural skills, and analysis in the BA, school music, and composition programmes. Looking forward to a fruitful exchange with students and colleagues!

Looking forward to the annual conference of the Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie (GMTH), hosted by BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg next weekend, 4–6 October. I will be contributing with a workshop on the possibilities and functionality of the openmusic.academy. See you in Cottbus soon!

Currently preparing a chapter for a Stravinsky volume, focusing on historical and contemporary analyses of his music. Beyond the ubiquitous Taruskin, Kholopov, Straus, Horlacher, et alii: is there anything notable that I should care about and include in my survey? Please let me know.

Es gibt eine neue Lehrbeauftragten-Erhebung der Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie, in der es um Arbeitsbedingungen, Einkommen und Einbindung in institutionelle Strukturen geht. Falls Ihr im Lehrauftrag Musiktheorie und/oder Gehörbildung unterrichtet, nehmt bitte an der Umfrage teil!

My children have both changed their school and now attend the Georg-Friedrich-Händel-Gymnasium Berlin, a high school with an extensive profile in music education. My daughter also studies harp, piano, and music theory at the local music school, while my son takes guitar and violin lessons.

Excited to have the chance to attend the festival Raritäten der Klaviermusik in Husum again. After the recital of Christian Grøvlen yesterday, I am now looking forward to the performances of Clare Hammond, Patrick Hemmerlé, Matthias Kirschnereit, and Severin von Eckardstein.

Ganzheitliche Förderung statt nur Steuererleichterung: In der derzeitigen Debatte um die Umsatzsteuerbefreiung von Musikunterricht fehlt die Perspektive einer grundsätzlichen Subventionslösung für qualifizierte außerschulische Lehrangebote. Weiterlesen hinter dem Link.

My article »The Digital Music Theory Classroom: Considerations for Technology-Based Teaching at Music Universities«, based on the application of digital media, online platforms, and collaborative tools and documents, has now been published in the journal of the Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie (ZGMTH).

On stage with Vokalsystem Berlin as an opera choir for the first time! We will be appearing in Niccolò Piccinni's tragédie lyrique »Didon« in a semistaged performance at Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg, 25–28 July, with Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and Bernhard Forck. For tickets see below.

A selection of my piano music is now available on all relevant platforms: — No. 3 from the cycle Skulpturen (2009): listen.music-hub.com/8OvA5V — Novemberklage (2013), an autumnal lament: listen.music-hub.com/Jdn9is — Kinderkaleidoskop (2015), four short pieces: listen.music-hub.com/agrCHo

Warm invitation to the electronic choral concerts of Vokalsystem Berlin with Johannes David Wolff and Artschi Loyan on July 12–13 at Monopol Berlin, featuring music by Claudio Monteverdi, Benjamin Britten, @mormolyke.com, Ted Hearne, Caroline Shaw, Radiohead, and others. Tickets: see below!

Next up in the online lecture series of the Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie (GMTH) on July 1, 2024, 19:00 CEST: Robert Komaniecki will present a talk entitled »Sheet Music Goes Viral: On the Past and Present of Music Notation as an Object of Aesthetic Significance«. Please register via the link below.

New open-access book project available: the three-volume collection »French-German Research on Female Musicians«, originating from a collaborative project of meetings and lectures in 2017–19, and including studies on many female composers and performers.

Exciting panel upcoming in the GMTH International Music Theory Lectures: Stefan Pohlit, Vladimir Rannev, and Ellen Bakulina will discuss political pressure and abuse of power in academia and music institutions. Join us on next Thursday, 13 June 2024, 7 pm CEST! See the link below for more info.

The deplorable practice of Viennese orchestras hiring freelance musicians for dumping fees has grown to an alarming state, as the Falter magazine reports. This abhorrent business model needs to be stopped! The Austrian group IG Freie Musikschaffende claims a minimum fee of 228 € per day. #fairpay

Glad to announce that I was appointed managing director of Tonkünstlerverband Berlin. As of June 2024, I will be in charge of the membership management, communications, and public relations work of the association. I will also continue working as a lecturer in music theory.

I am currently working on a paper concerning the relationship of #musicology and #musictheory, focusing on aspects of cooperation / collaboration and competition / rivalry between the two disciplines. If you would like to share experiences that can shed light on either relation, please get in touch!

I am offering a preparatory workshop for #musictheory entrance exams at music universities, organised by the Tonkünstlerverband NRW, on 16–17 May. Please notify your students who consider an application in Cologne, Detmold, Düsseldorf, Essen, or Münster! Register here: t.ly/z4VJV

My composition »Song without Words« for solo harp will be included as a compulsory piece in the 10th Competition of Verband der Harfenisten. It will be performed by about 15 young contestants, aged 10–12 yrs, at Thüringer #Landesmusikakademie Sondershausen on 4 May, 9 am to 4 pm.

The current state of generative AI does not have to offer much in my fields of expertise as a music lecturer and researcher. Yet if AI were able to produce ideal-typical textbook examples of historical paradigms of musical form, it might gain relevance. For more thoughts see below.

Some more releases of my music are now available on various streaming platforms, such as »Marschburleske« for trumpet and piano (2008), the vocal cycle »Nachtwächtergesänge« on poems by Helga Simon (2007), and »Nachtgirlande« for theremin and piano (2007). More to follow!

I authored a statement with my colleagues from the board of Tonkünstlerverband Berlin, discussing the Berlin Senate's current HR policy for freelancers and its possible results, and proposing some alternative strategies for a future-oriented operation of music schools.

Some thoughts on absolute pitch, its relevance for studying and teaching music theory, and on how I was influenced and challenged by this capability.

Some new promotional material available: (1) A custom-tailored suit for multiple purposes (2) Results from an inspirational photo shooting (3) Handmade business cards in lead typesetting Credits: Kuhn Maßkonfektion, Ania Sudbin, Druckgraphik Atelier

Thankful for a weekend full of diverse musics and performance experiences: My own livestream with piano pieces by Marie Jaëll on Friday, a delightful programme by Lennart Schilgen on Saturday, and pure joy in witnessing a concert of Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion on Sunday.

On the occasion of the #womencomposersday, I will be playing a few pieces from French-German composer Marie Jaëll's piano cycle »Les jours pluvieux« (1894) live on Facebook. I'd be delighted if you tuned in on Friday, 8 March, at 1 pm CET. See below for the full line-up.

Hiermit erkläre ich, dass mein Rechtsstreit mit Theo Geißler übereinstimmend beigelegt wurde und beide Parteien die Angelegenheit nicht mehr weiterverfolgen werden. Diese Erklärung erfolgt gemäß einem am 29.02.2024 vor dem Landgericht Regensburg geschlossenen Vergleich.

Crowdfunding alert! I need to engage in an involuntary legal proceeding against an influential German newspaper publisher and probably won't be able to cover the legal expenses and attorney fees involved in this procedure. I'll be grateful for any support!

My adorable children start hitting the stages of Berlin! — Lionel has his own minuet performed in a composition workshop at Staatsoper Unter den Linden. See here: t.ly/n3XPw — Cosima appears as a harpist with the children's opera orchestra of the Staatsoper: t.ly/eq4u1.

On behalf of the board of DTKV Berlin, my colleague Jens Domeyer and I had a talk with Berlin's state secretary for culture, Sarah Wedl-Wilson, in which we discussed some topical issues of representation of freelance musicians in Berlin. Read more in our short report from last week's meeting.

I compiled an overview tutorial on the formal analysis of 20th-century popular music, including the models of strophe and refrain, AABA form, verse-chorus form and its variants. Represented genres are Broadway musical, rock'n'roll, rock, pop, and trance.

Liebe Berliner Musiker*innen, erwägt eine Mitgliedschaft im Tonkünstlerverband! Im Jahresbeitrag von 73 € sind eine Berufshaftpflichtversicherung, eine Erstrechtsberatung und vergünstigte GEMA-Lizenzgebühren enthalten. Außerdem könnt Ihr unsere Honorarrichtlinien anwenden. Kontaktiert mich gern!

I am lucky to participate in performances of Lili Boulanger's marvellous choral works very soon with Vokalsystem Berlin, Johannes David Wolff, and Artschi Loyan. Also on the menu: Poulenc and Lauridsen. Cordial invitation to our »Realités absurdes« on 17–18 February! Tickets below.

Some of you might remember my controversial exchange with Theo Geißler, the editor of @musikzeitung.bsky.social and head of ConBrio Verlag. The dispute now took a somewhat disgraceful turn, which I tried to document from my perspective here. Not sure how to proceed.