Combining the arts. Multimedia performances in the early 19th-century Habsburg Empire

Third Conference of the Schubert Research Center at the Austrian Academy of Science Vienna, 12–14 October 2023

COMBINING THE ARTS. MULTIMEDIA PERFORMANCES IN THE EARLY 19TH-CENTURY HABSBURG EMPIRE

Most of the cultural events in the Habsburg Empire during Schubert’s period were conceptualized as multi- and intermedial. In theaters and opera houses, music and dance were not the only integral parts of the performance; declamation, pantomime, costumes, lighting, and stage design also shared in the success of a production. The prime examples of this practice are mélodrame and incidental music inserted in theater plays. In public concerts, it was common to mix instrumental works with extracts from operas, interspersed with recitations of poems and sometimes enriched by tableaux vivants. The same happened in private salons, albeit on a smaller scale, where ballroom dancing played an important role as well.

In order to explore this multifaceted interconnection of the arts in greater depth than has been done before, we would like to invite not only musicologists and Schubert experts but also art historians, colleagues from theater, dance, and performance studies, literary studies, and other fields to submit papers. We are interested in case studies (including comparative studies between music centers) as well as more general contributions with a theoretical, aesthetic, or philosophical background.

Applications should include a short CV and an abstract of ca. 300 words. These materials should be sent to schubert@oeaw.ac.at no later than 16 April 2023.

The Schubert Research Center will cover travel expenses and accommodation. The conference language is English.