Page 107 - Weiss, Jernej, ur. 2020. Konservatoriji: profesionalizacija in specializacija glasbenega dela ▪︎ The conservatories: professionalisation and specialisation of musical activity. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 4
P. 107
oi: https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-7055-86-3.105-121
Irish Conservatories
during the Inter-War Period
Wolfgang Marx
Univerzitetni kolidž v Dublinu
University College Dublin
Like in other English-speaking countries, in Ireland performance, com-
position and music theory are taught not just in conservatories but also in
universities – this is why they have departments of music rather than musi-
cology. All seven Irish universities (as well as the two universities in North-
ern Ireland) have music departments, and all of them have at least elements
of composition or performance as part of their curriculum, although to dif-
ferent degrees. In turn, the Irish conservatories find themselves under in-
creasing pressure to produce quantifiable research. However, at universities
there is generally still far more musicological than practical creative work
going on, while it is the other way round at conservatories. Undergraduate
university programmes in music usually mix aspects of the different areas,
while specific degrees in composition or performance can only be earned at
postgraduate level – this is different at conservatories.
A second aspect that needs to be mentioned at the beginning is that
Irish conservatories are not just involved in third-level music education;
they cover music education at every level, from teaching four-year-old be-
ginners to awarding doctorates. To some extent they are not just insti-
tutions of higher education but also fulfil the role that municipal music
schools (Städtische Musikschulen) occupy in German-speaking lands. This
is partly due to their involvement in the nationally used local examination
system which I will come back to later.
105
Irish Conservatories
during the Inter-War Period
Wolfgang Marx
Univerzitetni kolidž v Dublinu
University College Dublin
Like in other English-speaking countries, in Ireland performance, com-
position and music theory are taught not just in conservatories but also in
universities – this is why they have departments of music rather than musi-
cology. All seven Irish universities (as well as the two universities in North-
ern Ireland) have music departments, and all of them have at least elements
of composition or performance as part of their curriculum, although to dif-
ferent degrees. In turn, the Irish conservatories find themselves under in-
creasing pressure to produce quantifiable research. However, at universities
there is generally still far more musicological than practical creative work
going on, while it is the other way round at conservatories. Undergraduate
university programmes in music usually mix aspects of the different areas,
while specific degrees in composition or performance can only be earned at
postgraduate level – this is different at conservatories.
A second aspect that needs to be mentioned at the beginning is that
Irish conservatories are not just involved in third-level music education;
they cover music education at every level, from teaching four-year-old be-
ginners to awarding doctorates. To some extent they are not just insti-
tutions of higher education but also fulfil the role that municipal music
schools (Städtische Musikschulen) occupy in German-speaking lands. This
is partly due to their involvement in the nationally used local examination
system which I will come back to later.
105
