The postgraduate course is aimed at musicians who regard knowledge of historical circumstances in relation to the interpretation of music of past centuries as essential to their personal approach to music.
This concerns both the use of historical instruments corresponding to the respective epochs or their copies, as well as practical performance knowledge gained through sources and treatises. The stylistic span within the course ranges from music before 1600 to the 19th century.
Better career opportunities in the orchestra
The goal is to provide artistic training for musicians who can hold their own in freelance musical life because of their stylistically comprehensive education and maintain a constant interest in new insights for musical interpretation.
By teaching additional technical playing and stylistic skills and knowledge, the course also aims to open up better career opportunities for orchestral musicians on the job market.
Subjects of Historical Interpretation Practice
Study is available in the following majors: recorder, transverse flute, historical oboe, baroque bassoon/dulcian, natural horn, natural trumpet, historical violin/viola, baroque violoncello, viola da gamba, violone/historical double bass, lute, harpsichord, fortepiano, and organ.
Admission to the Master's programme Historical Interpretation Practice requires a completed university degree: Bachelor's degree, Diploma in Music, Artistic Maturity Examination, First State Examination for the Teaching Profession at Grammar Schools for Music, Music Teacher's Diploma, Church Music (A Examination) or examinations comparable to these courses of study in Germany or abroad, as well as a successfully completed aptitude test (on historical or on modern and historical instrument).
*You will receive details of your aptitude test dates with your invitation approx. 3 to 4 weeks before your aptitude test appointment.
- current passport photo (the following formats are accepted: GIF, JPEG, JPG or PNG)
- Complete and up-to-date curriculum vitae in tabular form (up to the year of application)
- School leaving certificate (if not yet available, the last school certificate is sufficient for the time being), in case of foreign certificates a certified translation in German or English is required*
- If applying for a Master's degree: Bachelor's certificate or equivalent, "Transcript of Records", if applying for a concert exam: Master's certificate or equivalent, "Transcript of Records "*
- For applicants from the People's Republic of China and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, certificate of the Academic Evaluation Service (APS) (PR China // Vietnam)
- Proof of language skills according to the requirements of the degree programmes (see below, Language certificates)
- Please note that you have to submit additional documents in the different study programmes. Please inform yourself about this on the website of the respective study program for which you are applying under "aptitude test". Among other things, letter of motivation, assignments, phoniatric report (voice)...
*If you do not have all final certificates at the time of application, please submit the most recent certificates and supporting documents in advance. Submit the final documents without being asked and in good time before the start of your studies. If you have any questions, please contact us immediately.
Please fill out the online application completely and upload all requested documents. After you have submitted your online application with a final mouse click, you will receive an email from us confirming the receipt of your application.
After the application deadline, you will receive an invoice from us for an administrative fee of 50 Euro. Please transfer the fee to the account of the HfMDK stating your invoice number and name within the mentioned payment deadline. Only when the administrative fee has been credited to the university's account is your application complete and can be processed.
The application fee is charged per applicant. If you apply for two courses or subjects, no further fee is due. The fee will be due again if you reapply at a later date (new round of applications).
A refund of the application fee is excluded - this also applies if the application is withdrawn.
Here you will find a list of required German language skills for all degree programs. Please check which of these requirements apply to your degree program.
The qualifying examination consists of an examination in the main subject and an examination in the compulsory subject harpsichord (except main subjects harpsichord and lute). The prepared programme in the main subject should last at least approx. 20-30 minutes, the commission reserves the right to select music from it lasting approx. 15 minutes. The programme must be performed (at least to a large extent) on a historical instrument. For all works that require an accompaniment, this is usually performed on the harpsichord.
- 3 works from the literature between 1600 and 1780.
- One movement to be performed in chamber music with a basso continuo (a soloist will be provided on request, subject to the possibility and arrangement of the work).
- Prima vista playing of an easy to moderately difficult thoroughbass.
- 3 stylistically different works from the solo repertoire between ca. 1750-1850
- Prima vista playing of a simple basso continuo.
3 works from the following areas: Italy, 17th c. (Frescobaldi, Rossi, Merula etc.); North Germany (Scheidt, Sweelinck, Buxtehude); South Germany/Austria (Froberger etc.); France (Titelouze, Couperin, Clerambault etc.)
3 works from different periods and styles of literature between 1600 and 1780, including an early baroque piece and a work by J.S. Bach
3 works from literature between 1600 and 1820
2 works from the bass literature (also bassocontinuo) between 1600 and 1800
3 works from the following areas: France (e.g., Marais, Forqueray); England (e.g., Simpson, Hume); Germany (e.g., J. S. Bach, Abel, or C.Ph.E. Bach)
Examination programme with works from at least 2 different stylistic areas. The examination may be taken on Renaissance, Baroque lute, theorbo or vihuela (or on more than one of these instruments). Obligatory is the sight-reading of a simple basso continuo
3 works of different styles of the recorder repertoire before 1850, one of them in French style. Also possible is an original work for csakan, possibly on recorder
In the subject transverse flute two different emphases can be chosen:
- Single key flute (focus on Baroque/Classical): 3 works from literature between 1600 and 1800 (also arias from cantatas, oratorios, etc.)
- Multi-keyed flute (focus on classical/romantic/orchestral playing): 3 works from literature between 1750 and 1850, including one work on the baroque single-keyed flute.
3 works from the literature between 1700 and 1820, preferably on the appropriate types of instruments
3 works from the literature between 1700 and 1850, on the appropriate types of instruments if possible
3 works from the literature between 1600 (Dulcian) and 1820, if possible on the corresponding types of instruments
3 pieces on baroque and/ or invention horn from the period between 1700 and 1830 (also orchestral pieces from the baroque and classical repertoire)
3 pieces on natural trumpet (also orchestral pieces from the baroque and classical repertoire)
For all subjects (except for the main subject harpsichord, fortepiano and lute) an examination in harpsichord is compulsory. For this, a piece of approx. 3 - 5 minutes duration (e.g. Invention by J. S. Bach or Pièce de Clavecin by Couperin) should be prepared. The qualifying examination for the compulsory subject harpsichord is conducted together with the main subject examination.
[Nicht-amtliche Lesefassung. Stand: 18.12.2023]
The Study and Examination Regulations (SPO) set out the framework conditions and regulations for your studies. They apply together with the General Regulations (for Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes) or the SPoL (for teacher training degree programmes). All versions of the SPO for your degree programme (including earlier versions for students of previous academic years) can be found at Examinations.
Stand: 27.05.2019
[136/2023, 23.06.2023]