Wolfgang Osthoff

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Wolfgang Osthoff (born March 17, 1927 in Halle ; † July 29, 2008 in Würzburg ) was a German musicologist and professor (full professor) for historical musicology at the Julius Maximilians University in Würzburg.

Life

Born in Halle an der Saale in 1927 as the son of the musicologist Helmuth Osthoff , Wolfgang Osthoff received his musical training from Kurt Hessenberg (composition) and Kurt Thomas (conducting) in Frankfurt am Main. He studied musicology with his father and with Thrasybulos Georgiades , from whom he received his doctorate in Heidelberg in 1954 and from whom he completed his habilitation in Munich in 1965. Studies in philosophy (among others with Hans-Georg Gadamer ) and Middle Latin enabled him to understand music in a comprehensive context. His two-year study visit to Italy from 1955 to 1957 cemented his love for Italian music. From 1968 to 1995 he was full professor of musicology at the Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg. Even after his retirement, he taught at the musicological institute until the end.

Wolfgang Osthoff worked in national and international scientific societies and academies; for a quarter of a century he was responsible for musicology at the German Study Center in Venice . He also participated in the projects of the Music History Commission of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences in Munich. He was a member of the presidium of the Hans Pfitzner Society, a scientific member and advisory board of the German Study Center Venice, the Istituto Nazionale di Studi Verdiani Parma, the Beethoven House Bonn, the Music History Commission of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and the Stefan George Society Bingen. The University of La Sapienza in Rome has awarded him an honorary doctorate .

plant

The main areas of work of the scientifically far-reaching scholar were Italian music from the 15th to 19th centuries, especially the work of Claudio Monteverdi and Giuseppe Verdi , the Viennese classical music with a focus on Ludwig van Beethoven and the music of the first half of the 20th century . Here he paid special attention to the works of Hans Pfitzner and Gerhard Frommel , with whom he was a deep friend. In his reflections on the relationship between music and language, the work of Stefan George was of outstanding importance to him.

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personal data
SURNAME Osthoff, Wolfgang
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German musicologist and university professor, professor of historical musicology
DATE OF BIRTH March 17, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Hall
DATE OF DEATH July 29, 2008
Place of death Wurzburg