MusicAnalytica - Interdisciplining Music Studies through the Reconfiguration of Theoretical and Analytical Knowledge

Project Information

MusicAnalytica

Grant agreement ID: 101187606

DOI

10.3030/101187606

EC signature date 8 October 2024

Start date 1 March 2025

End date 28 February 2030

Funded under

• Widening participation and spreading excellence

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 2 498 945,78

Coordinated by

UNIVERSIDADE DE COIMBRA
Portugal

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MusicAnalytica (MusicAnalytica - Interdisciplining Music Studies through the Reconfiguration of Theoretical and Analytical Knowledge)

Reporting period: 2025-03-01 to 2026-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The MusicAnalytica project is a Coordination and Support Action (CSA), which aims to mobilise and attract talents, whose interconnected work will foster a radical reconfiguration in music studies and music theory research, towards fulfilling the potential of cultural heritage, arts, and cultural and creative sectors. It will emerge from the intersecting work of a carefully planned and exceptional international team of music researchers committed to bridge and cope with the challenges of a fragmentary research landscape of distinct disciplinary paradigms and methodologies targeting music, and including music theory and musicology studies, music computation and mathematics, music cognitive and neurosciences, and music anthropology. In this context, data generation is selective and purpose-driven, prioritising quality, interoperability, and reuse over volume, in line with the CSA nature of the action.


It has five objectives to achieve with different timelines within the project and with different stakeholders (institutions, users - artists, researchers, students - and public communities and policies):


O1 (short-term): To mobilise talent towards a pioneering music interdisciplinary line of research;

O2 (medium term): Institutional reform (on curricular orientation, research organisation, laboratory activity, disciplinary reconfiguration).

O3 (medium term): Widening training and guidance.

O4 (long-term): The establishment of a permanent research team fully integrated in the Universidade de Coimbra in a new reconfigured theoretical interdiscipline.

O5 (long-term): influence on societal views on music research.



These five objectives will be achieved through the development of twelve WorkPackages (WP): Project management (WP 1,2); ERA Chair Team recruitment & interaction (WP3); Widening of scientific participation and cooperation - the institutional reform in academia (WP 4,5) and in society and other stakeholders (WP 6,7); Advanced training programs (WP 8,9); Recruitment of permanent team (WP10) and D & E & C of results (WP 11,12).

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During RP1, MusicAnalytica progressed from the awarded proposal to a functioning institutional and scientific structure at UC. Key achievements include the establishment of project governance and the Advisory Board, ERA Chair take-up, recruitment of the Science Manager and Group Leader, progress in recruiting the remaining ERA Chair team, creation of a new CEIS20 research line, acquisition of laboratory equipment and curricular reform at MA, MSc and PhD levels. Scientific achievements include three peer-reviewed publications, competitive funding applications, advanced training and mentoring, and participation in major scientific activities such as Music as Interdiscipline, Compreender Paredes, EnIM and EuroMAC11. The deliverables and milestones scheduled for the period were achieved.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

MusicAnalytica is developing an innovative model for music theory and analysis based on “Music as Interdiscipline”, bringing humanities-based research into sustained interaction with computational, cognitive, empirical, social and performance-based approaches. During the first reporting period, this concept began to be structurally embedded through a dedicated CEIS20 research line, the Coimbra Laboratory for Music, Time and Culture, curricular reform and the recruitment of complementary scientific profiles. At this stage, the main advance lies in establishing a new interdisciplinary research environment, with larger-scale scientific outputs expected as the ERA Chair team becomes fully operational.