Bachelor of Music – Church Music

At the Freiburg University of Music, first-year students can complete an 8-semester Bachelor's degree in Church Music. Upon successful completion of the Bachelor's degree, a Master's degree in Church Music can be added.
 

Professors/Faculty Members

Prof. Matthias Maierhofer (Organ)
Prof. David Franke (Organ and Improvisation)
Stephan Kreutz (Liturgical Organ playing)
Jörg Josef Schwab (Liturgical Organ playing)
Prof. Frank Markowitsch (Choral Conducting)
Haek-Kyung Jung (Conducting of children's choirs)
Hon.-Prof. Boris Böhmann (Conducting of children's choirs)
Christoph Schäfer (Hymnology)
Andreas Liebig (Organ literature studies)
Prof. Dr. Inga Behrendt (Gregorian Studies and German Liturgical Songs)
Stefan Metz (Gregorian Studies and German Liturgical Songs)
Hon.-Prof. Dr. Meinrad Walter (Liturgical Studies)
Prof. Dr. Reiner Marquard (Protestant Theology)

Curriculum

Major field lessons in Organ and Conducting

Other subjects: Voice, Theory/Ear Training/Musicology, church music-specific fields, College Choir, Church Music Pedagogy, elective modules
 

Courses of Study Available after Successful Completion of Bachelor of Music/Church Musik

Master of Music/Church Music
 

Special Information

degree course curriculum - evangelical (in German)
graphical degree course curriculum - evangelical (in German)
degree course curriculum - catholic (in German)
graphical degree course curriculum - catholic (in German)
module manual - evangelical (in German)
module manual - catholic (in German)
 

Application Deadlines

Entrance examination for summer semester: 1 December
 Entrance examination for winter semester: 1 April
Registration fee: 50 €
 

Tuition and Fees

Registration or re-registration fees and social contribution for the Studierendenwerk
 

Formal Requirements for the Entrance Examination

Notes on entrance examination

The application deadline is generally 1 April for each winter semester and 1 December for each summer semester. The date of receipt counts.
 

Artistic Requirement for the Entrance Examination

The examination commission selects the pieces to be performed from the applicant’s list of examination pieces. The commission may interrupt the performance of a piece at any time due to time constraints.
 Assessment criteria: artistic interpretation, accurate rendering of the piece, technical ability, and a choice of pieces which corresponds to the applicant's own ability. Foreign students will also be assessed for sufficient knowledge of German.

Main subject organ exam, approx. 15 minutes

  • Performance of two choral preludes from the Orgelbüchlein and one freely selected work by J.S. Bach as well as one work from the 19th or 20th century. Sight-reading.
  • Harmonization of a hymn from the German hymnbook with intonation/prelude.

Main subject conducting exam

Conducting of a simple choral movement including presentation on the piano, examination of basic percussive skills (e.g. fermatas, entries). The movement will be announced approximately 30 minutes before the exam.

Piano as a compulsory subject approx. 10 minutes

  • Performance of three piano compositions (original works) in three different styles; sight-reading of a simple piece.

Voice approx. 10 minutes
The examination serves the purpose of determining whether the applicant has a trainable singing and speaking voice.

  • Performance of three choral works of differing character; one may be a folk song or hymn (or song or Gregorian chant), while the others must be art songs or arias. Performance of the work from memory is desired. Please bring the music in the appropriate key for the accompanist.
  • Structured performance of a short prepared spoken text (poem or prose). 

Ear training and theory written test

  • Ear training: simple tonal melodic dictation, simple tonal two-voice dictation. (Each about 15 minutes long.)
  • Elementary theory: demonstration of basic knowledge of music and the ability to complete harmonies. Realization of a short figured bass, harmonization of a brief melody (in two, three, or four voices), completion of a given musical phrase. (Duration: approx. 45 minutes.)

Ear training and theory oral test

  • Ear training: sight-singing, rhythmic imitation, recognition of scales, intervals, chords, and simple chord progressions.
  • Basic theoretical knowledge: simple technical analyses of a piece (determination of key, chord forms, and chordal functions), cadences and harmonization of a simple melody on the piano (total duration approx. 10 minutes).

see
Practice Theory Test  (in German) and
Melodic Dictation (in German)

Detailed and legally binding information can be found in the Matriculation Regulations (in German)


Further Information in German:

Study and examination regulations Bachelor Church Music

Annex to the study and examination regulations Bachelor Church Music
      (Start of studies before winter semester 2019/20)
Annex to the study and examination regulations Bachelor Church Music
      (Start of studies from winter semester 2019/20)