As any inherently interdisciplinary research field, the field of word and music studies is characterized by a methodological multitude, and the choice of research paradigm influences the condition of analysis in tangible ways. For instance, the study of words and/or music as “art works” is likely to limit the empirical scope to canonized/ “classical” works and, as a consequence, requires the analytical object to be written representation rather than sounding performance. At the same time, the study of performative practice gives rise to a different set of methodological questions concerning the intermedial qualities of words and/or music as ephemeral sound in time.

The ambition of this conference is, through discussion of different approaches, to take a step towards establishing comprehensive and updated methodologies. We wish to ‘revisit’ the research field and take advantage of the current proliferation of approaches that supersede traditional academic borders, such as Sound Studies, Affect Studies and Cognitive Semiotics, in order to develop new and updated methodological paths.

The programme is now online 

The conference is open to the public

Conference poster (here)