At the Department of Music of the University of Innsbruck music is researched from different perspectives. The study of occidental art music is predominantly focussed on newer music, with particular emphasis on Viennese modernism and contemporary music. In addition to traditional historical considerations, questions of musical aesthetics, sociology of music and hermeneutics of music are examined. Another field of musicological research at the Department is the analysis of popular music, folk music of the Alps and non-European music cultures, in particular Oceania and the polar regions. A strong focus on cultural science music research - with topics such as music and politics, music and cultural identities, music and gender, etc. - is counterpointed by music editorial activities and historical dance research. The study of the relationship between music and image is based on a local tradition of more than 40 years, with numerous publications on music-iconographic topics. Closely related to this is current research in the fields of image-related composition and the aesthetics of intermediality.
