A Week in Brussels: Charting the Path of Musicology in the Digital Age
STSM at Cost Offices & Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium (17–21 June 2024)
Host: Christophe Levaux (FNRS – ULB)
Angel Manuel Olmos, Laurent Pugin, and Vassilis Vavoulis
Greetings, fellow musicologists! We recently had the privilege of participating in a Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) at the wonderful COST offices in Brussels, located on the 23rd floor of a building located in the city center. From our office it was possible to see most of the city. Under the guidance of Christophe Levaux, we spent an exciting and productive week from June 17-21, 2024, working on a roadmap to tackle the European Union’s 2024 Cloud calls, specifically those under the Cluster 2/Horizon program.
Our mission was clear: identify the technological challenges and opportunities for the music domain to contribute effectively to the European Cloud of Heritage (ECCCH). Here are some highlights and insights from our intensive week.
The Need for a Cultural Heritage Cloud
Most existing Clouds are commercially driven and situated outside the EU, often neglecting the cultural sector. The EU’s initiative to create a Cultural Heritage Cloud aims to fill this gap, ensuring long-term viability and maintenance for cultural data.
Leveraging the Power of Bibliographies
We found a strong alignment between musicological research and the call for documenting and organizing data. Projects such as RISM and RILM are foundational to our field, and enhancing these bibliographic resources with AI-driven tools can significantly boost our research productivity and enhance quality. Imagine having a comprehensive, annotated repository of scholarly literature at your fingertips, visualized through interconnected scholarly maps!
Fieldwork and Genetic Editing in Musicology
Fieldwork documentation isn’t just for archaeologists and palaeontologists. Ethnomusicology thrives on extensive field data, and tools developed for archaeological studies can be adapted to catalogue and analyze musical practices. Additionally, genetic editing of music manuscripts can offer profound insights into the creative processes of composers, revealing the evolution of musical works.
Interactive and Immersive Museum Experiences
Museums are evolving, and so must our approaches to curating and presenting musical heritage. Interactive music scores and recordings, virtual exhibitions, and digital twins of instruments can transform visitor engagement. These tools allow for customized, immersive experiences, encouraging both virtual and physical visits to museums and libraries, and ensuring music has a place in these sites.
Conservation and Restoration: A Technological Leap
The conservation of musical instruments and manuscripts can benefit immensely from advanced tracking and digitization technologies. Early detection of degradation and detailed 3D models can streamline the restoration process and facilitate detailed study of important musical artefacts, helping to preserve our musical heritage for future generations.
Collaborations and Future Directions
To achieve these ambitious goals, collaboration is key. We envision partnerships with institutions like RISM, RILM, and various universities, as well as experts in sound modelling and music cognition. These collaborations will ensure that our tools and methodologies are robust, innovative and widely applicable.
On camaraderie, beers & Euro 2024
Our week in Brussels was not just about hard work; it was also a time of camaraderie, enjoying the local gastronomy, and networking over some of Belgium’s finest beers. We enjoyed some of the most vibrant Euro 2024 matches and explored this wonderful and multicultural European capital city.