Workshop: ‘Second Hands’ and ‘Second Thoughts’

In cooperation with the Institute of Austrian and German Music Research (IAGMR), University of Surrey, this international workshop focuses on 19th- and 20th-century music manuscripts from Austria and Germany. Using the concept of ‘multilayered written artefacts’, the event explores how various written layers — both original and added — shape the editing, performance, and archiving of musical works.

At the centre of discussion are ‘second hands’ and ‘second thoughts’: revisions by composers, annotations by others, and later interventions that influence how music is transmitted and understood. Contributions examine how such layers emerge, interact, and reflect broader aesthetic, cultural, and political contexts, especially in transnational and multilingual settings.

By combining perspectives from manuscript studies and musicology, the workshop highlights the often-overlooked significance of layered manuscripts in shaping music history and performance practice.