The birth of the Oslo Conservatoire out of the spirit of the master-apprentice model

Abstract

The chapter sheds light on the history and background of the European landscape of higher music education institutions. This is done by investigating the historical reasons for the distinction between practice-based and theory-based knowledge, the social history of the musician’s profession and the origins and characteristic features of the master-apprentice model and its adaptation in various historical contexts. It is shown how four formative models including the Neapolitan conservatoires of the late Middle Ages, the academies of the early modern period, as well as the prototype conservatoires in Paris and Leipzig, which were shaped by the ideals of the French Revolution on the one hand and those of the bourgeois 19th century on the other, left their mark also on the Nordic countries. The history of the Oslo Conservatoire – from Peter Lindeman’s vision of a modern conservatoire to the founding of the Norwegian Academy of Music – can be seen as a good and typical example of how to tackle the tension between meeting the needs of modern times and staying committed to its roots and centuries-old European traditions. Special attention is paid to the particular role of the master-apprentice model in passing on music performance-related knowledge and skills, which is a common thread throughout the history of higher music education. Considered to be antiquated and outdated by many, it has over the centuries also proven to be very flexible and adaptable.