8 September 2022
The rhythm of knowledge exchangeOpening of the Temporary History Lab Hamburg Musical Histor/ies
Photo: Pixabay
From the early skiffle and jazz clubs of the post-war period, to the swinging 60s and groovy 70s and on to the beginning of the Hamburg Schule period of the 80s: Hamburg’s musical history is diverse and, at times, internationally renowned. Students are researching all of this, and the still recent history of the Hamburg Beats of the 1980s, under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Thorsten Logge from the field of Public History at Universität Hamburg.
But every writing of history is based on sources, and exactly those are lacking for many dimensions of Hamburg’s musical history. “We are convinced that there are many important traces and potential sources hidden away in attics, photo albums, and the cupboards and drawers of Hamburg's households that will help us research the city’s musical past, from rehearsal rooms to music shops and event venues, from making music to experiencing music. These are just waiting to finally be brought out for the world to see, and to be researched,” explains Prof. Dr. Thorsten Logge.
Logge is working with Dr. Antje Nagel, head of the University Museum, to use a crowdsourcing initiative to bring these traces of Hamburg’s music culture to light and thus to offer Hamburg’s residents the chance to bring their personal souvenirs into the University, where they can be scanned directly into the collection.
The temporary history lab is an academic workshop operating for a limited period that aims to collect historical sources from the broader population. During the lab, sources and objects brought in are added directly to a constantly growing collection, whose topics and content were first raised during the Hamburg musical history seminar.
The project is a collaboration with the State and University Library Carl von Ossietzky and the Museum for Hamburg History.
Further information on the project and the opportunities to participate at www.uni-hamburg.de/hamburger-musikgeschichten
Hamburg music history: the exhibition
In addition, the lecture series led by Prof. Dr. Torsten Logge brings music and research together. There are 5 sessions in various places inHamburg on musical culture, Hamburg music clubs, women in music culture, crowdsourcing and the writing of music history in general. Guests include personalities from the world of academia, the music industry, and the Hamburg art and music scene.
Attendance of these events is free, after registering on the website.
Universität Hamburg has part of musical history
Universität Hamburg is not just researching the musical past of the city, it has also been a major actor in its own right. The University has been opening its doors to popular culture events for over 50 years. The numerous international artists include Pink Floyd, Tom Waits, AC/DC, and Meat Loaf, but also the folk-rock pioneers City Preachers with Inga Rumpf, Jean-Janques Kravetz and Udo Lindenberg performed in the Audimax between 1970 and 2000.
On 15 September 2022, exactly 50 years after Otto’s legendary concert in the Audimax at Universität Hamburg, a number of Hamburg’s music greats headed back to the University’s stage with their show “Get Back To Audimax!”. The concert, “Otto Live im Audimax” from 15 September 1972, was recorded on vinyl and founded his breakthrough onto the national stage, remaining a classic in the history of German humor. For Udo Lindenberg, Abi Wallenstein and Inga Rumpf, it is a return to the stage on which their careers began. The anniversary show marks the beginning of the lecture series on Hamburg music history at Universität Hamburg.