Suppan Wolfgang, *5 August 1933, Irdning, †4 May 2015 Graz, Austrian musicologist. He studied clarinet, violin, piano, and music theory at the conservatory, as well as musicology under H. Federhofer and J. Marx, and ethnology under V. von Geramb and H. Koren at the University of Graz (1954–59), where he obtained his doctorate in 1959. He then worked in Freiburg im Breisgau: from 1961 to 1963 as an assistant at the Institut für OstDeutsche Folklore and from 1963 to 1974 as director of the music department at the Deutsches Volksliedarchiv. In 1971, he completed his habilitation at the University of Mainz and began lecturing there. Since 1974, professor at the Institute of Ethnomusicology at the Kunstuniversität (formerly Musikhochschule) in Graz, which he directed until 2001. Guest lecturer at the universities in Frankfurt, Göttingen, Innsbruck and Salzburg. In 1974–2000, chairman of the International Society for the Promotion and Research of Band Music and in 1995–97, chairman of the World Association for Symphonie Bands and Ensembles.
In his scientific works, Suppan consistently strived for a synthesis of historical and ethnological-anthropological music research. He postulated that musicology should deal with research on the musical human being and not only his “cultural products;” he emphasised the need to link music with various areas of life: worship, politics, work, legislation, medicine and dance; music can also be considered in the aspect of the world of symbols. Its meaning should be interpreted in relation to the function it fulfils in the community and not by means of analysis of the mere sounding concretisation. Suppan’s main interests were European folk music, especially from the Styrian region, as well as popular music for wind instruments and military music; the latter three types of music are the domain of research of the “Graz school” created by Suppan.
Literature: Festschrift zum 60. Geburtstag von Wolfgang Suppan, ed. B. Habla, Tutzing 1993; B. Boisits Wolfgang Suppan, in: Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon, Wien 2002; H. Brenner Musikanthropologie und Musikethnologie heute. Wolfgang Suppan zum 75. Geburtstag, “Die Musikforschung” 62 (2009); …a deeper understanding of all music. Wolfgang Suppan zum 75. Geburtstag, ed. G. Grupe, Aachen 2010; N. N. Wolfgang Suppan (5.8.1933 – 4.5.2015), in: “Steirische Berichte” 2, 2015.
H.E.J. von Lannoy (1787–1853). Leben und Werke, Graz 1960 (doctoral dissertation)
Steirisches Musiklexikon, Graz 1962–66
Volkslied. Seine Sammlung und Erforschung, Stuttgart 1966, 6th ed. 1990
Deutsches Liedleben zwischen Renaissance und Barock, Tutzing 1973 (postdoctoral dissertation)
Lexikon des Blasmusikwesens, Freiburg 1973, 3th ed. 1988, with A. Suppan 4th ed. 1994
Das grosse steirische Blasmusikbuch, with E. Brixel, Vienna 1981
Der musizierende Mensch. Eine Anthropologie der Musik, Mainz 1983
Musica humana. Die anthropologische und kulturethnologische Dimension der Musikwissenschaft, Vienna 1986
Werk und Wirkung. Musikwissenschaft als Menschen- und Kulturgüterforschung, 3 volumes, Tutzing 2000
Blasmusikland Steiermark, Gnas/Steiermark 2003
Blasmusikforschung Bibliographie 1966–2003, Tutzing 2003
Steirisches Musiklexikon, Graz 2009, revised and supplemented ed.
numerous articles in “Journal of the International Folk Music Council,” “Jahrbuch für Volksliedforschung”, “Studia Musicologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae,” “Jazzforschung/JazzResearch,” “Musicologicaaustriaca,” “Orbismusicae,”
in over 20 commemorative books, including of Z. Kodály, E. Seemann, W. Wióra, H. Federhofer, B. Rajeczki, E. Emsheimer, F. Hoerburger, E. Klusen, V. Karbusicki, J. Kuckertz, J. Stęszewski
publications:
J.J. Fux Pulcheria, with H. Federhofer and L. Ergens, in: Johann Joseph Fux. Sämtliche Werke, series V vol. 2, Graz 1967
Deutsche Volksliedermitihren Melodien. Balladen, with R.W. Brednich and W. Heisk, vol. 5 and 6, Freiburg im Breisgau 1967, 1976
Melodietypendesdeutschen Volkesgesangs, Zwei- und Dreizeiler, with W. Stief, Tutzing1976
Goethe. Heidenröslein-Vertonungen, critical ed., with H. Sakanishi and E. Schrade, Tokio 1987
editing:
Handbuchdes Volksliedes, with R. W. Brednich and L. Röhrich, 2 volumes, Munich 1973–75
Liszt-Studien I, Eisenstadt congress book 1975, Graz 1977
«MusikethnologischeSammelbände» 1977–89
Schladminger Gespräche zum Thema Musik und Tourismus, Tutzing 1991
