formerly “Richter Herf-Institute for Basic Musical Research”

Being one of the institutes at the Mozarteum University Salzburg, its task was to complement teaching and instruction with research in order to keep them vivid and up-to-date. The activities within the scope of the institute covered three fields, in detail: research, delivering courses, and public relations.

The aims of the basic research arise from the different aspects of the human capability to receive sounds through the ear and convert them into perceptions representing musical sense. The research on microtones set up a special priority: that is the experimental exploration of the feasibilities and limits of realizing pitches with fine gradation in a melodic and harmonic context. The investigated phenomenons of musical hearing were made immediately accessible to the composers studying at the Mozarteum. Moreover, a “School of Hearing” (“Schule des Hörens”) was offered to all students, which substantially deepend the usual subject at colleges of Education of Hearing (Gehörbildung).

Public relations comprised the exchange of ideas and the co-operation with domestic and foreign researchers, holding guest lectures and meetings, like the Symposia "Microtones" from 1985 to 1991, and issuing publication.