Markus Roth

Prof. Dr. Markus Roth is a Professor of Music Theory at Faculty 2 of Folkwang Universität der Künste in Essen, Germany, a position he has held since his appointment in 2009. He joined the university in 2006 as a lecturer for special duties. His academic work is deeply rooted in music theory, with a focus on analytical methodologies across historical periods.

His research interests are extensive and include Music Analysis, the History of Music Theory, Contemporary Music, Historically Informed Theory, and the History of Listening. His scholarship bridges the Renaissance to the 21st century, examining composers such as Cipriano de Rore, Jacobus Gallus, Schubert, Hanns Eisler, and Enno Poppe. His work often explores the intersection of composition and theory, the rhetoric of music, and the analytical challenges of chromaticism and polyphony.

His recent publications, including a 2024 co-authored paper on Cipriano de Rore, demonstrate a sustained and active scholarly output. The trends in his research show a consistent engagement with analytical techniques—ranging from linear analysis and Schenkerian methods to historically informed and performer-oriented approaches—and a fascination with paradox, idiosyncrasy, and the boundaries of tonal systems.

• Recipient of a doctorate summa cum laude in 2006 for his work on Hanns Eisler’s Hollywood-Liederbuch.
• Author of the book Der Gesang als Asyl (2007) and Einem Traume gleich (2012).
• Co-editor of the proceedings from the 2012 GMTH Congress Musiktheorie und Komposition (2015).
• Served as Vice-President of the Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie (GMTH) from 2010 to 2014.

Prof. Roth has advised numerous students and contributed to academic discourse through lectures at international conferences such as GMTH and EUROMAC. He is also a composer, with works for piano and chamber ensembles. He is affiliated with a research environment that values the dialogue between historical and contemporary music practices.