Thomas Phleps (2 September 1955 – 5 June 2017) was a German

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

ist and

musicologist Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...

Life

Born in

Bad Hersfeld The festival and spa town of Bad Hersfeld (''Bad'' is "spa" in German; the Old High German name of the city was ''Herolfisfeld'') is the district seat of the Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany, roughly 50 km southeast ...

, Phleps studieded at the

Philipps-Universität Marburg The Philipps University of Marburg () is a public research university located in Marburg, Germany. It was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protes ...

and the

University of Kassel The University of Kassel () is a university founded in 1971 located in Kassel, Hessen, in central Germany. As of February 2022 it had about 25,000 students and about 3300 staff, including more than 300 professors. A special unit (Studienkoll ...

and completed his studies in 1981 and 1983 respectively with state examinations for the teaching profession in the subjects music, German and philosophy. Since 1983, he has been a

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

for musicology and guitar in Kassel. He received his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in 1987 with the work ''Hanns Eisler's "Deutsche Sinfonie". A contribution to the aesthetics of resistance''. Initially, Phleps worked as a stage musician at the

Staatstheater Kassel The Staatstheater Kassel is a state-owned and operated German theater in Kassel, Germany. The theatre employs around 500 people. The opera house has 953 seats, the Playhouse Theatre 540 seats and the Fridericianum 99 seats. With its total number ...

. Since 1989, he worked as a teacher in

Bad Arolsen Bad Arolsen (, until 1997 Arolsen, being the German name for ''Spa'') is a small town in northern Hesse, Germany, in Waldeck-Frankenberg district. From 1655 until 1918 it served as the residence town of the Princes of Waldeck-Pyrmont and then un ...

. In 1995, he was appointed to the

University of Giessen University of Giessen, official name Justus Liebig University Giessen (), is a large public research university in Giessen, Hesse, Germany. It is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the German-speaking world. It is named afte ...

. In 2000, he

habilitated Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellen ...

there in the fields of musicology and

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a rese ...

. From 2001 to 2003, he was professor for music education at the

University of Bremen The University of Bremen () is a public university in Bremen, Germany, with approximately 18,400 students from 117 countries. Its 12 faculties offer more than 100 degree programs. The University of Bremen has been among the top 50 European rese ...

, and since 2003 in Gießen. From 2010, Phleps was the editor-in-chief of the ''

Hanns Eisler Hanns Eisler (6 July 1898 – 6 September 1962) was a German-Austrian composer. He is best known for composing the national anthem of East Germany, for his long artistic association with Bertolt Brecht, and for the scores he wrote for films. The ...

Complete Edition''. Pfleps died on 5 June 2017 at the age of 61 in Kassel of a heart attack.

Publications

* Hanns Eislers "Deutsche Sinfonie". Ein Beitrag zur Ästhetik des Widerstands (Kasseler Schriften zur Musik 1). Kassel: Bärenreiter 1988, 389 pages. * Zwischen Spätklassik und

Hip-Hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

– Methoden und Modelle. Musikanalytische, musikhistorische und musikdidaktische Studien. 2000. * Zwischen

Adorno Theodor W. Adorno ( ; ; born Theodor Ludwig Wiesengrund; 11 September 1903 – 6 August 1969) was a German philosopher, musicologist, and social theorist. He was a leading member of the Frankfurt School of critical theory, whose work has come ...

and Zappa. Semantische und funktionale Inszenierungen in der Musik des 20. Jahrhunderts (Zwischen/Töne. Neue Folge 1). Berlin: Weidler Buchverlag 2001, 350 pages * Mein bester Freund in der populären Musik. Nachricht von den neuesten Schicksalen des lauten Schalls im deutschsprachigen Raum. Karben: Coda 2002, pages 94.

External links

* Institut für Musikwissenschaft und Musikpädagogik der Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen – Ralf von Appen
Thomas Phleps (Nachruf)

Thomas Phleps in WorldCat

References

German musicologists Academic staff of the University of Bremen German classical guitarists German jazz guitarists Academic staff of the University of Giessen 1955 births 2017 deaths People from Bad Hersfeld 20th-century German classical musicians {{Germany-music-bio-stub