The interdisciplinary question, in what way author-intentionale aspects - and especially self-commentaries -
contribute to the understanding of art, is answered very controversial presently. It is regarded as an explosive
problem-case. Differently than in the literature - and art-sciences a systematically developed as well as historically
differentiating discourse has not taken place on the field of the music up to now. To remedy this deficit, lie as
concerns at the base of the writing "Composer-commentaries - Considerations concerning a history of the self-
interpretation ". (The study was assumed as a Habiltationsschrift in the spring 2001 at the University of Vienna.)
Chapter A piles up the question after the nature of musical authorship. Reference taking on a strange piano-piece,
considerations are employed over the meaning of saying that a composer with a musical work or a work-
commentary wants "something".
Chapter B discusses the term "commentary": going out from a general definition, different varieties of the
composer-commentary to one`s music are distinguished. As in chapter A, aspects of reception and aesthetics are
accentuated. A rudimentary sketch of the early-history of such verbal additions (10.-18. century) serves the
transition to the following, historically oriented case studies (18.-20. century).
The nine case studies of chapter C introduce selected composer`s commentaries to own works, in fact in the context
1.) of the effective concept of understanding music, 2.) the relationship of the composers to the reception (own and
foreign works) and, 3.) the respective attitudes to commenting music. These case studies model selected author -
and commentary-conceptions.
In conclusion, chapter D reflects aspects of a book-project on the one hand, that was realized lately, and offers
composer`s commentaries of the present in big number. On the other hand, in the summarizing gaze on the gone
ahead sections perspectives for a future confrontation with the topic are developed.