So after much thought, mostly triggered from listening to the many blogs from DevDH.org, I think I have an idea for my project proposal.
Being a DMA in the music school, I want this project to be music related. The saxophone, my primary instrument is very young, so information on it might not be appropriate for my first DH project. However, my musical passion is contemporary music. This can be divided into two categories: the music of living composers (present) and the music of the later half of the 20th Century (past/historical).
My idea is to compile a database of concert programs, not just the images but the pieces and composers, from 1945 (post World War II) to the year 2000. A well constructed database could answer innumerable questions, such as:
1) Were there any spikes in prominence of a particular composer’s music during certain time periods? Why might this be the case?
2) How many world premieres were given by major orchestras in each year? Is new music increasing or decreasing on the orchestral stage? (There is constant debate about this, but no numerical statistics to back it up)
3) How often after a world premiere does a piece either a) die out or b) become the next hip phenomenon that many orchestras are programming? What is the time line for such events?
I have numerous other questions, but a database that could be added to by every orchestra in the country with current information for each concert season would be fascinating. Additionally, monetary success from season to season could be tracked and traced and orchestras could use this information to build upon their future programming choices.
Ideas/Suggestions?
Matt