ABSTRACT
I am not a fan of Modern Talking. It may seem odd to begin an article on this commercially successful German pop duo in this manner, and yet German musicologists who want to analyse Modern Talking’s music cannot avoid this kind of statement. First, it is still widely assumed by the general public that musicologists conduct research on ‘valuable’ music, that is, ‘classical’ music that has been artfully composed that, in this sense, is conceived as a work of art and is contemplated by only a very few members of society in the adequate setting of the classical concert. Second, there is a tacit consent that musicologists conduct research on music they love (and thereby affirm its value. Imagine, if you can, a Schubert scholar writing about his dislike of Schubert’s music). Thus, dissociating myself from the seemingly inadequate object of study – popular wellselling dance music – may be mistaken at first glance as an attempt to save my musicological grace (if there’s any). My disclaimer at the beginning of this essay concerning dissociating myself from the seemingly inadequate object of study – popular well-selling dance music – may be read at first glance as an attempt to dissociate myself from Modern Talking and to save my reputation as a musicological grace (if there’s any).
