Michael Wittmann

Michael Wittmann (born 1956) is a German musicologist.

Born in Heilbronn, Wittmann studied musicology from 1975 to 1980 (with Hans Heinrich Eggebrecht), philosophy and history at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität in Freiburg im Breisgau.

From 1980 to 1983 and 1987 he was a scholarship holder of the German Historical Institute in Rome.

In 1986 he received his doctorate in Freiburg.

From 1987 to 1990 he was a scholarship holder of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

A research stay in Italy followed.

Since 1991 Wittmann has been a research assistant at the Musicological Institute of the Free University of Berlin.

Since 2012 he has been the publisher of the posthumous works of Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek, which are issued in the Editio Reznicek (Wedemark).

Editions

He has published works on the history of music theory in the Middle Ages, on the history of opera in the 19th and 20th centuries and on Berlin's music history.

Wittmann strives for a close connection between music research and musical practice.

As scientific advisor to the Berolina-Ensemble he has initiated the revival of forgotten composers such as Iwan Müller, Ernst Rudorff, Waldemar von Baußnern, Conrad Ansorge; in the same capacity Wittmann has initiated the rediscovery of operas by Saverio Mercadante, Michele Carafa and Francesco Morlacchi for the Rossini-Festival in Bad Wildbad.

His editions of Otto Nicolai's previously lost operas Il Templario and Die Heimkehr des Verbannten have led to a reassessment of this composer.

(These and other editions have been published by the music publishing house he runs).