Tatjana Dravenau: Focus on music, poetry and the language of flowers

Tatjana Dravenau: Focus on music, poetry and the language of flowers

Tatjana Dravenau, teacher for special tasks at the Folkwang University of the Arts, makes a significant contribution to linking art and science in music education. She teaches vocal accompaniment and attaches great importance to the combination of music and literary knowledge in her seminars on “Song & Lyrics”. In an increasingly digitalized world, Dravenau has launched an innovative digital teaching and learning project called “Liedinterpretation online”.

This project is funded by a fellowship for innovations in digital university teaching from the Ministry of Arts and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The aim is to convey the meaning of song lyrics and to strengthen the emotional and rational design of songs. Dravenau observes that many music students view the meaning behind song lyrics as secondary. She emphasizes that convincing song creation cannot succeed without understanding its content.

Interdisciplinary collaboration

The effectiveness of the project is based on cooperation with specialist scientists from Folkwang University as well as the universities of Duisburg-Essen and Bochum. In these collaborations, German studies students learn how literary genres are connected to one another. Contemporary compositions by greats such as Schubert, Schumann and Brahms offer new perspectives for the interpretation and understanding of lyrical texts.

Dravenau received the NRW State Teaching Prize 2023 in the art and music colleges category for her achievements in teaching. As part of their training, their students have also written their own academic texts that deal with the works of Joseph von Eichendorff. These include titles such as “The Girl”, “The Silence” and “The Night Wanderer”.

Publications and artistic projects

A highlight of Dravenau's work is the upcoming publication of the book “Can you understand the song?”, which will be published in September 2025. It deals with the flower language of the 19th century and its meaning as an expression of emotions and social codes. The poets use symbolic meanings in their floral poetry, which enables an in-depth analysis of the songs' complex web of meanings.

In addition, a CD with the same title will be released in October 2025, featuring songs from the 19th and 20th centuries about flowers and trees. The pieces are interpreted by Catalina Bertucci (soprano), Georg Poplutz (tenor) and Tatjana Dravenau (piano). These publications are intended to illuminate the connections between the language of love and nature in the context of Romanticism.

Dravenau and her project exemplify the fusion of science and art in university teaching. Innovative teaching methods and interdisciplinary approaches pave the way for a deeper examination of music and poetry. This initiative shows how important it is to decipher the emotional content of song lyrics in order to develop their full impact. In a constantly changing educational environment, such networking of art and science is essential to holistically prepare students for the challenges of their artistic careers.