Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Early Printed Music using Interactive Maps – A Templating Approach

Spatio-temporal visualization tools are powerful for communicating and analysing spatial data as well as for generating new insights from this data. This applies not only to geography-related disciplines but also to other subjects. In this paper, we look at the results of a cross-domain cooperation between geoinformatics and musicology at Salzburg University. The aim is to develop a task-oriented, spatio-temporal web mapping solution to provide visual support for communicating and analysing the production of the first printed music in German-speaking countries from the 15th to the middle of the 16th centuries. The approach behind this interdisciplinary cooperation, the prototypical web maps as well as the results of a short exploratory online survey are introduced to assess how this spatio-temporal approach is evaluated by representatives of the musicology department. The paper also shows the added value of using spatio-temporal visualization methods to gain new insights into the world of early printed music.