„Do you really want to play?“

Alfred Schmölz and Music Therapy in Vienna – Commented Edition of Original Manuscripts

Professor Alfred Schmölz (1921-1995) was one of the most essential and influential personalities of European music therapy in the 2nd half of the 20th century. He was a music therapist and piano teacher at today's mdw - University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. As head of the training he shaped Europe's first academic music therapy training from 1970-1992, which was established by Editha Koffer-Ullrich in 1959. During his leadership period, he described and contoured the "Viennese School of Music Therapy", which is still characterised by a psychotherapeutic understanding today.

In volume 12 of the series "Wiener Beiträge zur Musiktherapie" (Viennese Contributions to Music Therapy), original manuscripts by Alfred Schmölz are published again and interpreted and contextualised from reform and piano pedagogical, praxeological, didactic, psychotherapeutic-scientific, traumatherapeutic as well as neurobiological perspectives. Biographical information on Alfred Schmölz as well as an account of his national and international influence on the wider music therapy training landscape round off the volume.