Themes are a foundational unit of musical organisation and experience, but critical study of thematic process has become increasingly marginalised. This ground-breaking interdisciplinary project employs cutting-edge digital methods to revitalise the analysis of musical themes via an online thematic catalogue of Edward Elgar’s work. Elgar associated themes with characters, landscapes, moods, and places. Connecting historical modes of understanding with the opportunities enabled by a fully digital environment supports a new understanding of theme as linked data. The outcome will be a digital ontology of the musical theme, an integrated toolkit for analysis and interpretation, two books, and supporting scholarly publications.
