# Klaus Rettinghaus

> German musicologist

**Wikidata**: [Q51036745](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q51036745)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/klaus-rettinghaus

## Summary
Klaus Rettinghaus is a German musicologist, digital humanist, and programmer. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Technische Universität Berlin and has worked at institutions including Leipzig University, the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig, the Bach‑Archiv Leipzig, and the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities, contributing to digital-humanities projects and open-source work.

## Biography
- Born: 1977, Mülheim an der Ruhr
- Nationality: Germany
- Education: Doctor of Philosophy (Technische Universität Berlin)
- Known for: Work at the intersection of musicology and digital humanities as a researcher, programmer, and digital humanist
- Employer(s): Leipzig University (2019-09-01 to 2020-08-31); University of Music and Theatre Leipzig; Bach‑Archiv Leipzig (2019-01-01 to 2019-08-31); Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities (2011-12-01 to 2018-12-31; listed as affiliated in 2019)
- Field(s): Digital humanities, musicology

## Contributions
Klaus Rettinghaus has combined musicological scholarship with software development and digital humanities practice. He holds a PhD from Technische Universität Berlin and is recorded in several musicological and bibliographic authority files (ISNI 000000011704557X; GND 140541624; VIAF 160759717; RILM 72776; RISM people/20002187; Library of Congress n2010078611). His GitHub presence (username: rettinghaus) and references linking him to the "dhd-chronicles" repository show active participation in open-source digital-humanities projects. Rettinghaus has held research and employment roles at Leipzig University (2019–2020), the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig, the Bach‑Archiv Leipzig (early 2019), and the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities (2011–2018), indicating sustained institutional engagement with musicological and digital‑scholarship projects. He maintains scholarly profiles, including Google Scholar (author ID JS5TaJIAAAAJ) and ResearchGate (Klaus-Rettinghaus), and has public social accounts: Twitter (rettingklaus, active 2016-03-09 to 2023-08-28) and Mastodon (rettinghaus@fedihum.org, from 2022-12-02). These outputs and identifiers document his contributions to cataloging, research dissemination, and digital tools in musicology.

## FAQs
### Q: Who is Klaus Rettinghaus?
A: Klaus Rettinghaus is a German musicologist, digital humanist, and programmer with a PhD from Technische Universität Berlin who has worked at Leipzig University, the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig, and the Bach‑Archiv Leipzig.

### Q: What is his area of research or work?
A: His field of work is digital humanities within musicology, combining scholarly research and software development.

### Q: Where has he been employed?
A: He has held positions at Leipzig University (2019–2020), the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig, the Bach‑Archiv Leipzig (2019), and was affiliated with the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities (2011–2018, listed in 2019).

### Q: Does he publish or maintain software?
A: Yes. He is active on GitHub (username rettinghaus) and is referenced in digital‑humanities repositories such as "dhd-chronicles," indicating involvement in open-source projects.

## Why They Matter
Klaus Rettinghaus occupies a role at the intersection of traditional musicology and computational methods. His combination of academic qualifications (PhD), institutional appointments (Leipzig University; Bach‑Archiv Leipzig; University of Music and Theatre Leipzig), and technical activity (programming, GitHub contributions, and involvement in digital‑humanities projects) positions him as a practitioner who helps translate musicological questions into computational and open-source solutions. His presence in major bibliographic and musicology authority systems (ISNI, GND, VIAF, RILM, RISM, Library of Congress) supports discoverability and integration of his work into scholarly infrastructures. By contributing code, participating in collaborative repositories, and bringing digital methods into musicological institutions, Rettinghaus strengthens the technical foundations used by researchers and cultural institutions to manage, analyze, and disseminate musicological data. Without contributors who bridge these domains, many contemporary digital-musicology initiatives would lack the combined scholarly and software expertise he represents.

## Notable For
- Holding a Doctor of Philosophy from Technische Universität Berlin.
- Institutional roles at Leipzig University, the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig, and the Bach‑Archiv Leipzig.
- Affiliation with the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities (2011–2018; noted in 2019).
- Active digital-humanities and software contributions: GitHub username "rettinghaus" and references to the "dhd-chronicles" project.
- Presence in major authority and bibliographic systems (ISNI, GND, VIAF, RILM, RISM, Library of Congress) and scholarly profiles (Google Scholar, ResearchGate).

## Body

### Personal and identity data
- Full name: Klaus Rettinghaus.
- Birth: 1977, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany.
- Native language: German. Also uses English.
- Sex/gender: Male.
- Citizenship: Germany.

### Education and academic credentials
- Doctor of Philosophy, Technische Universität Berlin (degree listed; institution referenced).
- Academic profiles and identifiers: Google Scholar author ID JS5TaJIAAAAJ; ResearchGate profile Klaus-Rettinghaus.

### Employment and affiliations (dates where available)
- Leipzig University — employer entry records show employment from 2019-09-01 to 2020-08-31.
- Bach‑Archiv Leipzig — employer entry records indicate employment from 2019-01-01 to 2019-08-31.
- Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities — affiliated from 2011-12-01 to 2018-12-31; also listed as affiliated in 2019.
- University of Music and Theatre Leipzig — listed as an employer/affiliation (reference present).

### Digital humanities and software activity
- GitHub: username "rettinghaus" (public username recorded).
- Linked in references to the "dhd-chronicles" GitHub repository (https://github.com/hennyu/dhd-chronicles/) in relation to Saxon Academy affiliation.
- Described occupations include programmer and digital humanist, indicating active participation in software development for humanities research.

### Bibliographic and authority records
- ISNI: 000000011704557X.
- GND (German National Library): 140541624.
- VIAF: 160759717.
- RILM: 72776.
- RISM: people/20002187.
- Library of Congress Authority ID: n2010078611.
- WorldCat Entities ID: E39PBJvxxJKfCJ9QBw43CyvPwC.
- Other catalog identifiers: idref 282200630; bibliothèque nationale de france 17713872b; Deutsche Biographie (GND) 140541624.

### Social and public presence
- Twitter handle: rettingklaus (active 2016-03-09 to 2023-08-28; snapshot point in time 2020-03-19).
- Mastodon address: rettinghaus@fedihum.org (from 2022-12-02).
- Social media follower counts recorded at several points (e.g., 36 followers on 2024-02-12; 71 followers on 2025-03-08).

### Research profile and dissemination
- ResearchGate profile: Klaus-Rettinghaus.
- Google Scholar: author ID JS5TaJIAAAAJ.
- His recorded identifiers and institutional roles support a presence in both musicological scholarship and digital-humanities tool development.

## References

1. Library of Congress Authorities
2. [BnF authorities](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb17713872b)
3. Integrated Authority File
4. [Source](https://github.com/hennyu/dhd-chronicles/)
5. [ORCID Public Data File 2023](https://pub.orcid.org/v3.0/0000-0003-1898-2543/employment/8583650)
6. [Source](https://www.musikforschung.de/forschung-lehre/studium/lehrveranstaltungen)
7. [ORCID Public Data File 2023](https://pub.orcid.org/v3.0/0000-0003-1898-2543/employment/2175299)