Postgraduate Prospectus

The Department of Music is home to a vibrant research culture. Central to this is the work of the academic staff, all of whom are internationally recognised scholars in their respective fields of activity. Their research falls into three loose categories: historical musicology; theory and analysis; and composition. Particular areas of focus include medieval and renaissance music, in which the department has a breadth of expertise unusual outside Oxbridge; opera (especially in the 19th and 20th centuries) and film music; and music in contemporary culture, including jazz, film, rap and the concert repertoire, and issues of politics and ethics. The department enjoys strong cross-disciplinary links with a number of other schools in the University. Recent years have seen a number of collaborations with colleagues in English Studies, Modern Languages, Philosophy, Film and TV Studies. Music forms a strong research interest within the Department of American and Canadian Studies and the School of Geography, offering research students in music significant potential for fruitful intellectual exchange.

The department regularly organises significant research events. These have included the 42nd annual conference of the Royal Musical Association, with the theme Music and Visual Cultures (Nottingham, 2006), Correspondances: Exchanges and Tensions between Art, Theatre and Opera in France, 1750–1850 (National Gallery, London, 2010), Red Strains: Music and Communism outside the Communist Block after 1945 (British Academy, 2011), Music and Philosophy (King’s College, London, 2011; co-convened). Nottingham will be hosting the biennial Conference of Medieval and Renaissance Music in July 2012. The exciting series of professional concerts at the Djanogly Recital Hall forms an important adjunct to the activities of researchers. Staff and students have a significant input with regard to programming, and there are numerous opportunities for pre-concert talks and other associated events. There is also a lively concert scene in the city of Nottingham.

The Department of Music has a national reputation for excellence in composition. There are many opportunities for students to have their compositions played and recorded by ensembles and orchestras and to benefit from Nottingham’s rich and diverse concert scene. Individual supervision is supplemented by a programme of workshops and events. The MPhil is normally taken full-time over two years or part-time over four years, and is assessed by a portfolio of compositions lasting around 40 minutes and an accompanying commentary of 12,000 words. The PhD is normally taken full-time over three years or part-time over six years, and is assessed by a portfolio of compositions lasting around 60 minutes and an accompanying commentary of 20,000 words.

Proposals for postgraduate research in any of the areas familiar to the staff in the department are welcome. In addition to individual supervision, postgraduate students benefit from the department’s lively programme of research activities, including regular training courses, workshops, and visiting speakers. An MPhil normally equates to either two years of full-time or four years of part-time study, during which a 60,000-word thesis is written. A PhD normally equates to either three years of full-time or six years of part-time study, during which a 100,000-word thesis is written.