Music

Music can be studied from a wide variety of perspectives. We ‘study music’ by listening or by learning to perform a musical composition. We may also investigate, through analysis, the relationships between the various parts of the composition, or use documentary evidence to explore how reliable and authoritative a given score might be and how we might perform it in a historically sensitive manner. Historical studies, too, allow us to investigate the various uses of music – be it in 16th century Rome, in Hollywood films, amongst the aboriginal peoples of Australia, or in some other context – and to understand better how our perception of a musical work (or repertory or style) has been shaped over time, and how it might differ from that of earlier ages or of different cultures. Although these and many other approaches, such as the more creative activities of performance and composition, might be singled out, they cannot so easily be kept separate if we are to study music musically.

Music has been part of the intellectual and cultural life of Oxford for more than eight centuries. Today, some dozen professors, readers and lecturers form the academic staff in the Faculty of Music, all of whom have internationally distinguished reputations as musicologists, performers or composers. Their work is complemented by that of many college Fellows and lecturers, bringing the total staff number to about 30. Numerous visiting speakers, and our close links with professional performing ensembles, including Phantasm and the University’s professional orchestra in residence, the Oxford Philomusica, add further richness and enjoyment to the experience of being a music student here.

The faculty offers performance and composition workshops, and many students play an active part in the life of college chapels, as either choral or organ scholars. The faculty building includes practice rooms for solo, chamber and orchestral work; there is an electronic music and recording studio; and the library holdings of scores, recordings, books and other research materials are probably the most extensive in the UK. The world-famous Bate Collection of Musical Instruments is also housed at the faculty, and many of these historical instruments are available for use by students.

The Oxford course is broadly-based without compromising the possibility of increasing specialisation in one or more areas as you proceed. Performance and performance-related studies are especially prominent, particularly among the options for Finals, while those wishing to concentrate on other areas such as history, analysis and stylistic or original composition can do so equally well. Combined with the rich opportunities for personal development which arise from the musical facilities and activities sustained throughout the University and the city, this course helps every student to graduate as a mature and well-rounded musician with an informed and lively sense of the contemporary study and practice of the subject.

Teaching, performance and arts administration are among the more popular destinations for Music graduates, but others include broadcasting, publishing, politics and the Civil Service. Those wishing to undertake further study in performance often win coveted places at conservatoires in the UK and abroad. Josephine, who graduated in 2005, is now an analyst for HSBC Private Bank. She says: ‘My music degree developed core research skills which are essential to rigorous fundamental analysis, a high standard of written communication which is key to concise report writing, and stage presence which translates into confident public speaking.’

Deborah, who graduated in 2001, now works in a university library in London. She says: ‘Over the last 10 years I have worked as a librarian and research assistant. I went on to gain masters degrees in both musicology and librarianship, and am working towards a PhD in music librarianship. I am currently responsible for cataloguing and classification at the library.’