Music (Research)

The Department of Music is a centre of research excellence in both composition and musicology.

In composition, there is no particular house style, but we are well known for a number of areas, including:

• acoustic music, ranging from solo to symphonic scale;

• electro-acoustic, including acousmatic composition, live electronics, and mixed forms with instrument/voice;

• composition exploring the interface of Western and non-Western traditions.

The department also provides access to a wide network of opportunities for professional and amateur performance.

In musicology, research strengths include not only the Western art music tradition, but also screen media, non-Western (Turkey, East Asia) and popular music. We have particular depth of expertise in the early Middle Ages (especially Spain), and in the 19th and 20th centuries (including the music of France, Britain, Germany, and Soviet Russia). We also have strengths in Anglophone vernacular traditions, including jazz and hip hop; opera, film music and the history and philosophy of technology; music and migration; and cultural and reception history more generally.

Possible start dates are September 2026 and January 2027. Please see the programme page on our website for more information.