Musicology

Overview

The study of musicology draws on historical investigation and various modes of criticism and analysis in the thoughtful consideration of music as both a liberal and a performance art. Long a part of the conservatory’s curriculum—Edward Dickinson, appointed to the faculty in the late 19th century, became one of America’s first full-time professors in the discipline—the department today comprises five faculty members with specialties that range from early-modern England to present-day Indonesia, from Schumann and Elgar to liturgics and historical performance practice.

The local ethos of highly engaged teaching in the best liberal arts tradition has been the guiding principle of successive generations in the department, with the counterpoint of our professional research enlivening and sustaining the discourse.

Students may elect both majors and minors in music history, as well as the minor in ethnomusicology. And while many will choose one of these paths as pre-professional training for graduate study in musicology, many will also elect the major or minor as an enriching part of various courses of study, including the Double Degree Program. Additionally, Musical Studies majors in the College of Arts and Sciences may also elect concentrations in music history and ethnomusicology.

The division sponsors both a student musicology society and the Richard Murphy Colloquium; the latter is a forum for lectures by distinguished visiting scholars as well as faculty. Workshops, concerts, and lecture demonstrations are presented with department sponsorship.