Music

The Music course at Cambridge combines intellectual stimulation and the progressive development of musical skills with tremendous opportunities for making music.

Why study Music at Cambridge?

The University of Cambridge consistently tops the league tables for quality of teaching and research. We accept the best students and challenge you to achieve more than you ever thought you could, so it's not surprising that over recent decades many of the most significant figures in British music have studied or taught at Cambridge: composers such as Alexander Goehr, Judith Weir and Thomas Adès; performers like Joanna MacGregor and Thomas Trotter; and conductors including John Eliot Gardiner and Christopher Hogwood.

"As well as studying one of the best music courses in the country, there are so many extra–curricular opportunities here whatever your interests. I know I’ve had opportunities for conducting, singing and acting that I just wouldn’t have had elsewhere." – Emma

Making Music

One of the most outstanding features of Cambridge is the richness and diversity of its music–making at all levels. In addition to our professional concert series, we host a number of resident ensembles: the Endellion String Quartet, Britten Sinfonia and Academy of Ancient Music not only perform regularly but also offer master classes and composition workshops for students. Instrumental music is also well served: the Cambridge University Musical Society works with conductors of the calibre of Sir Roger Norrington and composers such as Sir Peter Maxwell Davies; while the Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra also performs regularly with well–known guest conductors.

Most of all, it's the wealth of student–led music–making that makes Cambridge so special. There are more than 70 University music groups and societies to join, including chamber music groups, opera, musical theatre, jazz and world music societies, not to mention the various College societies. In short, there are performing opportunities for everyone and in the unlikely event that the type of music you want to play isn't already happening at Cambridge, you can always set up a group yourself!

Facilities and resources

The modern Faculty building not only provides a location for lectures, seminars and research activities but also houses a professional concert hall (seating 500); the Pendlebury Music Library, with its extensive collections of music, books, periodicals and recordings; and the Centre for Music and Science with a purpose–built studio and music computing laboratories. The Faculty also hosts the AHRC Research Centre for Musical Performance as Creative Practice (CMPCP), an organisation which brings together academicstudy and practical music–making. These facilities and resources are complemented by the libraries, practice rooms and computer suites available in Colleges, as well as by the University Library.

The Faculty recently set up a Baroque ensemble and student players are able to borrow period instruments and receive coaching. Those with interests in new music can join the Faculty–sponsored New Music Ensemble and students can make use of the Faculty's Javanese Gamelan. Some funds may be available from the Colleges for instrumental or vocal lessons.

The Cambridge course

Our undergraduate programme is designed to introduce you not just to a broad range of music, but to a wide variety of ways of thinking about and understanding music.

The first year (Part IA) provides a foundation for the later stages, giving you a solid grounding in the techniques and history of the Western musical tradition. As you progress through the programme, you have increasing freedom to specialise in different kinds of music or approaches to it, ranging from medieval music to the blues, and from advanced analysis to the science of music.

Though the programme has a strong academic component, you can take performance and composition as major parts of it, and there are many opportunities to work on your own extended projects under staff direction in any of these areas.

Assessment takes place at the end of each year through written examinations; the submission of portfolios, essays and and dissertations; and through recitals.

What we're looking for

Successful applicants normally have at least a grade A in A Level/7 in IB Higher Level Music (in some cases, ABRSM Grade 8 Theory can be offered as a substitute). We also expect you to have some familiarity with the Western classical repertoire, and to have experience of writing about music. A well–developed ear, basic keyboard skills, and some proficiency in harmony and counterpoint are desirable, though very few successful applicants have equal ability in all these areas. If you have a passion for music and an interest in studying it academically then we would encourage you to apply.

Changing course

While most students studying Music take both Parts of the course, undergraduates who've successfully completed one Part of another course and are suitably qualified can transfer to Music at the beginning of Part IB.

Beyond Cambridge

Music graduates are extremely attractive to employers and can follow a career in almost any field. Many of our students do aspire to enter the music profession in one guise or another though; recent graduates include Tom Poster, who performed twice in the 2009 Proms; and Robin Ticciati, now the Principal Conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Other recent graduates have pursued successful careers in publishing and the media, academia, arts administration, banking, law, public service and the charity sector.

Course outline

Teaching is through lectures, seminars and supervisions, and in your first year you can typically expect to have six lectures and two supervisions each week. Lectures and seminars are organised by and take place in the Faculty; supervisions are arranged by Colleges. Year 1 Part IA The first year (Part IA) consists of three major components which continue into the second year: historical and critical studies – two and a half papers covering issues involved in understanding music and its relationship to society and culture, including the main historical developments of Western music from the medieval period to now and a selection of historical or present day case studies. You're also introduced to areas such as ethnomusicology or music and science which you may not have previously encountered techniques of tonal music – two papers giving you a thorough technical grounding in music of the Western tonal tradition; through arrangement, acquisition of basic harmonic skills at the keyboard, aural work, and writing music in a range of historical styles. We see this as a foundation for more advanced work in all musical fields music analysis – one paper which gives you an understanding of what makes music work through hands–on familiarity with a range of musical styles. This creates a bridge between your work in historical and critical studies and in tonal techniques For your final half paper, you have the choice of giving a 15 minute recital, submitting an original composition or writing an extended essay. Year 2 Part IB In the second year (Part IB), you take a further paper in each of the core areas from the first year (historical and critical studies, techniques of tonal music, and music analysis). This takes up half of your time. For the remaining half, you choose three papers from a range on different topics. Subjects available change from year to year but will normally include: advanced historical topics advanced analysis jazz and popular music ethnomusicology scientific approaches to music performance studies composition a dissertation of between 5,000 and 7,000 words

Year 3 Part II The third year (Part II) gives you even more choice. There are no compulsory papers: you can design your own course of study from a wide selection of options on offer which reflect not just your own interests but also the skills and knowledge needed for your chosen career path. The following have been among the options available in recent years: American Jazz Beethoven: the Late String Quartets Choral Studies Exploring Music Psychology Film Music Fugue Introduction to Music and Science Introduction to Schenkerian Analysis Nationalism and Music in the Middle East Performance Practice 1600–1830 Shostakovich and his World The Cantatas of J S Bach The Mighty Handful Unfinished Works If you wish, you can spend most of this year working with individual staff members on your own projects, whether as an advanced performer, composer, historian, analyst, ethnomusicologist, or music scientist. In this way, while our course gives you the solid understanding of the subject which a music degree should guarantee, it also offers you the flexibility you need to prepare for life after Cambridge.