BA Music
Entry requirements
A level: AAB including a B in Music. ABRSM Grade 6 Theory is acceptable in lieu of A level Music alongside 3 A levels. Applicants who have not followed the ABRSM route are invited to contact the Music Department to ask about alternative arrangements for assessing theoretical understanding. IB: 35 with 665 in higher level subjects, including Music requirements as above.
About this course
BA (Hons) in Music is an undergraduate degree examining music through historical, analytical, compositional, performative and ethnomusicological approaches. Core topics include Research Methods. The final year is structured around a capstone project of independent work, and first-year performance study is undertaken either with an essay or with a recital. The first year introduces the discipline through What is the History of Western Music?, Composition 1, Analysis 1 and Performance 1 (with essay) OR Performance 1 (with recital), covering Western music history, historical compositional styles, twentieth-century composition, music analysis, ethnomusicology and practical performance. Second-year optional modules have recently included Composition 2, Orchestration, Analysis 2 and Studies in the History of Opera. The compulsory final-year capstone module is titled "Dissertation, or Portfolio of Compositions, or a Techniques Portfolio (pastiche compositions), or a Performance Project", whose title names the four forms the independent project can take. Third-year optional modules have recently included Advanced Ethnomusicology, Contemporary Music Performance, Music Theology and Studies in Symphonic Analysis. The optional modules across the later years span composition, performance, analysis, music technology and world music traditions, complementing the compulsory study of music history, theory and composition.
Modules
- What is the History of Western Music?
- Historical Composition Techniques
- Introduction to Ethnomusicology
- Composition 1
- Analysis 1
- Performance 1 (with essay) OR Performance 1 (with recital)
- Example optional modules
- Dissertation, or Portfolio of Compositions, or a Techniques Portfolio (pastiche compositions), or a Performance Project
- Example optional modules