Music Research

Adil
Malaysian
Music Research MPhil/PhD, option of joint PhD with HKU
I am currently pursuing a PhD at King’s researching Malay film songs from the 1950s to 1960s. King’s Music Department is quickly growing to be a centre for research on Malay music and cultural history in the Indian Ocean.

I was attracted to study at King’s due to the ‘Musical Transitions in the Indian Ocean’ project helmed by my primary supervisor, Dr. Katherine Butler Schofield. Even though I am not directly a part of the project, I have benefited tremendously from interacting with the other students and academics associated with the programme.

My PhD. research covers a much later historical period compared to this project, therefore, at King’s I have the freedom to pursue my own unique research while drawing inspiration from an exciting academic environment for my area of study.

The diverse academic departments at King’s provide me access to a wealth of scholars, seminars and conferences to enhance my thoroughly interdisciplinary research which involves cultural studies, ethnomusicology, film studies and historical anthropology. Moreover, as a King’s student, I have access to all University of London libraries such as the Senate House Library and particularly useful for me is the School of Oriental and African Studies Library that contains a comprehensive collection on Southeast Asia and the Malay world.

Aside from that, my most frequented place to study is King’s Maughan Library. Apart from its breathtaking Gothic architecture, the collection at Maughan has an extensive music section and an excellent selection of material on film studies.

I am proud to say that while self-funded for my first year, I received a King’s Continuation Scholarship for the remaining years of my study. This scholarship assists me substantially with my living and research expenses. So far, the stimulating and supportive academic environment at King’s has given me essential theoretical and critical academic skills needed for my research and I am certain these skills will benefit my future academic career in film and music studies.

Hannah
Music Research MPhil/PhD, option of joint PhD with HKU
My PhD research, funded by the AHRC, focuses on the fifteen months the Mozart family spent in London from 1764-1765. Using a variety of sources such as letters, memoirs, portraits, society subscription lists and ephemera, I aim to analyse the broader social and cultural networks the family engaged with during their stay, concentrating primarily on their interactions with non-musical circles. I will consider how Leopold formed these networks, how they functioned, and the interrelationships among them in an effort to ascertain how the Mozarts’ musical activities intersected with wider intellectual circles; whether this affects existing views of their European tour; and the possible implications this may have for current perceptions of eighteenth-century musical life in London as well as Mozart biography.

King's is the ideal location to undertake this kind of project, not least because many of the institutions central to my research – the British Museum, British Library, the Royal Society of Arts, National Portrait Gallery and many other London-based archives – are within walking distance of the Strand campus.

Studying in the Music Department allows me to be part of an excellent centre for eighteenth-century music research, and there are a number of exciting interdisciplinary projects, either within or connected to King's, that are relevant to my studies, such as Strandlines, In Mozart's Words, and the new Music in London 1800-1851.

Having completed both my BMus and MA in Eighteenth-Century Studies at King's, I was convinced that it was the best place for me to continue my postgraduate studies. I have found the level of support and supervision from the staff excellent throughout my time here, and the weekly department colloquia provide frequent opportunities for interaction with external speakers, music-department staff and other research students. Termly student conferences organised within the music department, and chances to become teaching assistants for undergraduate courses, give students many opportunities to develop valuable professional skills in a friendly, constructive environment.

Jacob
Music Research MPhil/PhD, option of joint PhD with HKU
My research is about Armenian musicians in the Ottoman Empire, the emergence of notation and its impact on musical practices in the 19th century. King’s was attractive for me because it has a very strong historical approach to the humanities, but is also open to new ideas and standpoints. There is a very exciting mix of scholars, musicians and students in the music department, which reflects current debates about the way boundaries between historical musicology, ethnomusicology and various other sub-disciplines are changing.

The recent appointment of Martin Stokes is a real boon for King’s, and his supervision of my research has been both supportive and highly motivating. I have enjoyed attending graduate seminars in music historiography and criticism, as well as the public music colloquia, where I’ve had a chance to engage with a wide range of new research I wouldn’t normally encounter. I’ve also found the courses provided by the Researcher Development Unit very useful.

In addition, King’s has close links with SOAS, which means that I have easy access to the resources I need for my research in Ottoman history and ethnomusicology. Of course, being in the heart of London is also a huge attraction, both for research purposes and for cultural life. I am fully funded by the AHRC, which is an amazing opportunity in the current economic environment, and I certainly wouldn’t be able to do a PhD otherwise. It’s extremely important that King’s provides financial support for research in new areas in music and the humanities, and I’m very grateful to be able to contribute something to international scholarship. I hope that the research skills and knowledge which I develop at King’s will help me to pursue a career in higher education.