The Department of Music is the music school of the

University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charte ...

. It is one of the leading university music departments in the UK.Sunday Times University League Table The Department of Music offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses, but also carries out research in musicology, analysis, music technology, music psychology, ethnomusicology, composition and performance.

History

Until 1889 all music degrees were honorary. Recipients of the honorary doctorates were

John Bacchus Dykes John Bacchus Dykes (10 March 1823 – 22 January 1876) was an English clergyman and hymnwriter. Biography John Bacchus Dykes was born in Hull, England, the fifth child and third son of William Hey Dykes, a ship builder, later banker, an ...

in 1862 and

John Stainer Sir John Stainer (6 June 1840 – 31 March 1901) was an English composer and organist whose music, though seldom performed today (with the exception of ''The Crucifixion'', still heard at Passiontide in some churches of the Anglican Communi ...

in 1885. There were four musicians who received a DCL prior to 1889; these were

George Grove Sir George Grove (13 August 182028 May 1900) was an English engineer and writer on music, known as the founding editor of ''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians''. Grove was trained as a civil engineer, and successful in that profession, ...

in 1875;

Hubert Parry Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, 1st Baronet (27 February 18487 October 1918) was an English composer, teacher and historian of music. Born in Richmond Hill in Bournemouth, Parry's first major works appeared in 1880. As a composer he is b ...

and

Charles Villiers Stanford Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (30 September 1852 – 29 March 1924) was an Anglo-Irish composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era. Born to a well-off and highly musical family in Dublin, Stanford was ed ...

in 1894; and John Stainer in 1895. During Edward Bairstow's tenure of the Professorship, four composers were made honorary Doctors of Music; these were

John Ireland John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in ''All the King's Men'' (1949), making him the first Vancouver-born actor to receive an Oscar nomin ...

in 1932;

Arnold Bax Sir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax, (8 November 1883 – 3 October 1953) was an English composer, poet, and author. His prolific output includes songs, choral music, chamber pieces, and solo piano works, but he is best known for his orchestral musi ...

in 1935;

William Walton Sir William Turner Walton (29 March 19028 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include ''Façade'', the cantat ...

in 1937; and Thomas F. Dunhill in 1940. From 1891 until 1980 the University offered degrees by examination only to non-resident, "

unattached In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

", students, something which had been happening in the university since 1871. Under David Greer's tenure external degrees were phased out. In the 1970s Durham became one of the first British universities to offer doctorates in music by examination. In 1991 the University celebrated 100 years of the awarding of the first music degrees. The music degree by examination at Durham differed from those at the universities of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

because alongside high musical ability it only demanded general educational qualifications. At other universities such degrees required competence in classics and mathematics. Exercises in composition were required for both the BMus and DMus, and later the MMus. These degrees proved popular with professional musicians, and by the inter-war period Durham music graduates probably outnumbered those of the other English universities put together.

MUSICON

Since 1969, the department has run MUSICON, a professional concert series for the University and City. Founded by David Lumsdaine, it has featured over 500 events including music from the middle-ages to the present day.

Armstrong College

The Music Department of

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public university, public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is ...

was established in the 1890s as part of Armstrong College, itself part of the University of Durham. Prominent members of the department included W. G. Whittaker,

Jack Westrup Sir Jack Westrup (26 July 190421 April 1975) was an English musicologist, writer, teacher and occasional conductor and composer. Biography Jack Allan Westrup was the second of the three sons of George Westrup, insurance clerk, of Dulwich, and his ...

and

Denis Matthews Denis Matthews (27 February 191925 December 1988) was an English pianist and musicologist whose performing career flourished after the war, during the 1950s and into the 1960s. He later turned increasingly to broadcasting, writing and teaching. ...

. The musicologist

Henry Hadow Sir William Henry Hadow (27 December 1859 – 8 April 1937) was a leading educational reformer in Great Britain, a musicologist and a composer. Life Born at Ebrington in Gloucestershire and baptised there on 29 January 1860 by his father, ...

was Principal of the College between 1909 and 1919.

Programmes

The Department of Music offers a three-year BA undergraduate degree, and both taught and research postgraduate degrees, MA, MMus, and PhD. The curriculum covers all key areas of music with particular strengths in music analysis, music history, ethnomusicology, music and science and performance and composition.

Research

Major areas of research include: * Music history * Music analysis * Composition * Performance * Ethnomusicology * Music technology * Music cognition

Reputation

Durham University Department of Music has been ranked as the best music department in the UK by the Complete University Guide for 2018, and has appeared number one position for two years running in the ''Sunday Times''. The department has also been ranked 3rd in the UK for the quality and impact of its research, according to the

Research Excellence Framework The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a research impact evaluation of British higher education institutions. It is the successor to the Research Assessment Exercise and it was first used in 2014 to assess the period 2008–2013. REF is underta ...

(REF) in 2014.

Academic Dress

The MMus and undress DMus gowns use the Oxford lay gown, which is similar in shape to the Durham masters' gown but with a flap collar covering the yoke and with inverted T-shaped armholes rather than straight horizontal cuts. Additionally there are panels of gimp near the foot of the gown and, on the DMus undress gown, on the sleeves. Instead of this panel, the MMus gown has a row of lace running from the armholes to the base of the sleeves. Whereas the BA music degree has the same hood as any other BA at the university (black with white fur), the former BMus hood was "palatinate purple silk" (mauve) bound with brocaded white satin one inch wide. The MMus hood is brocaded white satin bound with palatinate, and the DMus hood is palatinate.

Music Durham

Student music ensembles at Durham are run through Music Durham, until 2015 known as Durham University Music Society (DUMS). Music Durham is not part of the

Durham Students' Union Durham Students' Union, operating as Durham SU, is the students' union of Durham University in Durham, England. It is an organisation, originally set up as the Durham Colleges Students’ Representative Council in 1899 and renamed in 1969, with ...

, but instead part of Experience Durham, which also manages

Team Durham Team Durham (formerly Durham University Athletic Union, DUAU) is a student-run organisation responsible for sport at Durham University. In contrast to most British universities it is a separate organisation with the status of a students' union, ...

, formerly Durham University Athletic Union (DUAU). Most colleges have their own music societies which put on concerts in chapels and halls in college. Chapel choirs are not part of Music Durham.

Staff

The first professor of music was

Philip Armes Philip Armes (15 August 1836 – 10 February 1908) was an English organist, notably holding posts at Rochester, Chichester and Durham Cathedral. Musical career Armes was a chorister at the cathedral of his native city, Norwich, between 1846–4 ...

, who held office from 1897 to 1907. He had previously been resident examiner since 1890, alongside

, who was an

external examiner The external examiner plays an important role in all degree level examinations in higher education in the United Kingdom. The external examiner system originated in 1832 with the establishment of the University of Durham, the first in England s ...

. He had been appointed organist of

Durham Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, County Durham, England. It is the seat of t ...

in 1862 and was granted a Mus. Bac. ''ad eundem'' from the University in 1863 and Mus. Doc. similarly in 1874 having received them in 1858 and 1864 respectively from the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. In 1891 he was granted an honorary MA. The second holder of the office was

Joseph Cox Bridge Joseph Cox Bridge (1853–1929) was an English organist and composer. Biography He was born at Rochester, Kent, studied under John Hopkins, and from 1871 to 1876 was organist of Exeter College, Oxford. In 1877 he became organist of Chester Cathed ...

, whose tenure ran from 1908 to 1929. He had been organ scholar of

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth-oldest college of the un ...

and then organist of

Chester Cathedral Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Sain ...

Edward Bairstow Sir Edward Cuthbert Bairstow (22 August 18741 May 1946) was an English organist and composer in the Anglican church music tradition. Life and career Bairstow was born in Trinity Street, Huddersfield in 1874. His grandfather Oates Bairstow was ...

was professor there from 1929 to 1946, a position he held alongside his tenure of the organist post at

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Archbis ...

. He was not required to be resident in Durham. Both Bridge and Bairstow died in office. During his time at Durham, Bairstow produced his ''Counterpoint and Harmony'' in 1937. From 1947 to 1968,

Arthur Hutchings Arthur James Bramwell Hutchings (14 July 1906 – 13 November 1989) was an English musicologist, composer, and professor of music successively at the University of Durham and the University of Exeter. He wrote extensively on topics as varied as ...

was professor of music. Hutchings was the first resident professor of music at Durham. He was succeeded in 1969 by Eric Taylor, noted for his books on music theory. After Taylor's early retirement in 1985, the post was held for nine years by David Greer. Other notable staff have included Brian Primmer,

Jerome Roche Jerome Lawrence Alexander Roche (22 May 1942 – 2 June 1994) was a British musicologist, with a particular interest in Italian church music of the baroque era. Early life and education Roche was born in 1942 in Cairo, Egypt, the son of an army ...

(1967–1994), and

Alan Thurlow Alan John Thurlow (born 18 May 1947) is an English organist. He is best known as having been Organist and Master of the Choristers of Chichester Cathedral between 1980 and 2008. Education Thurlow was educated at Bancroft's School, Woodford Gree ...

(1973–1980). Today there are around nineteen teaching staff who are supported by technical and administrative staff, and research students, including ethnomusicologist

Martin Clayton Martin Clayton, LVO, FSA, (born 1967) is Head of Prints and Drawings for Royal Collection Trust at Windsor Castle. He is a specialist in the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci. Early life Martin Clayton was born in Harrogate, North Yorkshire on 30 ...

Professors of Music

In common with other departements, until the 1990s the department had only one professor who acted as head of the department. Today the department has many professors and associate professors. The position of head of department is changed every few years. 1970–1981 David Lumsdaine ?–2016 Max Paddison 1993–present Jeremy Dibble ?–present Bennett Zon ?–present Martin Clayton 2013–present Julian Horton 2013–present Tuomas Eerola 2015?–present Richard Rijnvos 2017–present Nick Collins 2020–present Patrick Zuk

Heads of Department

1897–1907

1908–1929

1929–1946

1947–1968

1969–1985 Eric Robert Taylor 1986–1995 David Greer 1995–2013 Jeremy Dibble 2013–2016 Julian Horton 2016–2017 Jeremy Dibble 2017–2020 Tuomas Eerola 2020-2021 Julian Horton 2021–present Laura Leante

Buildings

Library and Music School (1973), Durham University - geograph

The department occupies three listed buildings in the city of Durham, two on the west side of

Palace Green Palace Green is an area of grass in the centre of Durham, England, flanked by Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle. The Cathedral and Castle together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although initially not part of the site itself, Palace Green ...

and one on North Bailey. The main building, Divinity House, was rebuilt in 1661 and until 1844 was home to

Durham School Durham School is an independent boarding and day school in the English public school tradition located in Durham, North East England and was an all-boys institution until 1985, when girls were admitted to the sixth form. The school takes pupils a ...

, and is a

scheduled ancient monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

. The building, which comprises the schoolroom and schoolmaster's house, has a sandstone elevation to Palace Green with parts of the schoolmaster's house having ashlar and red sandstone. The seventeenth century core was renovated in 1844 by George Pickering, cathedral clerk of works. Pickering's renovation included the renewal of the large transomed and mullioned windows on the north side of the main one-storey schoolroom, now the main lecture room. The dado of the schoolroom is panelled, and though overpainted with black paint, generations of boys' graffiti can be seen. The schoolmaster's house was altered in the eighteenth century and incorporates good interior woodwork, such as Corinthian columns surrounding the fireplace in the main room, and many surviving architraves. An extension to the west was added in 1899. The building was converted for use as the University department of music in 1966 by Bernard Taylor & Partners. Until recently the adjacent former Diocesan Registry housed the department library; it is now the computer room. Built in 1820 the building is constructed in an earlier style with Tudor arches and drip-mould hooded windows. The building on North Bailey, numbers 48 and 49, comprises two inter-connected brick-built Georgian townhouses. The department formerly had offices in Queen's Court, at 2 North Bailey (until 2013) and 6 Owengate.

Alumni

Some well-known alumni of the Music Department include: *Frederick G. Shinn, Mus. Bac., 1892; Mus. Doc., 1897; later Honorary Secretary of the

Royal College of Organists The Royal College of Organists (RCO) is a charity and membership organisation based in the United Kingdom, with members worldwide. Its role is to promote and advance organ playing and choral music, and it offers music education, training and de ...

* Edward C. Bairstow, Mus. Bac., 1894; Mus. Doc., 1900; later Professor of Music *

Ernest Farrar Ernest Bristow Farrar (7 July 1885 – 18 September 1918) was an English composer, pianist and organist. Life Ernest Farrar was born in Lewisham, London, but moved in 1887 to Micklefield in Yorkshire, where his father was a clergyman. The rest ...

, matriculated 1904; did not graduate * W. G. Alcock, Mus. Doc., 1905 * E. Percy Hallam, Mus. Bac., 1906 *

Ernest Bullock Sir Ernest Bullock (1890–1979) was an English organist, composer, and teacher. He was organist of Exeter Cathedral from 1917 to 1928 and of Westminster Abbey from 1928 to 1941. In the latter post he was jointly responsible for the music at th ...

, Mus. Bac., 1908; Mus. Doc., 1914 *

Malcolm Sargent Sir Harold Malcolm Watts Sargent (29 April 1895 – 3 October 1967) was an English conductor, organist and composer widely regarded as Britain's leading conductor of choral works. The musical ensembles with which he was associated include ...

, Mus. Bac., 1914; Mus. Doc., 1919 * W. G. Whittaker, Mus. Doc., 1921 ( Armstrong College) *

Herbert Sumsion Herbert Whitton Sumsion (14 January 1899 – 11 August 1995) was an English musician who was organist of Gloucester Cathedral from 1928 to 1967. Through his leadership role with the Three Choirs Festival, Sumsion maintained close associations ...

, Mus. Bac., 1921 * Gordon Slater, Mus. Doc., 1923 * C. S. Lang, Mus. Doc., 1924 *Desmond McMahon, Mus. Bac., 1927 * Alwyn Surplice, Mus. Bac., 1937 * Sidney Campbell, Mus. Doc., 1946 * Clifford Harker, Mus. Bac., 1947 * C. H. Jaeger, Mus. Bac., 1949 * John Joubert, Mus. Bac., 1950 *

Lionel Dakers Lionel Frederick Dakers (24 February 1924 – 10 March 2003) was an English cathedral organist who served in Ripon Cathedral and Exeter Cathedral. Background Dakers was born on 24 February 1924 in Rochester, Kent. He studied organ under Haro ...

, Mus. Bac., 1951 * Arthur Wills, Mus. Bac., 1952; D. Mus., 1958 * Francis Jackson, D. Mus., 1957 *Michael Fleming, Mus. Bac.,1958 *

Ralph Allwood Ralph Allwood (born 30 April 1950) is a British choral conductor, composer and teacher, who currently holds the appointment of Fellow Commoner advising in Music at Queens' College, Cambridge. He was previously the Precentor and Director of Mus ...

, BA, 1972 *Robin Walker, BA, 1974 *

James MacMillan Sir James Loy MacMillan, (born 16 July 1959) is a Scottish classical composer and conductor. Early life MacMillan was born at Kilwinning, in North Ayrshire, but lived in the East Ayrshire town of Cumnock until 1977. His father is James MacMi ...

, BA, 1984, PhD, 1987 *

J. P. E. Harper-Scott J. P. E. Harper-Scott (born 3 December 1977) is a British musicologist and formerly Professor of Music History and Theory at Royal Holloway, University of London. He is a General Editor of the Cambridge University Press series 'Music in Context'. ...

, BA, 1998 The earlier of these alumni were "

" students and completed their papers away from Durham.

References

External links

Department of MusicMusic Durham
{{University of Durham Durham University Music education in the United Kingdom