Doctor of Philosophy in Music Theory

The PhD in music theory is characterized both by a deep involvement in the inner workings of music and by an engagement with the wider philosophical, cultural, and psychological questions surrounding music. The program reflects this interdisciplinary interest of our students and seeks to explore the links of music theory to other areas of critical engagement. The graduate curriculum in music theory was fundamentally revised in 2018 with the view to the specific needs of professional music theorists in the 21st century. The diverse dissertation projects that doctoral students propose reflect the unique combination of interests. They cover the full spectrum between past, present, and future. Recent and current PhD topics include microtonality and colonialism in the 19th century, musical forgery and forensics, the practice of recomposition in music theory, Scandinavian death metal, transformation theory and Hollywood film, and musical and visual lines in the early 20th century. Many of our students establish their interdisciplinary credentials by taking formal qualifications in a secondary field outside of music. Students receive a solid basis for their research by honing their musicianship and analytical skills, particularly during their first year in the program. All students take courses on Schenkerian theory and on a range of tonal and post-tonal analytical practices, as well as an introductory course to explore current issues in the field. At the same time, the program also encourages students to build a framework in which to place these techniques and to reflect on the underpinnings of music theory. Regular courses on questions in psychology, temporality, history of music theory, hermeneutics, and aesthetics round off our course offerings and often take music theory into interdisciplinary territory. In addition to studying canonic repertories, graduate courses on challenging repertoires?e.g. modal theory, non-Western music, or very recent composition?expand the field in new directions. Our course offerings are complemented by a regular workshop in music theory, currently called TheoryTuesdays, in which faculty and students discuss current work, practice analytical techniques, or engage disciplinary and transdisciplinary questions in an informal setting. Our faculty are actively engaged in Harvard?s numerous interdisciplinary centers (MBB, Medieval Studies, CES, HUCE, etc.). Harvard?s state-of-the-art Sound Lab provides the tools and expertise for digital and media-based research, and provides a conduit for music theory to the field of sound studies.

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