Organum style - free organum notated - how to get a doctorate in this?
  • JesJes
    Posts: 574
    So, I've had a crack at writing lots of organum chants, some have been extremely successful and made it across the globe to other people'a parishes in Belgium, USA, Malaysia and closer to home New Zealand.
    I'm now at the point in my life where I believe I could take on a project like say, writing an organum for every alleluia of the year and I'd be interested in doing this as part of a doctorate but not for another sort of 5 years or so though I'd start pretty soon after completing current studies if given the chance to.
    Current quals are Master of music majoring in performance teaching, and I'm working on master of teaching and grad cert of theological studies majoring in religious education.

    Nobody in Aus will touch this idea with even a long pole. Anybody willing to take on a student (within the next 15 years) even by distance? Informal or formal I need an idea bouncer.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 349
    It might be a totally ignorant question, but: What could be researched (i.e. what could eventually be discovered) by composing organum chants?
  • JesJes
    Posts: 574
    Good question, that is what I don't know. I would be interested to know more about how to notate a complimentary chant because I doubt they would have been originally notated. It's really hard to notate them so that they read clearly against the original chant.
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,499
    Try Sant'Anselmo in Rome.

    I think that depending on the school's policies, a constructive project (book length translation with commentary, original composition) can be taken as a doctoral research project.
    Thanked by 1Jes
  • darrharis
    Posts: 5
    I think there are other priorities here and I doubt there is any demand for this...It doesn't solve or address any long-standing issues or problems in the music which would normally be the premise for doing a PhD. Your project presupposes in my view that adding such organum will somehow mprove the chants for the Alleluia or magnify the texts even more. Can they not simply stand on their own merits ?
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,295
    I would guess that, at least here in the States, you might look into a PhD in musicology, wherein you would study and research early music, especially chant, and could probably have an avenue to compose some yourself. There are many musicologists who have particular interest in early music who might take you on.

    You could also consider a DMA in composition, but I would guess that there wouldn't be very many composition professors who would be interested in taking on a student who was only interested in writing organum.
  • darrharis
    Posts: 5
    I agree with you, you would have to substantially more than writing organum to obtain a doctorate.
    Thanked by 1Adam Wood
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 1,943
    Agreed, but, there’s interest, and being able to do it yourself is a requirement in graduate/doctoral programs, like at McGill. They have some videos on Youtube.
  • JesJes
    Posts: 574
    There is a reason why I said Doctorate and not PHD :)
    I am looking at the DMA and I'd be happy to do more than organum for composition and do motets etc. but I'm talking about a different organum for a large anthology of chants such as ALL the propers of the year and if there is doubling up to do another unique free organum. The solution could possibly be writing organum for the english translation of the propers instead of the latin (even though I'd prefer to do for latin).
    I don't know the process for this.
    In Aus, we just don't have lecturers who feel confident to take me on for early style composition (pre modern notation).
    I want my main focus to be to write the organum and nothing stops me from doing it without a degree but I am interested in publishing a whole book of a variety of organum choices for the propers of the year.

    My friend did a DMA and wrote a symphony piece to a story. He did a separate research project on synthesisers which was 40,000 words. If he had have done research alone it would be 80,000 words.
    Thanked by 2M. Jackson Osborn CHGiffen
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,367
    I really hope that you succeed in this project. This is the most exciting prospectus for the propers that I've yet heard of in our day. Especially the English versions! Full sets of English propers are non-existent at this time, and none of even our most acclaimed chant scholars seem remotely interested in filling this shameful lacuna. What you are proposing is rooted firmly in historical precedent, should be performed in every musically mature parish and cathedral, and would be an historic accomplishment.
    Thanked by 2KyleM18 CHGiffen
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,295
    It's a tremendous, tremendous project, whether or not you do it within the context of an academic program. I would be beyond thrilled to have English organum propers, would purchase the collection, and would use it on a regular basis.
    Thanked by 2M. Jackson Osborn CHGiffen
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,367
    Why, for something like this I could even envision its creator being made a Dame of the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St Gregory the Great! It has happened to other musicians - Flor Peeters, Joseph Ahrens, Riccardo Muti, etc.
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