French Music Research Hub
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s world-leading expertise in French music research, performance and teaching led to the founding of the French Music Research Hub in early 2014. The FMRH aims to foster the highest standards of scholarly engagement with, and performance-based practice of, a broad repertoire of French and francophone music, especially from the 17th to the 20th century. In establishing strong, sustainable musicological- and practice-research at a world-leading level, the FMRH has already proved itself in a robust position to attract substantial funding and to provide recruitment opportunities for doctoral and masters’ students.
The FMRH’s main themes relate to rigorous, innovative exploration of:
- French composer studies (17C-20C), including Lully, Charpentier, Marais, Couperin, Rameau and Chevalier de Saint-Georges; Ravel, Les Six (Milhaud, Poulenc, Honegger, Tailleferre), Messiaen and Jolivet
- Performance research on French repertoire, performance styles and organology
- French music editions and critical, historical performance practice
- Critical source, sketch and archival studies of French music
- French national and transnational cultural identities
- French cultural milieu: wartime, religion, institutions, publishing, political propaganda
Research objectives include:
- To act as a forum for French music research, notably applied musicology and performance
- To research and develop work around the given themes at local, national and international levels for the benefit of scholarship, other researchers, doctoral and undergraduate students, the public and wider communities
- To work with other related organisations to develop high-level partnerships
- To organise seminars and international conferences around French music
People:
- Professor Christopher Dingle (director)
- Professor Shirley Thompson
- Professor Graham Sadler
- Professor John Thwaites
- Professor Deborah Mawer (emeritus Professor & founder)
- Dr Caroline Potter (Visiting Reader in French Music)
- Julian Jacobson (Visiting Tutor, piano)
External members:
Martin Anderson, Toccata Music Group