Graduate Program
Ph.D. Program
The Ph.D. program admits students for concentrated study in music history or music theory. (Normally, students who apply and are accepted into one concentration do not transfer midway through their studies to the other.) This is a full-time program, and students are required to be in residence for a minimum of three years.
During any academic year there are about thirty graduate students at various stages of their careers in the New Haven area. They usually divide their working hours between the Department of Music building (Stoeckel Hall, 469 College Street), and the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library (in Sterling Memorial Library, on High Street), where books, scores, recordings, and microfilms are housed. Other resources frequently used by department graduate students include the Collection of Musical Instruments, the Historical Sound Recordings Collection, various collections in the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, and the archives of the Oral History-American Music Institute (which contains audio and video interviews with many of the major figures in twentieth-century music).
The first two years of the program are devoted exclusively to course work. The summer after the second year is spent preparing for the qualifying examination, which is administered just prior to the beginning of the third year. The third and fourth years are devoted to research and writing toward the dissertation as well as part-time teaching in Yale College. The fifth year is normally dedicated to full-time work on the dissertation.
Coursework
During the first and second years, students take at least three courses per semester. Fourteen courses are required for the degree:
- Eleven graduate seminars in the Department of Music.
- Two courses that may be offered by the Department or, with permission of the Director of Graduate Studies, in other departments or schools within the university, provided that they are either graduate seminars or non-introductory undergraduate courses (normally, 300-level or higher).
- MUSI 997b: Readings for Qualifying Examinations, taken in the spring semester of the second year.
In the third year, students enroll in MUSI 998a (Prospectus Seminar) and MUSI 999b (Dissertation Colloquium). These are not formal courses, but weekly gatherings of third- and fourth-year students to discuss dissertation research. Fourth- and fifth-year students give a presentation each year on the current state of their dissertation work to the Dissertation Colloquium, and they are also encouraged regularly to attend the Dissertation Colloquium.
There is no fixed sequence of courses, since the curriculum varies from year to year according to the needs of the students and the changing research interests of the faculty. Certain fundamental courses, such as those dealing with analysis of tonal and post-tonal music, introduction to methodological issues, and theory and aesthetics are offered regularly. Normally, thirteen graduate courses (plus the Readings, Prospectus, and Dissertation seminars) are offered each year (six per semester): six in musicology, five in theory, and two in theory and aesthetics.
Foreign Language Proficiency
Students must pass examinations in two foreign languages before the qualifying examination: German and either French or Italian. Language examinations last for three hours and have three components: an excerpt from a contemporary source; an excerpt from a historical source; and a longer excerpt or complete article. Students must provide a word-by-word translation of the first two and a paraphrase or abstract of the third. (Hard-copy) dictionaries are permitted.
The examinations are administered twice each year, once at the beginning of each semester. Incoming students are encouraged to take at least one exam at the beginning of their first semester. Sample examinations for each language are on file in the Department office and may be consulted by the student at any time.
Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations
Once all course work has been completed and the foreign language and musicianship requirements have been met, students take the Ph.D. qualifying examination. This normally occurs just prior to the beginning of the third year (in late August and early September). Although students are encouraged to take courses in both music theory and music history, the qualifying examination is taken in either the one or the other of these two areas. Special programs may be proposed, however, for consideration and vote of the faculty. Examples of past examinations are on file in the Department office.
Teaching
Each year Yale College employs a number of graduate students as Teaching Fellows and Part-Time Acting Instructors. The practice of employing graduate students as teachers has mutual benefits: it enhances the College’s ability to offer quality instruction to Yale undergraduates, and it gives teaching experience to the graduate student. For graduate students enrolled in the Department of Music, teaching is usually concentrated in the third and fourth years (after two years of course work). The Department may also offer teaching to a more advanced graduate student. Teaching will not be assigned, however, if it is believed that it will significantly hinder a student from making satisfactory progress toward the completion of the degree.
Department Of Music Colloquium
On most Fridays during term, members of the Department gather in the Stoeckel Hall seminar room for informal presentations known as the "Work-in-Progress" Series. The Colloquium Series provides an opportunity for colleagues—ranging from first-year graduate students to senior faculty—to present work-in-progress, including seminar projects, conference papers, dissertations, and book chapters. Time is reserved for questions and discussion. All graduate students are encouraged to attend and to give presentations.
Visiting Lecturers
Several times each semester, distinguished theorists and musicologists are invited to Yale to give a formal lecture for the Department. Usually, a reception in honor of the lecturer is held in the Department seminar room following the talk, and interested students and faculty often accompany the guest to dinner. Some past visiting lecturers have included: Carolyn Abbate, Joseph Auner, Karol Berger, Eric Chafe, Edward T. Cone, Walter Frisch, Lydia Goehr, Christopher Hasty, Lawrence Kramer, Richard Kramer, Robert Marshall, Ingrid Monson, Jean-Jacques Nattiez, Jessie Ann Owens, Carl Schachter, Kay Kaufman Shelemay, Rose Rosengard Subotnik, Leo Treitler, and Gretchen Wheelock.
The Yale Collegium Musicum
The Yale Collegium Musicum is dedicated to the performance of early music, focusing primarily on choral repertoire. Founded over 50 years ago by Paul Hindemith, it is now sponsored by the Department of Music. Graduate students are encouraged to participate. The group rehearses weekly and normally presents a concert at the end of each semester; recent concerts have included works by Monteverdi and Banchieri, Lasso, Janequin, Ockeghem, as well as programs of sixteenth-century French chansons, and music from Renaissance Spain.
Other Performing Opportunities
All graduate students in music are encouraged to pursue their interests in performance and/or composition. The campus enjoys an unusually rich musical life thanks to the Yale School of Music and to the Institute of Sacred Music. For qualified musicians, there are numerous opportunities for participation in performing ensembles of all kinds: Yale Schola Cantorum (professional), Yale Camerata, Russian Chorus, Yale Symphony Orchestra, as well as chamber orchestras, lab choruses, and chamber groups.
Program and Policies, Graduate Student Handbook
Complete details about the Ph.D. programs can be found in the Bulletin of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and in the Department’s Graduate Student Handbook.
