MUSIC AT CAIUS - Gonville and Caius College

Music students at Caius have widely differing musicalinterests and backgrounds. Some have developed apassion for music principally through performance(including former members of the National YouthOrchestra of Great Britain), and others are dedicatedcomposers (including winners of The Guardian & BBCYoung Composer of the Year award), but the ability toperform or compose at a high level is not a prerequisitefor the study of Music as an academic subject. Thecharacteristic that unites all the Music students is thedesire to learn more about music; to discover howdifferent styles of music work at a technical level, andhow these styles relate to the varying historical andcultural contexts in which the music was composed.The course allows individuals to pursue particularinterests in whatever aspect of music they wish. RecentMusic students at Caius have written dissertations ontopics as wide-ranging as Schumann, Mahler,Schoenberg, Zemlinsky, Lutoslawksi, Messiaen, MilesDavis, Bob Dylan, Busi Mhlongo, the music ofTurkmenistan, and protest music against the Iraq War.Options in the Faculty of Music have allowed studentsto pursue other interests ranging from medieval musicto contemporary disciplines such as those studied at theFaculty’s Centre for Music and Science.q w q wApplying to read Music at CaiusFull details concerning the December interviews will besent to applicants following the closing date forAdmissions in October each year. Applications will beassessed on a variety of factors, including generalacademic record, examples of recent work (essays,compositions, Harmony & Counterpoint exercises, asappropriate), references, and the interview itself. As faras is possible, the personal and educational backgroundof applicants will be taken into account. Whilst thedetailed study of traditional Western harmony is usefulin advance of coming to Cambridge, a proven ability inthis area is not a requirement, as this is now taughtfrom scratch to those new to the discipline. It isrecommended that applicants should have keyboardskills of Grade 6 or above, though extra tuition in thisarea can be provided if necessary.