Musicology Overview
The Musicology Program at the LSU School of Music is known for stressing diversity and flexibility of approach while providing a firm grounding in historical and theoretical methods. Students choose their coursework from a broad roster of offerings, including seminars on specialized topics of faculty research. The innovative and collegial faculty, which has been recognized with university-wide teaching awards, works with students to develop techniques of independent research and critical thinking, preparing them for success in a broad array of careers.
Students participate in the organization of LSU’s Biennial Music Colloquium and, as a culmination of their work as TAs, teach courses as instructors of record. As part of LSU’s Music Forum, they interact with prominent scholars from all over the United States; recent guests have included J. Peter Burkholder, Ellen T. Harris, James Hepokoski, Thomas J. Mathiesen, Simon Morrison, Rob Wegman, and Susan Youens. Students also become active in the American Musicological Society and one of its most successful chapters, the AMS-S. A vibrant concert life, both on and off campus, allows students the opportunities to continue to pursue their own interests in music performance.
Musicology Degrees
Master of Music – Musicology Concentration
Doctor of Philosophy in Music – Musicology Concentration
Musicology Faculty
The Musicology faculty at LSU comprises some of the best scholars in their respective fields. They have published research with the leading university presses and professional journals and served as reviews editors or board members of American Music, Nineteenth-Century Music Review, and Verdi Forum. In addition, they have worked on innovative projects such as the Study Group on Music & Disability of the American Musicological Society and Saggi musicali italiani of the Center for the History of Music Theory and Literature at Indiana University. Such activities have earned them grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Fulbright Program, the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the Paul Sacher Foundation.
Brett Boutwell’s research interests lie in American music since 1950, with an emphasis on experimental and minimalist music. Recent course offerings include a seminar on the New York School (co-taught with Jeffrey Perry), a seminar on Modernist Music and Visual Art, and a survey of American Music encompassing classical, traditional, and popular repertories.
Andreas Giger’s research interests include nineteenth-century Italian opera (especially the operas of Giuseppe Verdi and verismo) and the life, compositions, and aesthetic writings of Leonard Bernstein. Recent seminars include Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera, The Operas of Giuseppe Verdi, Leonard Bernstein, Puccini, and Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci.
Blake Howe’s research interests include Franz Schubert, nineteenth-century German song, film music, and the intersections between music and disability. Recent seminars and special topics courses include Music and Poetry of the German Lied; Franz Schubert: Inside, Out; Film Music History; Music and Disability Studies; and Performance Practices.
Alison McFarland’s research interests include music of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, specifically patronage and the music of the Vatican, and the music of Josquin and Morales. She also has research interest in the English twentieth century. Recent courses and seminars include The Music of Josquin, Masses of Morales, The English Renaissance, and English Music from Elgar to Britten.