At CUBRIT, we aim to promote and advance research of twentieth- and twenty-first-century British art music at a national and international level and to disseminate that research excellence to a global community.

We exercise a broad definition of British art music since 1900, embracing a diversity of musical contexts, approaches and scenes, and conduct research on the life and music of a wide variety of composers, including Harrison Birtwistle, Peter Maxwell Davies, Michael Finnissy, Alun Hoddinott, Simon Holt, William Mathias, Michael Tippett and Judith Weir.

Our approach is broad and inclusive, and includes areas such as archival, analytical, creative and critical-theoretical perspectives on post-1900 concert music; interpretation; music, landscape and place; music theatre and opera; music and Welsh national identity; practice-based research studies; and sketch studies.

Our centre cultivates new musicological and practice-based research studies of creativity within and between Cardiff University and external organisations, and provides a forum for individuals to share their research through lectures, study days and conferences.

Aims

• To encourage collegial research into any aspect of British art music since 1900.
• To foster mutual support for researchers active in this field of research.
• To provide opportunities to share and discuss research through networking and knowledge sharing and public engagement events.
• To support and develop new knowledge about post-1900 British art music through diverse modes of scholarly enquiry.
• To promote collaboration between musicologists and practice-based researchers throughout the UK and internationally.

Research

We currently conduct research on the following composers and topics:

• Harrison Birtwistle
• John Casken
• Peter Maxwell Davies
• Michael Finnissy
• Alun Hoddinott
• Simon Holt
• William Mathias
• Anthony Powers
• Ronald Stevenson
• Michael Tippett
• Judith Weir
• Archival, analytical, creative and critical-theoretical perspectives on post-1900 concert music
• Interpretation
• Music, landscape and place
• Music theatre and opera
• Music and Welsh identity
• Music and Scottish identity
• Sketch studies

Events

Unmasking Max: Peter Maxwell Davies Study Day

Date: 4 December 2021
Location: Cardiff University Concert Hall

For further details, please visit the Golden Pages for musicologists website.

Peter Maxwell Davies Research Group

The PMD Research Network is a research group which unites international scholars with interests in the life and music of Peter Maxwell Davies (1934–2016).

The Network provides a forum for individuals to share their research through online and in-person seminars, lectures and study days, as well as, where appropriate, online tutorial support led by established Peter Maxwell Davies scholars.

It aims to:

• create a focus for all kinds of research, analysis and interpretation centred on the life and music of Peter Maxwell Davies
• raise awareness of, and increase the interest in, the composer’s music
• promote collaboration between researchers throughout the UK and internationally, and to address the needs of those engaged in musical research on this topic, whether early career researchers, independent scholars, performers or composers, or affiliated members of universities, conservatoires, colleges and other music-related establishments
• build an international online interactive research community for individuals and groups to make contact with other researchers who share interests in this area.

The Network was launched in November 2020. A recording of the event can be viewed on panopto.

If you are interested in joining the network, then please send an email to Dr Nicholas Jones at: pmd.research.network@gmail.com

We have also set up a Facebook group page for the Network. To join the group, please visit our Facebook page.