[Smt-talk] Princeton and Theory

[Dmitri Tymoczko]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to take a moment to clarify the situation vis-a-vis theory  
and Princeton.  Currently, Princeton has four people who do theory:  
Kofi Agawu, Scott Burnham, Noriko Manabe, and me.  Together, we cover  
a pretty broad range of topics from analysis to history of theory to  
Schenker to semiotics to popular music to whatever it is that I do.   
Kofi and Noriko, of course, also do ethnomusicology.

Formally, the department offers degrees in composition and in  
musicology; which means that would-be theorists have to apply to one  
of these programs (typically musicology).  However, for the past  
several years we have been making a concerted effort to make a home  
for people who want to be theorists.  This includes, e.g., designing  
general examinations geared toward theory and analysis, advising  
solidly theoretical dissertations, and so on.  And we currently have a  
small-but-impressive group of theory grad. students.

Our program is not for everyone, since we can't offer a whole suite of  
"Intro to ... " courses.  But for the right sort of (independent, self- 
motivated) person, it can be a great place to learn theory.  So I  
would definitely encourage interested students to take a look at our  
program.

DT

Dmitri Tymoczko
Associate Professor of Music
310 Woolworth Center
Princeton, NJ 08544-1007
(609) 258-4255 (ph), (609) 258-6793 (fax)
http://music.princeton.edu/~dmitri