Oxford Brookes University 150th Anniversary funded PhD Scholarship
School of Arts, Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment
Research Topic: Religion and ‘the Church’ on the Nineteenth-Century Stage
Eligibility: Home/EU and Internationals candidates
3 year funded studentship which includes the fees and an annual Bursary of £7,000
The opera research unit OBERTO within the School of Arts at Oxford Brookes University is pleased to
offer a three year full-time PhD scholarship to a new student commencing in January 2015. The
successful applicant will receive an annual bursary of £7,000 for three years (with no inflation
increase), and fees will be paid by the University. The candidate will need to demonstrate that in
addition to the scholarship other funding is available for them to successfully complete the programme
in full-time study and the successful candidate will work within the School of Arts under the supervision
of Dr Barbara Eichner.
This project will investigate the manifold ways in which religion, spirituality and ‘the Church’ were
represented on the nineteenth-century (operatic) stage. The ‘long’ nineteenth century is often
characterised as an era of secularism, rationalism and materialism. Despite this – or perhaps as a
counter-reaction to it – religion, rituals and mysticism continued to fascinate composers, librettists and
singers. The nineteenth-century stage offers particularly rich pickings in this area, from the use of
chorales as musical markers of historical distance to the salacious nuns’ ballet in Giacomo
Meyerbeer’s Robert le diable.
This project will allow the recipient of the doctoral award to investigate the representation of religion on
the nineteenth-century stage from a number of angles, such as (but not restricted to):
 musical historicism and the sounds of religious music
 religious roles and voice types, from the ethereal nun to the evil cardinal
 influences from other genres, such as oratorio, cantata or liturgical music
 church criticism, parody, blasphemy and censorship
 staging religious rites
 contemporary church politics
 encounters with non-Christian religions and atheism
The scope of the project is not limited to a particular national ‘school’ or geographic area; it will build
on the prior knowledge and interests of the recipient of the scholarship. However, a comparative
approach is strongly encouraged, and at least one of the major traditions (Italian, German, or French)
should be included. The recipient of the scholarship will be part of the thriving research culture of
OBERTO. All our staff and PhD students are working on topics that concern opera’s relationship to
broader cultural debates and questions of identity during the long nineteenth century. The recipient of
the scholarship would be encouraged to take a pro-active role within the research unit, and to
communicate their research findings to wider audiences.
Further information about the OBERTO research unit can be found at
http://arts.brookes.ac.uk/research/oberto/ and on our blog http://obertobrookes.com/
For information about the prospective supervisor, Dr Barbara Eichner, consult her profile on
http://oxfordbrookes.academia.edu/BarbaraEichner. Informal inquiries to
barbara.eichner@brookes.ac.uk are welcome.
If you would like to apply you should request an application pack from Ms Zane Kalnina
tdestudentships@brookes.ac.uk, quoting ‘Religion in Opera’ in the subject line. Fully completed
applications must be sent to the same email address by 31 October 2014.
As part of the application you should submit a CV, a research proposal (maximum 3 pages), together
with a supporting statement summarising your reasons for undertaking this project, preparation
undertaken for your project, as well as a summary of your previous research experience. Please be
advised that the selection process may involve an interview on 13 November 2014, and the
successful candidate would be expected to commence in the research degree programme in January
2015.