Oh no...Edward Higginbottom retiring

[Vox Humana]

Nothing wrong with doctorates, except that it does cut down the field somewhat....more so when one considers that only Oxbridge doctorates are recognised by Oxford and Cambridge.

Is that really so? That would narrow the field! However, there are several professors in the Oxford music faculty whose doctorates are not from Oxbridge, so I'm not sure that's a problem.

[teamsaint]

why does the expression " World Class" in this kind of context grate so much?
and as for " Delivery"......
.
anyway, lets hope EH has a worthy successor.

[ardcarp]

only Oxbridge doctorates are recognised by Oxford and Cambridge.

...this was the situation about 40 years ago, so things may be different now. Maybe someone can comment.

Which reminds me of the joke:

Q. How many Oxford dons does it take to change a light-bulb?
A. Change ???!!!???

[Vox Humana]

Q. How many Oxford dons does it take to change a light-bulb?
A. Change ???!!!???

I've heard that one applied to Anglicans!

[subcontrabass]

Nothing wrong with doctorates, except that it does cut down the field somewhat....more so when one considers that only Oxbroidge doctorates are recognised by Oxford and Cambridge.

"Not recognised" in my undergraduate days at Oxford meant that those with doctorates from other universities could not use the title "Dr", and all non-Oxbridge degrees were listed in brackets on the list of Fellows in my college. This is no longer the case.

[Keraulophone]

Nothing wrong with doctorates, except that it does cut down the field somewhat...

There used to be (thirty-five years ago) a board inside the entrance of the Oxford University Faculty of Music displaying its members.

At the very bottom of a lengthy list of D.Phils and Ph.Ds could be found the reassuring name of Mr. Preston (the DoM of then the finest college/cathedral choir in the world).

[MrGongGong]

"Not recognised" in my undergraduate days at Oxford meant that those with doctorates from other universities could not use the title "Dr", and all non-Oxbridge degrees were listed in brackets on the list of Fellows in my college. This is no longer the case.

But they still do the MA fakery I think ?

If "Dr" Paisley can have one i'm sure (and i'm often emailed about this ) it's fairly simple to get one by post !

I was struck by this though

Applications are welcome from candidates with expertise in any period of music history or discipline of musical study,

I don't think they REALLY mean that do they ?

ANY discipline ? ....... Free Improvisation ? Noise music semiotics ? (or even this , which i'm sad to have missed http://www.brookes.ac.uk/about-brook...-anarcho-punk/)

[mangerton]

why does the expression " World Class" in this kind of context grate so much?
and as for " Delivery"......
.
anyway, lets hope EH has a worthy successor.

"Delivery" is a prime example of appalling management newspeak. Groceries and mail used to be all that was delivered. Not any more. Everything can be "delivered". I expect that you'll be delighted to hear that such things are known as "deliverables", and if they're very important, they're "key deliverables".

It is sad to see an Oxford College descend to this level.

[ardcarp]

It would be quite ground-breaking for NCO to appoint a composer (on the grounds of any discipline of musical study). After all, in the age of Blow, Purcell, Croft, Greene, Boyce, etc, etc, writing the stuff the choir sang was all part of the job. There's no reason why a composer cannot be an inspired choirmaster too. After all if an organist and/or academic can be.......

[mopsus]

When I was an Oxford undergraduate (the 1980s) DPhils/PhDs were still slightly looked down on by some academics, as a German import that meant you'd had to get a research qualification rather than demonstrate your quality as a scholar in other ways, such as achieving a fellowship by examination. There were quite a few dons around then who did not have them, especially in disciplines such as Philosophy.

Oxford's music department is very diverse these days; see this article. There isn't any logical reason why one shouldn't be an excellent trainer of choirs and a world authority on, say, thrash metal, unlikely though it may be in practice. I suspect it was hard to justify a DoM appointment unless it was tied into working in Oxford's Music Faculty. A few years ago the director of music of a well-known Cambridge College choir was said to be unpopular with some of the Fellows of his College because it was felt he did not contribute to the College's academic standing.

[teamsaint]

When I was an Oxford undergraduate (the 1980s) DPhils/PhDs were still slightly looked down on by some academics, as a German import that meant you'd had to get a research qualification rather than demonstrate your quality as a scholar in other ways, such as achieving a fellowship by examination. There were quite a few dons around then who did not have them, especially in disciplines such as Philosophy.

Oxford's music department is very diverse these days; see this article. There isn't any logical reason why one shouldn't be an excellent trainer of choirs and a world authority on, say, thrash metal, unlikely though it may be in practice. I suspect it was hard to justify a DoM appointment unless it was tied into working in Oxford's Music Faculty. A few years ago the director of music of a well-known Cambridge College choir was said to be unpopular with some of the Fellows of his College because it was felt he did not contribute to the College's academic standing.

Anybody smart enough to be able to sort out Metal Sub genres deserves an academic job, no questions asked.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Metal_Genealogy.jpg

[MrGongGong]

I'd give it to Noel myself .......

[Wolsey]

Well, Peterborough Cathedral have announced his successor - as has New College itself.

[Vox Humana]

[Edited blank. Must learn to read the forum post, not the email notification!]

[DracoM]

Meteoric rise?