Overview

The Language of Visual Music programme is offered by the University of Dundee.

Objectives

What can we learn by an exhaustive investigation into the history and evolution of visual music in terms of grounding our understanding within the historical animated films, experiments and examples of the pioneers that made them?

How exhaustive can we be in our investigation given the difficulty of accessing film archives, alongside the positive advent of streaming media such as YouTube?

What challenges did the pioneers face?

How did they overcome them?

What relationships between sound and vision did they establish?

Are these correlations robust or merely arbitrary?

Do they occur across the work of different creators, are there commonalities?

If there are commonalities, can we identify and categorize them in relation to examples?

Is such thing as a semiotics of visual music a helpful way to think about this?

What is the legacy of this canon of work?

How has it informed the work of those currently working in this field?

Has it moved on considerably or are there still significant issues that are unresolved. E.g. the relationship between colour and pitch, the arbitrary nature visualisation aesthetics, the changing nature of music reference tuning?

Where do the communities of practice exist around the concept of sound visualisation and who are the current drivers within this field?

Programme Structure

This PhD project aims to conduct an exhaustive survey of the visual music canon to address some of these questions. Some of them have been addressed multiple times already resulting in contention and disagreement within the field, the reasons for which need to be explored.

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 36 months
Part-time
- 60 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2025-05-01 00:00:00

Application deadline not specified.
Starting 2025-09-16 00:00:00

Application deadline not specified.
Starting 2026-01-13 00:00:00
- Apply before 2025-10-31 00:00:00

Language

English

Delivered

On Campus

Disciplines

Music Musicology Music Composition View 11 other PhDs in Music Composition in United Kingdom

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Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

We are not aware of any English requirements for this programme.

Student insurance

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Additional medical costs (i.e. dental)
Repatriation, if something happens to you or your family
Liability
Home contents and baggage
Accidents
Legal aid

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Other requirements

General requirements

Although applicants can apply for a research degree immediately after undergraduate study, applicants are normally expected to have a Masters degree. In addition a period of work experience is not necessary but considered valuable.
IELTS 6.5

Tuition Fee

To always see correct tuition fees

International

21940 GBP/year

Tuition Fee

Based on the tuition of 21940 GBP per year during 36 months.
National

4786 GBP/year

Tuition Fee

Based on the tuition of 4786 GBP per year during 36 months.

Living costs for Dundee

787 - 1494 GBP /month

Living costs

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.