Email: s1206153@sms.ed.ac.uk

Programme: Music - PhD/MSc by Research

Start date: 09/2021

Mode of study: Full time

David is a PhD student based in the Reid School of Music, with an interdisciplinary crossover in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology. His research topic is the music and worship of the Chapel Royal of Scotland, c.1603-1639, and its relationship to wider Stuart religious policy.

David previously studied at Cambridge University (MMus) and Durham University (BA). He is also active as a professional musician, as a choral singer and conductor with a focus on renaissance and baroque music.

David's PhD topic is the music and worship of the Chapel Royal of Scotland from the Union of the Crowns through to the outbreak of the British Civil Wars. The research is primarily concerned with the way in which the chapel’s worship culture developed in response to, and influenced, royal and ecclesiastical policy in Scotland.

At the broadest level, David’s thesis will explore how religious, political and musical concerns intersected to form a seemingly unique and at times controversial institution.

Other research interests include:

  • Christian chant traditions; especially harmonised chant traditions, and the use of plainchant in protestant churches in the post-reformation period
  • Issues with contemporary performance of ‘early music’
  • The contribution of sacred music to religious identity