Meta tags:
description=Specialist in nineteenth-century French poetry and music;

Headings (most frequently used words):

share, this, poetry, am, superwoman, new, professor, helen, abbott, singing, french, where, do, voyages, take, us, maybe, after, all, manifesto, for, song, research, when, book, nears, its, release, date, not, lessons, from, my, first, months, as, prof, what, should, you, translate, songs, festival, of, linguistic, diversity, academic, year, and, music, impact, modern, languages, study, leave, twitter, feed, admin,

Text of the page (most frequently used words):
the (380), and (194), for (71), with (68), that (64), new (62), was (59), but (55), baudelaire (45), about (38), song (37), this (36), have (35), are (33), languages (32), share (31), from (31), not (29), how (27), there (26), all (26), like (25), leave (25), more (25), language (24), comment (23), book (23), some (23), poem (23), music (22), one (22), songs (22), work (22), which (22), opens (21), #french (21), had (21), posted (20), window (20), facebook (20), were (20), has (19), his (19), poetry (18), research (18), university (18), our (18), you (18), out (17), just (17), much (16), day (16), first (16), got (15), other (14), year (14), still (14), been (14), also (14), what (14), debussy (14), different (14), because (14), months (13), can (13), time (13), than (13), things (13), modern (12), project (12), birmingham (12), might (12), translation (12), way (12), will (12), mignon (12), goethe (12), loading (11), set (11), them (11), who (11), being (11), when (11), words (11), verlaine (11), get (10), their (10), they (10), take (10), many (10), through (10), after (10), text (10), really (10), professor (9), such (9), few (9), poems (9), most (9), less (9), going (9), want (9), 2017 (9), place (9), grant (9), whether (9), later (9), next (8), where (8), academic (8), well (8), know (8), lot (8), around (8), writing (8), invitation (8), gautier (8), line (8), started (7), working (7), students (7), singers (7), right (7), another (7), team (7), look (7), those (7), composers (7), whose (7), written (7), even (7), early (7), part (7), same (7), exciting (7), job (7), people (7), full (7), idea (7), ended (7), far (7), major (7), told (7), called (7), voyages (7), ashley (7), voyage (7), stanza (7), already (6), uncategorized (6), colleagues (6), world (6), both (6), over (6), often (6), english (6), sense (6), house (6), typescript (6), post (6), two (6), back (6), tagged (6), quite (6), today (6), using (6), various (6), would (6), good (6), schubert (6), singing (6), means (6), translations (6), ideas (6), down (6), hear (6), november (6), academia (6), off (6), setting (6), travel (6), weeks (6), own (6), city (6), moved (6), into (6), superwoman (6), your (6), mary (6), bevan (6), whole (6), album (6), fact (6), thing (6), find (6), maybe (6), didn (6), 2018 (6), century (6), helen (5), abbott (5), blog (5), study (5), coaching (5), oup (5), settings (5), across (5), years (5), forward (5), 2016 (5), skills (5), speak (5), german (5), always (5), including (5), school (5), use (5), key (5), make (5), audiences (5), love (5), lieder (5), experience (5), able (5), done (5), success (5), should (5), these (5), open (5), ways (5), role (5), places (5), why (5), specialist (5), hospital (5), middleton (5), process (5), helpful (5), round (5), together (5), live (5), given (5), tests (5), life (5), viva (5), berlioz (5), duparc (5), second (5), land (5), nineteenth (5), composed (5), wordpress (4), com (4), now (4), join (4), busy (4), times (4), multiple (4), performances (4), three (4), move (4), course (4), past (4), sheffield (4), diversity (4), yet (4), choose (4), example (4), nottingham (4), last (4), number (4), lives (4), its (4), voice (4), festival (4), songmakers (4), mean (4), singer (4), practice (4), word (4), understand (4), looking (4), terms (4), translated (4), start (4), each (4), france (4), pretty (4), husband (4), analysis (4), inaugural (4), lecture (4), poet (4), oxford (4), before (4), release (4), joseph (4), planned (4), chapter (4), fully (4), wasn (4), middle (4), though (4), need (4), put (4), thinking (4), manifesto (4), earlier (4), miscarriage (4), ivf (4), never (4), trying (4), too (4), having (4), made (4), end (4), imagine (4), lovers (4), version (4), poets (4), poetic (4), site (3), write (3), log (3), feed (3), ahead (3), modules (3), performance (3), starting (3), offer (3), big (3), death (3), opening (3), studying (3), learning (3), expertise (3), opportunities (3), degree (3), chance (3), stock (3), european (3), welsh (3), linguistic (3), ones (3), diverse (3), researchers (3), universities (3), queen (3), easy (3), range (3), week (3), clue (3), known (3), home (3), only (3), september (3), sure (3), pianists (3), doing (3), others (3), programmes (3), reading (3), knowledge (3), possible (3), journey (3), during (3), parallel (3), composer (3), especially (3), postgraduate (3), curriculum (3), collaboration (3), findings (3), very (3), days (3), fit (3), everything (3), support (3), outside (3), workload (3), meant (3), long (3), little (3), disc (3), since (3), jobs (3), colleague (3), autumn (3), staff (3), roles (3), took (3), women (3), month (3), soon (3), piano (3), again (3), found (3), couple (3), wrote (3), challenging (3), along (3), knew (3), editing (3), ever (3), longer (3), online (3), 000 (3), data (3), review (3), cover (3), human (3), accept (3), includes (3), offered (3), see (3), perfect (3), talked (3), feel (3), once (3), any (3), great (3), referral (3), letter (3), promotion (3), something (3), final (3), chabrier (3), afterlives (3), famous (3), mentions (3), destination (3), simply (3), kennst (3), das (3), rather (3), île (3), itself (3), story (3), kind (3), duos (3), career (3), website (2), name (2), required (2), comments (2), manage (2), content (2), sign (2), subscribed (2), subscribe (2), account (2), create (2), admin (2), impact (2), older (2), posts (2), meeting (2), delivering (2), proof (2), enough (2), researching (2), uncovered (2), norwegian (2), collaborations (2), level (2), admissions (2), cycle (2), shown (2), commitment (2), moving (2), finishing (2), loose (2), ends (2), finished (2), amongst (2), matters (2), august (2), speakers (2), certainly (2), celebrate (2), spend (2), enjoying (2), lead (2), italian (2), profiles (2), songwriters (2), examine (2), multilingual (2), challenges (2), spanish (2), ukrainian (2), globally (2), training (2), programme (2), lucky (2), learnt (2), everyday (2), studies (2), plan (2), short (2), enjoy (2), huge (2), nonetheless (2), within (2), read (2), news (2), said (2), themselves (2), lack (2), alarming (2), roderick (2), williams (2), doesn (2), performers (2), scores (2), better (2), worse (2), left (2), performed (2), concert (2), extensive (2), newer (2), sometimes (2), adapt (2), translator (2), differ (2), night (2), claim (2), may (2), distinct (2), c20th (2), top (2), without (2), published (2), rhythm (2), melody (2), enjoyed (2), sung (2), lots (2), lessons (2), masterclass (2), outreach (2), graduate (2), engagement (2), approach (2), continue (2), journal (2), pieces (2), pipeline (2), publication (2), planning (2), amazing (2), international (2), say (2), institutions (2), space (2), partners (2), approaching (2), boston (2), leicester (2), trips (2), recording (2), session (2), presenting (2), met (2), fairly (2), exploring (2), conservatoire (2), musicology (2), affairs (2), director (2), college (2), larger (2), related (2), four (2), reflect (2), prof (2), finally (2), hands (2), released (2), recital (2), 150 (2), barber (2), fantastic (2), ready (2), sentence (2), isn (2), perhaps (2), 2015 (2), reflecting (2), beyond (2), affected (2), particular (2), chapters (2), bit (2), friends (2), stages (2), successes (2), printed (2), thought (2), submitted (2), raw (2), everyone (2), think (2), goes (2), real (2), lived (2), cutting (2), techniques (2), digital (2), does (2), lyrics (2), must (2), classical (2), future (2), while (2), framed (2), musical (2), don (2), decided (2), here (2), mark (2), conversation (2), talk (2), fabulous (2), duo (2), works (2), current (2), managed (2), chair (2), did (2), failed (2), let (2), effect (2), expect (2), hoped (2), used (2), missed (2), phd (2), result (2), physically (2), emotionally (2), old (2), results (2), telling (2), behind (2), outcome (2), picture (2), system (2), normal (2), could (2), midst (2), worked (2), came (2), deal (2), unable (2), successful (2), felt (2), struggling (2), ages (2), takes (2), appointment (2), focused (2), significant (2), turned (2), case (2), closer (2), knock (2), couldn (2), somehow (2), exam (2), board (2), spent (2), countless (2), tell (2), supposed (2), cancel (2), yourself (2), researcher (2), pause (2), bid (2), mostly (2), bring (2), february (2), tim (2), benefit (2), gets (2), oriental (2), splendour (2), inhabit (2), makes (2), overall (2), description (2), richly (2), decorated (2), chamber (2), featuring (2), bassoon (2), james (2), article (2), offering (2), decadent (2), child (2), woman (2), leaves (2), suggested (2), travelling (2), east (2), imagination (2), tells (2), cave (2), pays (2), die (2), sessions (2), wilhelm (2), les (2), sounds (2), consonants (2), exploit (2), tradition (2), captured (2), vowels (2), rhyme (2), record (2), flex (2), tempo (2), vocal (2), hand (2), mastercourse (2), decade (2), verse (2), reworked (2), repetition (2), exceed (2), confines (2), clair (2), lune (2), design, email, collapse, bar, subscriptions, view, reader, report, privacy, subscribers, free, entries, tweets, helenabbott1, twitter, excited, cohorts, latest, enters, production, profession, hit, intensively, thousands, globe, metal, premiere, mélodies, runs, clear, buoyant, area, despite, statistics, declining, numbers, gcse, applicants, spoken, passion, dedication, developing, conjunction, subjects, business, politics, philosophy, history, professorship, tying, areas, stood, beginnings, mfltwitterati, hope, correct, rusty, try, profitez, approfittane, gwneud, mwyaf, ohoni, korean, russian, uncover, finding, mother, tongue, band, bands, amazingly, launched, looks, transforms, societies, involving, cambridge, edinburgh, belfast, explores, benefits, examining, wide, irish, cantonese, mandarin, catalan, polish, punjabi, opportunity, meet, hundreds, abingdon, formers, discussed, population, size, develop, daily, sport, club, earliest, sumerian, uralic, group, hungarian, estonian, struck, abroad, stint, useful, moment, profile, renowned, prowess, embedded, communities, forget, reports, meaning, overtaken, countries, affects, diplomats, diminishing, britain, changing, monoglots, reasons, shortfall, poor, shortage, daunting, pronunciation, diction, heavily, annotate, conveying, meanings, emotions, help, necessarily, film, adaption, change, direct, equivalence, entirely, traditional, heads, rustling, pages, offputting, repertoire, tend, original, discussing, appropriate, singable, gute, nacht, winterreise, winter, hither, thither, gay, avoids, problematic, archaic, sounding, ears, pinnacle, hundred, ago, equal, war, shift, away, appeared, decades, craze, modification, publishers, examples, berg, gretchaninov, modifications, accommodate, stresses, texts, provide, c19th, salons, mitr, uni, translate, mfl, lovehe, stayed, continues, apace, cementing, showcasing, edit, interesting, coming, adminsitrative, tutees, strategy, meetings, mentor, plans, careful, helps, piece, desk, workplace, understands, fluctuates, living, uncertain, wider, national, higher, education, landscape, least, dix, neuf, getting, grips, setup, decision, fresh, approaches, watch, personally, links, external, expanding, tech, deliver, interdisciplinary, module, developments, road, seen, glamorous, abindgon, london, nashville, providence, fellowship, vanderbilt, extraordinary, collections, running, secondary, schools, bother, arriving, potential, consultant, elizabeth, happen, professionally, trained, intersect, unique, observe, clinic, apps, extend, linking, classes, computational, mit, institution, served, acting, faculty, deputy, midlands3cities, doctoral, partnership, consortium, montfort, trent, outlook, broader, cross, institutional, responsibility, cohort, members, excellent, administrative, senior, seems, january, april, 150th, anniversary, preview, copy, point, special, issue, depths, beauty, joe, announced, botanist, sidewalk, commemorating, rimbaud, foundation, king, hall, concerts, october, then, gearing, series, events, launch, public, dates, diaries, tickets, happens, coincide, signum, label, fitting, commemorate, 1867, conversations, attracts, interest, almost, crack, structure, authored, formed, taking, shape, lively, discussions, period, proud, smooth, sailing, bits, sharing, tips, disappointments, cropped, interaction, community, motivation, massive, building, borrow, friend, flat, corner, thankfully, hugely, disruptive, maintaining, mental, flow, health, issues, appears, print, currently, sympathise, hard, remembering, regularly, small, tricky, patch, argument, draft, heavy, dose, self, document, painful, presence, marks, milestone, worth, mini, celebration, lengthy, genesis, wanted, 2014, meaty, sections, enhanced, ahrc, discuss, tables, versions, encouraged, analyse, critique, agrees, whatever, advanced, baudelairesong, org, awaiting, permissions, preferred, front, image, designed, index, complete, third, nearly, produced, pre, orders, gives, achievement, nervousness, foyles, amazon, webpage, july, nears, date, improve, access, networks, simple, model, interact, complex, network, interactions, push, pull, directions, apply, edge, devise, input, promote, probe, inherently, universal, varying, degrees, depending, context, precious, hesitations, repetitions, deviations, reverent, continuum, musics, preparing, bumped, tip, haven, include, questions, voices, broadly, fundamental, activity, close, cut, occasion, invite, abstract, practical, vous, jouer, delighted, present, joined, institute, fine, arts, professorial, richard, half, secure, 600, publish, monograph, promoted, high, ranking, whilst, negotiating, realise, tangible, failures, seem, emails, replies, tasks, else, suspect, failing, children, husbands, turn, privileged, achieve, anyhow, ill, nasty, infection, drugs, zap, graduation, ceremony, former, drained, brand, cracked, unpacking, decorating, gardening, making, technically, employed, bizarre, talking, stressed, teenagers, yes, come, myself, leaving, publisher, schedule, accepted, option, waited, lose, queue, hunting, carrying, anyone, injections, probes, outset, prognosis, infamous, wait, negative, laws, collect, cat, removal, men, solicitors, stressful, logistics, packed, boxes, envisaged, heard, overjoyed, suppose, doubly, rewarding, professional, personal, rounds, conceive, doctors, kept, underway, appointed, progress, count, towards, upset, strain, meantime, asking, consider, instinct, disrupt, taken, interview, hours, fractious, tough, semester, fraught, head, undertaking, tied, junior, fly, happening, happened, 35th, birthday, rest, clinics, medics, nurses, faces, grim, brutal, similar, hormones, catch, unexpected, kindly, stepped, finalised, paperwork, altogether, externalling, awful, doctorand, cancelled, effort, psyching, prep, hold, eternally, grateful, reschedule, effects, press, submitting, several, momentous, draining, went, titled, publicly, traditionally, culturally, keep, private, frame, paint, gramophone, previous, incarnations, array, plentiful, luxury, goods, advertisers, invited, exactly, mysterious, lurks, turning, guises, innocently, afresh, sumptuous, cuts, room, critics, claimed, theme, exotic, strange, argued, eminent, scholar, susan, youens, writes, omits, evocation, ocean, reach, occasions, romance, baudeliare, missing, obbligato, amy, harman, rare, fri, march, formidable, louise, alder, bailleu, lied, reconsider, alternative, perspective, position, states, imaginative, presents, transgressively, wishes, sister, quoting, suggests, morally, questionable, addresses, potentially, incestuous, clarify, mon, enfant, sœur, call, babe, albeit, pejorative, term, endearment, carries, none, erotic, sensual, weight, elsewhere, loaded, innocence, transgression, evokes, incorruptibility, vision, non, tainted, prelapsarian, identifies, persona, indicates, specific, location, female, lover, straightforwardly, evident, except, overtly, parisian, unclear, allows, commentators, venice, amsterdam, canals, near, islands, north, africa, réunion, previously, bourbon, travelled, reluctantly, 1840s, nothing, explicit, concrete, quote, wants, fullest, faculties, minds, wherever, defined, asked, ourselves, thoughtful, talks, imaging, extremely, formats, inspiration, aria, country, ambroise, thomas, 1866, opera, joyce, refers, dead, 1914, elusive, figure, reused, novellists, her, appearance, novel, 1795, terence, wonderful, 2011, shows, prevalent, became, picked, nerval, auber, via, balzac, link, théophile, admired, enormously, dedicated, famously, 1840, patently, barcarolle, collection, 1838, breathless, lands, des, amours, echoed, novels, audience, 1861, 1833, chanson, emphasis, ultimately, echoes, clearly, aller, bas, vivre, ensemble, aimer, mourir, adding, sombre, twist, imagined, included, preparation, leading, dying, difference, comédie, mort, joyeuse, nuits, été, fleurs, mal, crossing, cultures, twenty, wilhem, meister, apprenticeship, meisters, lehrjahre, dubliners, connais, louis, vuitton, adverts, david, bowie, gramphone, common, masterclasses, pushed, extremes, enable, locate, sweet, spot, begin, inside, releases, mode, overt, dramatisation, quiet, introspection, intensity, feeling, pronounce, soft, run, spit, minute, hardly, instead, informed, interpretation, relies, body, knowing, poetics, aesthetics, versification, ability, collaborate, creativity, perspectives, bear, cultural, heritage, popular, late, fashioned, courtship, characters, inform, perform, teenage, boy, bumbling, stage, pirouette, pantomime, commedia, dell, arte, aesthetic, artist, informs, dominance, decadence, moral, framework, symbolism, subtly, suggest, indirectly, biographies, stories, marriages, scandals, heart, mistresses, routes, interpreting, emotion, prevalence, repeated, stuck, mind, trapped, vocalises, followed, freedom, switch, rapidly, between, types, colour, motif, experiment, improvisatory, switching, octave, moments, following, driver, phrase, allowing, drive, direction, explored, responses, opposed, definitive, particularly, encountering, completely, reverential, score, performing, throughout, 1880s, 1900s, preference, highest, chose, under, 100, era, banville, bourget, leconte, isle, louÿs, mallarmé, musset, centuries, tristan, hermite, charles, orléans, villon, 1890s, affinity, subtleties, sets, originally, muse, coloratura, soprano, madame, vasnier, 1882, 1891, reduces, amount, recasts, metrical, emphases, quatrains, decasyllables, alternating, falls, units, specifically, construction, order, images, sound, variation, plays, encounters, functions, negotiate, demands, remains, options, lines, reworking, fix, problems, reworks, response, mature, someone, fêtes, galantes, prose, lyriques, nine, paul, 1844, 1896, claude, 1862, 1918, centenary, marking, season, intersects, ask, answer, coach, familiar, industry, train, understood, sector, explain, pianist, collaborative, specialising, skip,

Text of the page (random words):
sed to it and to feel lucky and privileged for all the things we have managed to achieve along the way anyhow and so to richard for everything share this share on facebook opens in new window facebook share on x opens in new window x like loading leave a comment posted in uncategorized a manifesto for song research posted on 29 november 2017 leave a comment earlier this month i was delighted to present my professorial inaugural lecture recital at the university of birmingham s barber institute of fine arts i was joined by the fabulous song duo mary bevan and joseph middleton so i was able to offer live performances of the works i research as part of my current major research project the baudelaire song project as i was preparing my lecture i bumped into a colleague who offered a really helpful tip think of your inaugural as presenting a manifesto for your future research it really got me thinking i m already looking ahead to my next research project and while i haven t framed it fully yet i know it will include questions about how we use our voices in different languages which for me also includes musical language more broadly i want to examine the whole idea of song as a fundamental human activity that we don t yet fully understand so i decided to close my lecture with my first cut of a manifesto for the future of song research i thought i d share it here on this blog in part to mark the occasion of my inaugural and in part to invite conversation around how we talk about song in both abstract and practical terms à vous de jouer a manifesto for song research we need to be less reverent about classical song accept that it is part of a continuum which includes a whole range of musics be less precious about how text is set to music there are always going to be hesitations repetitions or deviations promote and probe the inherently universal human experience of song the language of the words lyrics matters but to varying degrees depending on the context working with singers is a must apply the most cutting edge techniques to song analysis that we can devise or find that will mean going more and more digital but digital does not mean without human input improve access to song networks there is no simple model of how words and music interact songs are a complex and busy network of interactions which push and pull in different directions because songs are live and lived things share this share on facebook opens in new window facebook share on x opens in new window x like loading leave a comment posted in uncategorized when a book nears its release date posted on 13 july 2017 leave a comment my third academic book is nearly ready for release oup has produced a webpage for the book and amazon and foyles already have it online for pre orders it is so exciting it gives a real sense of achievement but there s a nervousness there still because there are still a couple of proof and index stages to complete before the book will be printed we are still awaiting permissions for my preferred front cover image before it can be designed only three other people have ever read the whole thing so far baudelaire in song s online presence nonetheless marks a key milestone and it is worth a mini celebration the book had a lengthy genesis as many do it has always been the book i wanted to write the first words were written in 2014 i submitted the full typescript in september 2016 it is 94 000 words long the meaty analysis sections were enhanced because i got an ahrc grant which started in 2015 and meant that i had a team of researchers around me to discuss ideas and findings with the book has data tables full raw data versions of which will soon be up online at baudelairesong org other researchers are encouraged to analyse and critique that data and to review my findings in the book it may be that not everyone agrees with me but whatever other people think i will have advanced our thinking about what really goes on when poetry is set to music before it appears in print though i want to reflect a bit on the writing process i have colleagues and friends who are currently in the early stages of writing and i sympathise it is hard work if there s one thing i learnt writing this book it was remembering to regularly celebrate the small successes along the way the day i got through a really tricky patch of the argument the day i finished a full chapter draft even though i knew it would still need a heavy dose of self editing the day i put the whole typescript together in one document and printed it out for editing editing the full typescript was the most painful thing i ve ever done some of it was a lot worse than i thought it would be it took me about 5 weeks longer than planned there are a couple of things that affected writing this book in particular when i wrote the first 3 chapters we were in the middle of a massive building project at home that wasn t easy i was able to borrow a friend s flat round the corner to do some of the writing thankfully as i was finishing off the analysis chapters we moved house city and jobs that was hugely disruptive to maintaining the mental flow and i had some challenging health issues in the middle of it all but i got it done and i m proud of it perhaps all the more so because it wasn t smooth sailing i found it helpful to blog about key bits of the process during my study leave in 2015 sharing top tips and reflecting on disappointments challenges that cropped up the interaction i got from others in the academic community and beyond was really helpful for my motivation i m almost ready to crack on with the next book in fact i ve got two planned i ve planned out the chapter structure for one this one will be co authored my first co written book and i have written one sentence of the other that s my next big idea the idea isn t fully formed yet but it s taking shape and i m enjoying some lively and open ended discussions with colleagues from around the world about those ideas i plan to blog about the process again next year when i have a period of research leave but before then i am gearing up for the autumn and a whole series of events around the launch of baudelaire in song all open to the public so get these dates in your diaries and book tickets as soon as you can my book release happens to coincide with the release of a fantastic new album of baudelaire songs on the signum label sung by mary bevan with joseph middleton at the piano the book and the disc are fitting ways to commemorate 150 years since baudelaire s death on 31 august 1867 join me in conversations about why baudelaire still attracts so much interest still today 19 october 2017 11 30 15 30 baudelaire from the depths of beauty oxford lieder festival 17 november 2017 13 00 14 00 songs from baudelaire inaugural lecture recital prof helen abbott mary bevan and joe middleton barber concerts university of birmingham full autumn programme to be announced soon 22 november 2017 19 00 21 00 baudelaire botanist of the sidewalk commemorating 150 years since baudelaire s death poet in the city rimbaud and verlaine foundation king s place hall one and finally for those of you who want a little preview and who speak french you might want to get your hands on a copy of le point special issue on baudelaire released this month share this share on facebook opens in new window facebook share on x opens in new window x like loading leave a comment posted in poetry and music tagged baudelaire baudelaire 150th anniversary baudelaire in song baudelaire song project i am not superwoman 8 lessons from my first 8 months as prof posted on 9 april 2017 leave a comment share this share on facebook opens in new window facebook share on x opens in new window x like loading leave a comment posted in uncategorized tagged academia professor superwoman university of birmingham women in academia what s new posted on 4 january 2017 leave a comment in september i moved institutions and took up a more senior role four months into my new post as professor of modern languages at the university of birmingham it seems a good time to reflect on what s new for me new postgraduate role at my last institution i served as acting faculty lead for postgraduate affairs at birmingham i am now deputy director of the college graduate school and co site director of the midlands3cities doctoral training partnership across a consortium of 6 universities university of birmingham birmingham city university university of leicester de montfort university university of nottingham and nottingham trent university it means my outlook is much broader cross institutional and i have responsibility for a larger cohort of students but i also have a larger team there are 2 other academic members of staff in related college pg roles and we have an excellent team of administrative support staff new collaborations since arriving in birmingham i have met with lots of new people both within and outside of academia one exciting potential new collaboration is with a specialist voice consultant at the queen elizabeth hospital we both happen to also be professionally trained singers so our jobs research and practice intersect in fairly unique ways i m looking forward to going in to observe a voice clinic in the next few weeks and am exploring different voice analysis apps to extend my own research approach other opportunities are in the pipeline including linking up with the conservatoire for their french song performance classes and exploring new ideas around computational musicology with a colleague i met at mit when i was over in boston in the autumn new places my new role has seen me travel a lot more for work in the first few months of the academic year i got to travel to some glamorous places and some a little less exciting all for work abindgon boston leicester london nashville nottingham providence ri sheffield some of these trips were for research including a fellowship at vanderbilt university where i got to work with their extraordinary baudelaire collections some were for engagement work including a 4 day recording session working on a new disc of baudelaire songs and co running a masterclass at an amazing new song festival songmakers some were for outreach including presenting to secondary schools on why bother with languages new curriculum moving universities always means getting to grips with a new setup new modules and new ways of delivering programmes but part of my decision to move institutions was because of the exciting opportunities birmingham has to offer as the modern languages team work on fresh approaches to its degree programmes watch this space for me personally this has meant setting up links with external partners expanding my knowledge and expertise around languages tech and approaching colleagues from across the university to co deliver a new interdisciplinary words and music module new modules and curriculum developments take time but we re a long way down the road but amongst all of these new things much has stayed the same the baudelaire song project continues apace with more exciting findings really cementing our research approach we are very much looking forward to showcasing some of these in 2017 i continue to edit the journal dix neuf with a range of interesting pieces in the pipeline for publication in the coming year some of my adminsitrative work is the same tutees open days planning strategy meetings and i continue to mentor colleagues around research plans the diversity of the work i do is exciting but it also means pretty careful time planning to make sure i manage to fit everything in it helps of course that i got a big piece of research off my desk just as i started at birmingham my oup book typescript and that i have amazing support outside of the workplace my husband is also in academia so understands how the workload fluctuates at different times of year we might be living and working in uncertain times in terms of the wider national and international higher education landscape but for now at least i am able to say i love my new job share this share on facebook opens in new window facebook share on x opens in new window x like loading leave a comment posted in modern languages uncategorized tagged academia collaboration curriculum engagement graduate school lovehe mfl modern languages outreach postgraduate professor should you translate songs posted on 23 november 2016 leave a comment 10 lessons from the songmakers masterclass with roderick williams mitr uni sheffield 12 november 2016 1 lots of songs have been translated schubert s music enjoyed huge success in france because he was sung in french translation in many of the early c19th salons 2 some composers set texts in one language and provide a parallel translation with some modifications to the rhythm melody to accommodate different stresses of each language examples berg gretchaninov 3 publishers especially at the start of the c20th published a lot of translated songs parallel scores often with the english translated language on top without composer modification during the first world war there was a distinct shift away from singing in german but even debussy s songs appeared in parallel translations in the early decades of the c20th as part of the craze in the uk and us for singing in english 4 not all translations are equal but to claim one is better than another is often problematic an archaic sounding translation to our ears today may have been the pinnacle of translation a hundred years ago a translation of gute nacht good night from schubert s winterreise winter journey might use hither thither and gay a more modern translation avoids those terms 5 singing translations differ from singable ones sometimes a singer has to adapt what a translator has done discussing with the translator if appropriate possible 6 different audiences like to hear different things those with extensive knowledge of the lieder repertoire tend to want to hear it in original language newer audiences enjoy the experience of being able to understand what is being said 7 singers love it when audiences are looking up at them traditional concert programmes with poems and translations mean audiences are often heads down reading and rustling pages which is offputting for performers 8 a song performed in translation is an entirely different work doing different not necessarily better or worse things it s like a film adaption of a book some things get left out others have to change there is no direct equivalence 9 song translations help singers and pianists to understand what is going on in the text but good practice means performers heavily annotate their scores with word for word translations and key ideas from the text to make sure they are conveying meanings and emotions 10 singing in translation can be less daunting than working on language pronunciation and diction but it doesn t mean it is less work for the singer share this share on facebook...