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Staff Profiles

Dr Aidan Thomson

BA., MMus., DPhil, PGCert

Contact Details

Senior Lecturer
College of Arts Social Science
& Celtic Studies
University of Galway
E: aidan.thomson@universityofgalway.ie
 
researcher
 

Biography

Aidan Thomson is Senior Lecturer in Music at the University of Galway in Ireland. Previously, he taught at Queen¿s University, Belfast, and the University of Leeds. A graduate of the universities of Oxford (M.A., D.Phil.) and London (M.Mus.), his research is concerned with early twentieth-century British and Irish music, particularly Elgar, Bax, Smyth and Vaughan Williams. He co-edited The Cambridge Companion to Vaughan Williams (Cambridge University Press, 2013) with Alain Frogley, and wrote and presented `Bax, Ireland and 1916¿ for RTÉ Lyric fm in 2016 as part of the Irish radio station¿s centenary celebrations of the Easter Rising. He is an elected Council member of the Society for Musicology in Ireland, and a former Reviews Editor of the Journal of the Society for Musicology in Ireland.

Research Interests

Late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century British and Irish art music; reception history; music historiography; music and literature; analysis; editing.

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2014) 'Elgar and the City: The Cockaigne Overture and Contributions of Modernity'
Thomson, Aidan J. (2014) 'Elgar and the City: The Cockaigne Overture and Contributions of Modernity'. Musical Quarterly, 96 (2):219-262 [DOI] [Details]
(2013) 'Proficiscere, anima Christiana: Gerontius and German mysticism'
Thomson, Aidan J. (2013) 'Proficiscere, anima Christiana: Gerontius and German mysticism'. Musical Quarterly, 138 (2):275-312 [DOI] [Details]
(2013) 'Bax and the 'Celtic North''
Thomson, Aidan J. (2013) 'Bax and the 'Celtic North''. Journal of the Society for Musicology in Ireland, 8 (null):51-87 [Details]
(2012) 'Music and the Irish Literary Imagination. By Harry White'
Thomson, Aidan J. (2012) 'Music and the Irish Literary Imagination. By Harry White'. Music & Letters, 93 (1):86-89 [DOI] [Details]
(2008) 'Edward Elgar, Modernist. By J.P.E. Harper-Scott'
Thomson, Aidan J. (2008) 'Edward Elgar, Modernist. By J.P.E. Harper-Scott'. Music & Letters, 89 (1):134-139 [DOI] [Details]
(2005) 'Elgar and Chivalry'
Aidan Thomson (2005) 'Elgar and Chivalry'. 19th-Century Music, 28 (3) (3):254-275 [DOI] [Details]

Book Chapters

  Year Publication
(2024) 'Interwar Continental Reception'
Thomson, Aidan J. (2024) 'Interwar Continental Reception' In: Vaughan Williams in Context. :259-268 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [Details]
(2013) 'Vaughan Williams and his successors: composers' forum'
Davies, Peter Maxwell; Hellawell, Piers; LeFanu, Nicola; Payne, Anthony; Thomson, Aidan J. (2013) 'Vaughan Williams and his successors: composers' forum' In: The Cambridge Companion to Vaughan Williams. :299-320 Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. [Details]
(2015) 'Bax's 'Sea Symphony''
Thomson, Aidan J. (2015) 'Bax's 'Sea Symphony'' In: The Sea in the British Musical Imagination. :225-249 Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: Boydell and Brewer. [Details]
(2018) ''Es klang so alt und war doch so neu': Vaughan Williams, Aesthetics and History'
Thomson, Aidan J. (2018) ''Es klang so alt und war doch so neu': Vaughan Williams, Aesthetics and History' In: British Musical Criticism and Intellectual Thought, 1850-1950. :255-277 Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: Boydell and Brewer. [Details]
(2018) 'Elgar's Part-Song Cycle, Op. 53: Idealism and Education'
Thomson, Aidan J. (2018) 'Elgar's Part-Song Cycle, Op. 53: Idealism and Education' In: Music, Modern Culture and the Critical Ear: A Festschrift for Peter Franklin. :195-226 Abingdon, Oxon., UK: Routledge. [Details]
(2013) 'Becoming a national composer: critical reception to c.1925'
Thomson, Aidan J. (2013) 'Becoming a national composer: critical reception to c.1925' In: The Cambridge Companion to Vaughan Williams. :56-78 Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. [Details]
(2010) 'Decadence in the Forest: Smyth's Der Wald in its Critical Context'
Thomson, Aidan J. (2010) 'Decadence in the Forest: Smyth's Der Wald in its Critical Context' In: Felsensprengerin, Brueckenbauerin, Wegbereiterin. Die Komponistin Ethel Smyth. :218-247 Muenchen, Germany: Allitera Verlag. [Details]
(2007) 'Unmaking The Music Makers'
Thomson, Aidan J. (2007) 'Unmaking The Music Makers' In: Elgar Studies. :99-134 Cambridge University Press. [Details]
(2007) 'Elgar's Critical Critics'
Thomson, Aidan J. (2007) 'Elgar's Critical Critics' In: Edward Elgar and His World. :193-222 Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. [Details]
(2007) 'Early reviews of The Apostles in British periodicals'
Thomson, Aidan J. (2007) 'Early reviews of The Apostles in British periodicals' In: Elgar and his world. :127-172 Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. [Details]
(2004) 'Elgar in German criticism'
Thomson, Aidan J. (2004) 'Elgar in German criticism' In: The Cambridge Companion to Elgar. :204-213 Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. [Details]

Edited Books

  Year Publication
(2013) The Cambridge Companion to Vaughan Williams.
Frogley, Alain and Thomson, Aidan J (Ed.). (2013) The Cambridge Companion to Vaughan Williams The Cambridge Companion to Vaughan Williams. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. [Details]

Other Journals

  Year Publication
(2008) 'Part-Songs. Cambridge University Chamber Choir, Iain Farrington (piano), conducted by Christopher Robinson'
Thomson, Aidan J. (2008) 'Part-Songs. Cambridge University Chamber Choir, Iain Farrington (piano), conducted by Christopher Robinson' The Elgar Society Journal, 15 (6) :51-53. [Details]
(2006) 'Music as a bridge: Musikalische Beziehungen zwischen England und Deutschland 1920-1950, edited by Christa Bruestle and Guido Heldt'
Thomson, Aidan J. (2006) 'Music as a bridge: Musikalische Beziehungen zwischen England und Deutschland 1920-1950, edited by Christa Bruestle and Guido Heldt' The Elgar Society Journal, 14 (6) :45-48. [Details]

Professional Associations

  Association Function From / To
Council of the Society for Musicology in Ireland Elected member 01-JUL-21 / 30-JUN-27
Council of the Heads of Music in Higher Education, Ireland Member 01-MAR-18 /
Royal Musical Association Elected member of Council 01-JAN-08 / 31-DEC-10
North American British Music Studies Association Elected member of Board 01-JAN-08 / 31-DEC-10
Network of European Musicological Societies Steering Group 01-SEP-22 /
Council of the Society for Musicology in Ireland Honorary Secretary 01-JUL-12 / 30-JUN-15

Committees

  Committee Function From / To
Archives Committee, University of Galway Member 01-JAN-24 /
IRRP Committee, School of English, Media and Creative Arts Member 09-OCT-23 /
School Executive, School of English and Creative Arts Member 16-FEB-18 /
Curriculum Committee, School of English, Media and Creative Arts Member 16-FEB-18 /
Discipline of Music, School of English, Media and Creative Arts Chair 16-FEB-18 /
School Board, School of English, Media and Creative Arts Member 16-FEB-18 /

Employment

  Employer Position From / To
Queen's University Belfast Lecturer in Music 20-JUN-03 / 14-JUN-18
University of Galway Senior Lecturer in Music 16-FEB-18 /
University of Leeds Teaching Fellow in Music 30-SEP-02 / 19-JUN-03

Education

  Year Institution Qualification Subject
2003 University of Oxford DPhil Music
1996 University of London MMus Historical Musicology
1995 University of Oxford BA Honours Music
2006 Queen's University Belfast PGCHET Education

Consultancy

  Client Description
RTÉ Lyric fm
Researched, conducted interviews, wrote and recorded 'Bax, Ireland and 1916' for RTÉ Lyric fm's The Lyric Feature. This was broadcast on 19 Feb 2016, and has been repeated on 24 Jan 2021.
Reef Television Limited
Provided professional advice about Vaughan Williams for a television programme.
Ludlow English Song Weekend
Invited speaker for panel discussions
Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick
Member, Subject Review Group, Music

Community Engagement

  Title Type From / To
Outreach Luminosa Music 01-DEC-18 /
Board Membership Luminosa Music 01-MAR-18 / 30-JUN-22
Teaching (e.g. Service learning / comunity based learning) Reflecting the Rising 28-MAR-16 / 28-MAR-16
Board Membership Galway Steinway Trust 01-JUN-18 /
Outreach Galway Early Music Festival 04-MAY-18 / 04-MAY-18
Outreach Galway International Arts Festival/Irish National Opera 25-JUL-18 / 16-JUL-19
Outreach Maoin Cheoil na Gaillimhe 12-MAY-18 / 12-MAY-18

Reviews

  Journal Role
Music & Letters Reviewer
Journal of the Society for Musicology in Ireland Editoral Board
Nineteenth-Century Music Review Reviewer
Journal Of The Royal Musical Association Reviewer

Other Activities

  Description

Peer-reviewing for Ashgate Publishing, Boydell & Brewer, Cambridge University Press, and the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.

Teaching Interests

History of western art music, theory and analysis, historiography, editing, dissertation supervision, symphonic music, opera.

Modules Taught

  Term/Year Module Title Module Code Subject / Desc
2023/2024 Music History 2 MU2108 Music
2021/2022 Music Project MU3105 Music
2023/2024 Harmony and Keyboard Harmony MU2100 Music
2023/2024 Opera MU4107 Music
2023/2024 Music History 3 MU4104 Music
2022/2023 Music Editing and Transcription MU3101 Music
2021/2022 Writing About Music: Performance Analysis MU4102 Music
2021/2022 Music Extended Essay MU4100 Music
2021/2022 Musical Theatre MU2105 Music
2019/2020 Music Theory and Critical Listening MU1103 Music
2023/2024 Introduction to Music History MU1100 Music
2019/2020 Music History and Repertories MU2101 Music
2023/2024 Music Work Placement MU3106 Music
2023/2024 Music Study Abroad MU3104 Music
2023/2024 Introduction to Musicology MU3107 Music

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