History of Art and Music

History of art and music are disciplines that share a concern with how human creativity takes form in material and sonic objects: how paintings, sculptures, buildings, symphonies and songs embody the ideas, experiences and values of the cultures that made them. Both fields develop close looking and close listening alongside historical and theoretical understanding, training you to engage seriously with works of art and music as objects of scholarly attention as well as aesthetic experience. Combining them at SOAS gives the combination a distinctively global character.

At the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, the programme moves beyond the Eurocentric canon that can dominate both art history and music studies in other institutions. SOAS has particular strength in the arts, music and cultural histories of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, which means you will encounter artistic and musical traditions from across the world and develop a genuinely comparative understanding of visual and sonic culture. The programme runs over three years and includes a foundation year, which builds the academic skills and cultural knowledge needed before you progress to the full degree.

You will study the history and theory of visual art and architecture alongside the history, theory and analysis of musical traditions, examining both canonical and less well-known works and figures in their cultural, political and social contexts. Close analysis of works in both fields, combined with broader historical and theoretical perspectives, develops the analytical and interpretive skills that both disciplines demand.

Graduates go on to careers in museums, galleries and cultural institutions, arts administration, auction houses, music organisations, cultural journalism, education, broadcasting and publishing. Many continue to postgraduate study in art history, musicology, cultural studies or area studies.