The Faculty of Music has announced the creation of the new Nigel Nettheim Scholarship for Schubert Studies, for one DPhil student joining in the 2026/27 academic year.
The scholarship is funded by Australian musicologist, Dr Nigel Nettheim, who has established the scholarship before his will comes into effect. He told Cherwell: “For about sixty years I have enthusiastically studied Schubert’s music. In an attempt to continue this work beyond my life I included a bequest in my will.”
Franz Schubert, an Austrian composer of the Romantic period, produced an enormous body of work during his short lifetime; as well as opera, symphonies, and chamber music, he is particularly well-known for his work in the Lieder genre, art songs typically written for one person accompanied by the piano. The DPhil student will explore Schubert’s extensive work to “throw new light onto his compositions”, following on from Dr Nettheim’s research.
Dr Nettheim told Cherwell that he was “first drawn to Schubert’s personal character via a biography. I then found, to my delight, that his music truly reflected that personal character”. Dr Nettheim hopes that the scholarship will allow “insight into how Schubert’s amazing mind worked. The main evidence is contained in his scores, whose comparative analysis can contribute to building up the sought-after picture of his otherwise-hidden mental activity”.
Dr Nettheim decided that Australia, his home country, “has many attractive features but it is probably less suited to this research than is, for instance, the UK. Hence the Oxford scholarship”.
The award will cover the full DPhil course fees at the Home rate and a living stipend for three years.
During their time in Oxford, the DPhil student will reside at Wadham College, an apt home for a music student due to its proximity to the Holywell Music Room and an active music-making culture amongst Wadham students.
Also available to the student will be the facilities in the new Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, where the Faculty of Music is housed. The incoming DPhil student will be able to make the most of the facilities and performance spaces, including practice rooms and a recital hall.
