The Oxford collegiate choral tradition reaches as far back as 10th century AC, following a tradition of cathedral choirs with 1400 years of history. Sacred music has played a predominant role in the Anglican collegiate chapels, where the ‘gown’ (students) in the collegiate choirs sing for the ‘town’ (inhabitants of Oxford city) and in recent years, growing number of tourists. Furthermore, many independent choirs and music societies provide performance opportunities for students and staff. Today, University of Oxford and its colleges and halls consist of people of all genders; however, this oldest university in the English-speaking world is historically a male-oriented dominion. Until 1850, the university and the colleges were primarily a monastery-like religious institutions where fellows (all men) were forbidden to marry and expected to live in celibacy and excluded women as fellows and students until 1920 (The History of the University of Oxford, 1994).
The Oxford colleges were originally established to distinguish the ‘gown’ from the ‘town’ (Lee De-Amici, 1999, p. v; The History of University of Oxford). Hence, the musical life at Oxford colleges and halls reflected its socio-demographic context and thus affected by the Anglican choral tradition, historically predominantly (and exclusively) male-oriented, with men in the back rows (tenors, basses and counter tenors) and a boy treble line in the front rows (Harrison, Welch & Adler, 2012). As a result, the presence of women in Oxford colleges and halls is a relatively recent phenomenon.
This project is focused on the collegiate choirs with three main aspects in mind:
1) The traditional form of men in the back rows and boys in the front rows dates back 1400 years and the all-male choir is considered (by some) as a cultural institution that should be preserved. Within the Church of England, choristerships were only available to boys (aged 6-13) until early 1990s. The arrival of girl trebles was by some considered threat to the traditional male-voice choral sound (Mould, 2007, p. 268-268).
2) The aspect of gender politics and equal opportunities: Girls are still not permitted to join the three choral foundations (Christ Church, Magdalen and New) and the choral foundations seem to be perceived as the most prestigious choirs in terms of musical quality and international reputation. This is linked to the historical context and perspective of preservation, economic aspect (access to funding and perks and benefits / salaries for the singers), administrative and cultural policy issues, competition in terms of musical talent and the politics of vocal auditions.
3) The socio-economic perspective: The demography of UK students at Oxford demonstrates that around 45% are private school educated (compared to 7% of all pupils in UK). State schools have in the last decades been forced to decrease options for their students in terms of music education. Hence, private school educated students are better equipped obtain choral scholarships or lay clerkships. This development indicates that scholarships and choral opportunities in Oxford, Cambridge and English cathedrals might be less available to students from poor socioeconomic backgrounds and be an increasing elitist venue.
The purpose of this project is to raise an awareness of the unique historic collegiate choral tradition in Oxford as a cultural phenomenon. In addition, this project will provide a useful insight for policy makers regarding the importance of access to music education on all school levels.
