About us

The Department of Musicology offers studies of music as most broadly defined. Our program is designed to train our students to become individuals with the knowledge and skills to pursue music-related professions and beyond.

The Department of Musicology (Gakuri-ka, the term adopted from the field of Buddhist chant) was established in 1949, when Tokyo Ongaku Gakko (Tokyo Music School, founded in 1887) became the Faculty of Music of Tokyo Geijutsu Daigaku. Ongaku Torishirabegakari (Music Investigation Committee, 1879 – 1887), the predecessor of Tokyo Ongaku Gakko, was dedicated to both the instruction of musical performance and the research on various types of music, including topics in the history and theory of Japanese and Western music. The curriculum of Tokyo Ongaku Gakko also included courses in music history, music theory, and aesthetics, indicating that these subjects were already recognized as essential parts of a specialized musical education. When it was founded, the Department focused on the history and theory of Western art music. Over the years, however, it has broadened its scope to encompass the history of Japanese and Asian musics and ethnomusicology, resulting in its current educational and research structure that incorporates a wide range of perspectives and issues.

Presently, classes in the Department of Musicology cover a wide range of musical topics, taught in lectures, seminars, and independent studies. An additional emphasis is given to foreign languages and musical performance.

Graduate courses in the Department of Musicology (master’s and doctoral studies) are also available.