Music with Italian

Music is one of the oldest forms of human expression and one of the most technically complex, requiring both creative imagination and disciplined analytical understanding. At degree level, music study encompasses performance, composition, music theory, analysis, musicology and the history of musical traditions across cultures and periods. Combining music with Italian adds a European cultural and linguistic dimension that has particular resonance for a subject whose foundational repertoire is deeply intertwined with Italy, from Renaissance polyphony and Baroque opera to the operatic tradition that defined western concert music for centuries.

At Royal Holloway, music forms seventy-five per cent of this three-year full-time programme, with Italian making up the remaining quarter. You will pursue music as your primary academic and creative focus, developing your understanding of harmony, counterpoint, analysis, composition and music history, while also progressing your Italian language skills through core modules. The programme includes a sandwich year, a work placement and a year abroad, and the year abroad is particularly well suited to a music-Italian combination, offering the possibility of spending time in Italy and engaging directly with its living musical and linguistic culture.

You will develop the analytical and creative capabilities that musical study demands, alongside written and oral Italian that will serve you professionally and culturally. The work placement element connects your studies to the music industry or the cultural sector in a practical way, building professional awareness and experience alongside academic learning.

Graduates go into careers in music performance, teaching, arts administration, music publishing, broadcasting, journalism, opera companies, festivals and the wider cultural sector. Knowledge of Italian is valued across many of these roles, particularly in opera administration and classical music programming. Further study in music, musicology, performance or Italian is a common next step for those who want to develop their expertise.