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Estelle Murphy is a musicologist with two areas of specialism: English and Irish music of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, and contemporary popular music (specifically heavy metal). Estelle completed her undergraduate degree at University College Cork, where she developed a love of Baroque music. Following this, she undertook a PhD at UCC. Her PhD thesis, 'The Fashioning of a Nation: The Court Ode in the Late Stuart Period' was supervised by Dr Paul Everett and focused on music and politics at the London court during the reigns of the late Stuart monarchs. Having been awarded her PhD in 2012, Estelle continued to lecture at UCC, where she had held various adjunct positions during her time as a postgraduate. In 2014 she was appointed lecturer in music at Maynooth University.
Research Interests
Late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century music in Britain and Ireland; source studies, manuscripts and manuscript culture; the development of the music book as a material item; gender studies and women in music; contemporary popular music; Heavy Metal music.
Research Projects
Title
Role
Description
Start date
End date
Amount
Bodliean Library Fellowship/British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies
Sole researcher
William Boyce and the Development of the Musical Court Ode, 1755–1779
The present application proposes to view the ode manuscripts written by composer William Boyce held in the Music Collections of the Bodleian Library at the Weston Library. The items to be viewed are:
Bodleian, MS. Mus. d. 11.
Bodleian, MS. Mus, Sch. d. 298 to Bodleian, MS. Mus, Sch. d. 340
(inclusive: over forty-three bound items).
The Bodleian Library holds the only surviving copies of William Boyce's ode manuscripts. The collection is complete between 1755 and 1779, and includes scores in the composer's own hand as well as individual parts for instruments and singers. It is crucial that I view these manuscripts in the flesh, as important aspects of compositional procedure are not visible in digitised copies. In addition, important material aspects, such as paper types, watermarks, binding order and binding styles, and measurements of music stave rulings are impossible to analyse without viewing the items first-hand.
In addition to analysing the physical aspects of the manuscripts, I have requested permission to photograph the collection. This will allow for further study once the research trip is complete.
Context and Research Objectives
The English court ode is a large-scale musical composition for soloists, choir, and orchestra. It has its origins in the early seventeenth century and from the Restoration its performance at the London court on New Year’s Day and the monarch’s birthday was established as a tradition. Its composition became the responsibility of the Master of the King’s (or Queen’s) Musick and the Poet Laureate.
The court ode has suffered neglect and even condemnation because of its twofold existence as a perfunctory piece of ceremonial music and a sycophantic poetic form. My research has challenged these notions, showing that the ode is a valuable cultural artefact that offers an invaluable insight into the political intentions held by its creators and how the public image of the monarchy was forged. The routine nature of its composition exposes unique evidence of the ode’s performance requirements, including instrumentation, duration and scale, as well as reflections of contemporary musical developments. From the perspective of the poetry, the value that the court ode holds as a method of expressing the official perspective and intentions of the monarchy has begun to be recognized by scholars such as Andrew R. Walkling. However, this recognition has focused primarily on the ode output of Henry Purcell and his contemporaries.
I recently secured a contract with Boydell & Brewer for a monograph on the court ode from the Restoration to 1779. This will replace the now outdated book, English Court Odes, 1660–1820, by Rosamond McGuinness (1971). The research outlined for the present proposal will look at William Boyce’s odes specifically, a large body of works that spans his time as Master of the King’s Musick (1755–1779). Boyce’s court odes are of such importance to the genre that Boydell & Brewer’s editors specifically requested that they be included in the proposed monograph. This expanded the scope of the book and increased the extent of research necessary.
I intend to establish an overview of the development of the ode in Boyce’s hands. It will examine the instrumentation with a view to understanding how orchestral practices changed in the period and how this influenced the composition of contemporary large-scale instrumental works. It is anticipated that the development and shift in musical style in this period will be reflected in Boyce’s odes as his maturity as a composer progressed. Conversely, an absence of stylistic musical progression in the odes would expose an adherence to tradition that superseded concerns of fashion and popularity; the proposed research will carefully evaluate the musical styles of Boyce’s early and later odes with the aim of identifying the presence or absence of aesthetic progression and innovation.
I will investigate creative collaboration between Boyce and the poets providing the ode texts. I will analyze musical word-setting decisions considering recent scholarship on beat prosody and schemata with the intention of exposing conformity or non-conformity to established vocal music setting methods.
Due to the number of Boyce’s extant odes and the relatively limited space available to discuss them as part of a monograph covering the development of the court ode from the Restoration to 1779, research outputs will be manifold. They will include, in addition to the monograph chapter, two conference papers, a peer-reviewed article, edited music for publication, and performances by the Irish Baroque Orchestra and other specialist performers.
Methodology
To complete a satisfactory analysis of the development of the ode in Boyce’s hands, it is imperative that I view the manuscripts in person.
The manuscripts in question are primarily written in Boyce’s autograph. This increases their value as musical sources as it is likely that they will contain evidence of compositional decisions (revisions, cuts, and mistakes, for example). This evidence will be noted and recorded as I progress through the ode manuscripts. Features such as these are not easily discernable in facsimiles, especially if pencil was used to annotate. Similarly, differences in the quality and colours of inks used, while clear when viewed in person, are not always evident in facsimiles. Sometimes aspects of compositional decisions are only visible when a folio is viewed using a light box or black light.
I will analyse the watermarks of the music paper used. Watermark analysis has proved an invaluable way of determining dates of composition, as well as revealing instances of inserted ‘stray’ folios. I will also conduct a rastrological examination of the music paper used for Boyce’s odes. Rastrology is the practice of measuring the span of the rastrum (a five-nibbed pen) used to rule blank sheets of paper with music staves. When paired with watermark analysis, rastrology is a crucial tool to understanding the material constitution of a music manuscript.
Photography of the manuscripts will provide a record for future research. It allows the research proposed to be conducted in a timely manner, eliminating the need for laborious manual transcription of content.
Royal Irish Academy Charlemont Grant
Sole researcher
The English court ode is a large-scale musical composition for soloists, choir, and orchestra. It has its origins in the early seventeenth century and from the Restoration its performance at the London court on New Year’s Day and the monarch’s birthday was established as a tradition. Its composition became the responsibility of the Master of the King’s (or Queen’s) Musick and the Poet Laureate.
The court ode has suffered neglect and even condemnation because of its twofold existence as a perfunctory piece of ceremonial music and a sycophantic poetic form. My research has challenged these notions, showing that the ode is a valuable cultural artefact that offers an invaluable insight into the political intentions held by its creators and how the public image of the monarchy was forged. The routine nature of its composition exposes unique evidence of the ode’s performance requirements, including instrumentation, duration and scale, as well as reflections of contemporary musical developments. From the perspective of the poetry, the value that the court ode holds as a method of expressing the official perspective and intentions of the monarchy has begun to be recognized by scholars such as Andrew R. Walkling. However, this recognition has focused primarily on the ode output of Henry Purcell and his contemporaries.
I recently secured a contract with Boydell & Brewer for a monograph on the court ode from the Restoration to 1779. This will replace the now outdated book, English Court Odes, 1660–1820, by Rosamond McGuinness (1971). The research outlined for the present proposal will look at William Boyce’s odes specifically, a large body of works that spans his time as Master of the King’s Musick (1755–1779). Boyce’s court odes are of such importance to the genre that Boydell & Brewer’s editors specifically requested that they be included in the proposed monograph. This expanded the scope of the book and increased the extent of research necessary.
The proposed research intends to establish an overview of the development of the ode in Boyce’s hands. It will examine the instrumentation with a view to understanding how orchestral practices changed in the period and how this influenced the composition of contemporary large-scale instrumental works. It is anticipated that the development and shift in musical style in this period will be reflected in Boyce’s odes as his maturity as a composer progressed. Conversely, an absence of stylistic musical progression in the odes would expose an adherence to tradition that superseded concerns of fashion and popularity; the proposed research will carefully evaluate the musical styles of Boyce’s early and later odes with the aim of identifying the presence or absence of aesthetic progression and innovation.
I will investigate creative collaboration between Boyce and the poets providing the ode texts. It will analyze musical word-setting decisions considering recent scholarship on beat prosody and schemata with the intention of exposing conformity or non-conformity to established vocal music setting methods.
The proposed research is multi-disciplinary in nature and requires a holistic approach. Therefore, the impact of the research will be far-reaching, being relevant to multiple areas in the humanities, including musicology, English literature, monarchial history, colonial history, historically informed performance practice, poetry, and political science.
Due to the number of Boyce’s extant odes and the relatively limited space available to discuss them as part of a monograph covering the development of the court ode from the Restoration to 1779, research outputs will be manifold. They will include, in addition to the monograph chapter, two conference papers, a peer-reviewed article, edited music for publication, and performances by the Irish Baroque Orchestra.
Book
Year
Publication
2026
Estelle Murphy (2026) 'To Speak its Share of Public Joy': The Musical Ode from 1660 to 1779. Suffolk: Boydell & Brewer.
2021
Estelle Murphy (2021) John Eccles, Incidental Music Part 2, Plays H-P, The Works of John Eccles. Wisconsin: A-R Editions, Inc. [Link]
Book Chapter
Year
Publication
2021
Estelle Murpy (2021) 'Ceremonial Song in Eighteenth-Century Dublin: Cousser’s and Dubourg’s Odes and Serenatas' In: The Oxford Handbook of Irish Song, 1100-1850. New York : Oxford University Press. [DOI]
2014
Estelle Murphy (2014) ''Sing Great Anna's Matchless Name': Images of Queen Anne in the Court Ode' In: Queen Anne and the Arts. Maryland : Buckle University Press. [Full-Text]
2013
Estelle Murphy (2013) 'Articles: Arrigoni, Carlo ('Signor') and Arigoni, Ferdinando; Catch and Glee Clubs; Crow Street Music Hall; O'Connor, Dermot; Pinto, Thomas; Scarlatti, Francesco; Smock Alley Theatre' In: Encyclopaedia of Music in Ireland. Dublin : UCD Press.
2024
Estelle Murphy (2024) 'Walsh in Ireland and the Dublin Music Trade' In: Walsh in Europe and Beyond. Bielefeld : Verlag, Bielefeld.
Peer Reviewed Journal
Year
Publication
2017
Estelle Murphy (2017) '‘Liveridge is in Ireland’: Richard Leveridge and the Earliest Surviving Dublin Birthday Odes'. MUSIC AND LETTERS, 98 (1):32-73. https://doi.org/10.1093/ml/gcx012 [Full-Text]
2016
Murphy E. (2016) ''INSPIRE US GENIUS of the DAY': REWRITING the REGENT in the BIRTHDAY ODE for QUEEN ANNE, 1703'. Eighteenth-Century Music, 13 (1):51-72. [DOI][Full-Text]
2014
Estelle Murphy (2014) 'REVIEW: JOHANN CHRISTOPH PEPUSCH CONCERTOS AND OVERTURES FOR LONDON The Harmonious Society of Tickle-Fiddle Gentlemen / Robert Rawson Ramée RAM 1109, 2012; one disc, 59 minutes'. Eighteenth-Century Music, 11 (2):312-314. [Full-Text]
2008
Co-authored with Helen Gubbins, Sarah O'Halloran, Daithí Kearney, Anna M. Dore, Emily Magner, Estelle Murphy (2008) 'A Forum for the Practice of Musicology in Ireland'. British Postgraduate Musicology, 9 . [Full-Text]
2023
Murphy, E. (2023) 'Dubourg, Geminiani and the Violin Concerto in D Major: A Misattribution'. Eighteenth-Century Music, 20 . [Link][DOI][Full-Text]
Estelle Murphy (2023) 'Matthew Dubourg’s Violin Concerto: A Case of Mistaken Identity'Handel Institute Newsletter, 34 (1) . [Link]
2019
Estelle Murphy; Stephen McDermott (2019) '‘“It's a big discovery”: How a lost piece of music composed in 1701 found its way back to the Dublin stage’'The Journal, . [Link]
Blog
Year
Publication
2023
Estelle Murphy (2023) John Eccles, Print, and Popularity, or, Hit Tunes from Restoration London, Part 2. [Blog]
Abstract
Year
Publication
2023
Estelle Murphy (2023) Music to Her Majestie. [Abstract] https://www.continuoconnect.com/event-detail/music-to-her-majestie
Article
Year
Publication
2018
Estelle Murphy (2018) Meet death metal's new female growlers. Ireland: [Article] [Link]
Conference Contribution
Year
Publication
2022
Estelle Murphy (2022) Walsh in Europe and Beyond: Dissemination and Reception of English Music Prints in the 18th Century John Walsh and the Music Trade in Dublin and Ireland Greifswald, Germany, 25/10/2022-27/10/2022.
2022
Estelle Murphy (2022) Society for Musicology in Ireland Annual Plenary Conference Poet, Poetry, Purcell: A New Understanding of the Collaborative Creative Process University College Cork / Online, 24/06/2022-26/06/2022.
2019
Estelle Murphy (2019) 17th Annual Plenary Conference of the Society for Musicology in Ireland ‘“And Is There One Fanatique Left?”: Anticipating Absolutism in the Restoration Court Ode’ Maynooth University, Ireland, 28/06/2019-30/06/2019.
2018
Estelle Murphy (2018) Biennial International Conference on Baroque Music ‘Crossing Borders, Creating Identity: Cousser, Dubourg, and Irish Traditional Song’ Pavia University, Cremona, Italy, 10/07/2018-15/07/2018.
2017
Estelle Murphy (2017) Maynooth University Library, Faculty of Arts, Celtic Studies & Philosophy and SPCM Publications Festival, 2017 ‘The Earliest Surviving Musical Odes for Dublin’ Maynooth University, Ireland, 24/01/2017-24/01/2017.
2017
Estelle Murphy (2017) 15th Annual Plenary Conference of the Society for Musicology in Ireland ‘Postfeminist Posthuman Performance: Reveiling Gender and Identity in Death Metal’ Queens University, Belfast, 16/06/2017-18/06/2017.
2016
Estelle Murphy (2016) 14th Annual Plenary Conference of the Society for Musicology in Ireland ‘”In the VICEROY, bless the KING!”: Self-Borrowing in Matthew Dubourg’s Dublin Odes’ St Patrick's College, Dublin City University, 10/06/2016-12/06/2016.
2016
Estelle Murphy (2016) 17th Biennial International Conference on Baroque Music ‘”In the VICEROY, bless the KING!”: Reuse and Revision in Matthew Dubourg’s Dublin Odes’ Canterbury Christ Church University, 13/07/2016-17/07/2016.
2016
Fiona Smith, Donald Burrows, Rebecca Herissone, Alan Howard, Estelle Murphy, Andrew Woolley (2016) 17th Biennial International Conference on Baroque Music 'The Future of Research into Scribal Hands' Canterbury Christ Church University, 13/07/2016-15/07/2016.
2015
Estelle Murphy (2015) 13th Annual Plenary Conference of the Society for Musicology in Ireland ‘The Musical Characterization of the Stage Irishman in the Early Eighteenth Century’ University College Cork, 12/06/2015-14/06/2015.
Invited Seminars
Year
Publication
2023
Estelle Murphy; Paul Everett (2023) Discoveries and Databases: Writings, Results, and Reflections from a Year in the Archives. [Invited Seminars]
2022
Estelle Murphy (2022) ‘Again the Welcome Morn We Sing’: Constructing a Skewed History of the Baroque Court Ode. Dublin: [Invited Seminars]
International Association for the Study of Popular Music
Ordinary Member
01/01/2013 -
Royal Musical Association
Ordinary Member
01/01/2009 - 31/12/2016
Honors and Awards
Date
Title
Awarding Body
01/07/2022
BSECS Bodleian Fellow
Bodleian Libraries & BSECS
01/01/2019
Charlemont Grant
Royal Irish Academy
01/01/2022
Impact Through Dissemination Support Fund
Research & Development Office, Maynooth University
Committees
Committee
Function
From / To
Undergraduate Studies Committee
Secretary
01/09/2014 -
Faculty Research Committee
Member
02/01/2023 -
Journal for the Society of Musicology in Ireland
Chief Copy Editor
01/09/2018 - 31/12/2023
Campus Life Committee
Member
01/10/2019 - 31/08/2022
Green Campus Committee
Member
01/05/2018 -
Faculty Appeals Committee
Alternate Member
01/09/2016 - 30/08/2019
Faculty Teaching and Learning Committee
Member
14/11/2016 - 01/09/2019
Languages
Language
Reading
Writing
Speaking
French
Functional
Basic
Functional
Irish/Gaeilge
Functional
Functional
Functional
Other Activities
Description
Scouter, professional volunteer with the 16th Kildare Kilcock branch of Scouting Ireland.
Scouter training certificates awarded:
The Story of Scouting eLearning Certificate 24 February 2025; The Story of Scouting Interactive Certificate 13 March 2025; Being a Scouter Certificate 9 June 2025; Safeguarding Certificate 9 June 2025
Editorial / Academic Reviews
Amount
Role
From / To
Journal of the Society for Musicology in Ireland
Editor
01/08/2019 - 01/01/2023
Outreach Activities
Organisation
Type
Description
Maynooth University Orchestra/Music Generation
Civic Society
Kildare County Orchestra
Civic Society
Recent Students
Graduation date
Name
Degree
2021
Cathal Twomey
PhD
External Collaborators
Name
Role
Country
Irish Baroque Orchestra
Interpretation and performance of new musical material discovered, transcribed, and edited by Dr Estelle Murphy
