From 1 July, the Department of History of Art at the University of York will be a partner of the AHRC research project 'The Production and Reading of Music Sources, 1480-1530.

From 1 July, the Department of History of Art at the University of York will be a partner of the AHRC research project 'The Production and Reading of Music Sources, 1480-1530' (http://www.proms.ac.uk), with Hanna Vorholt as co-investigator. The project is currently advertising a Research Assistantship at the Warburg Institute (University of London):

Warburg Institute

Research Assistant in Art History (fixed term, 10 months)

The Production and Reading of
Polyphonic Music Sources, 1480–1530 (PRoMS)

Applications are invited for a research assistantship in Art History, as part of this major research project funded by the AHRC.

Funded by the AHRC since December 2010, the project 'The Production and Reading of Music Sources, 1480–1530 (PRoMS)' conducts the first systematic study of the mise-en-page of Renaissance sources of polyphonic music. The project examines how the verbal text, musical notation and other visual devices interact on the pages of these manuscripts and printed books, and it explores the ways in which meaning is constructed through such interactions by their makers and users; it also transfers the results of the investigation to present-day performances.

The successful candidate will, in collaboration with the other members of the research team, contribute to an online catalogue of mise-en-page information for all extant sources from this period. S/he will also research and analyse two manuscript sources and their layout in detail with regard to strategies of production and use and adapt these and existing case studies to the online environment, as well as assist in the editing of the printed outputs.

The appointee, based at the Warburg Institute, will be an art historian with a doctorate or equivalent qualification; s/he will have specialist knowledge of art of the 15th and 16th centuries, specifically of manuscript illumination. Expertise in codicology and paleography will be essential, as will be willingness to engage actively in the development and preparation of the database and online resource. An interest in music of the period and knowledge of musical notation would be desirable, as would previous experience in working with databases and online environments, and an ability to engage with theoretical aspects of material culture of the late medieval/early modern period.  

The project is a collaboration between the University of Manchester, the Warburg Institute, Bangor University, the University of York, the Alamire Foundation (Leuven/Belgium), and the Department of Digital Humanities (DDH) at King’s College London.

This replacement post is tenable immediately for a fixed term of 10 months. The appointment will be to Level 7 (Research), currently £29,541–36,298 p.a. plus London Allowance of £2,134 p.a., making a total of £31,675–38,432 p.a.

Further details of the project, the assistantship and how to apply can be found at http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/. Informal enquiries may be addressed to the project director, Professor Thomas Schmidt, at thomas.schmidt@manchester.ac.uk.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 30 June 2013, and interviews will be held in London on Monday, 15 July 2013.