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STUDENT PERSPECTIVESDaniel Gallagher(2002, MPhil, Musicology and Performance; 2004, DPhil, Musicology)Probably the most unexpected moment of my graduateresearch was finding myself at the Royal Opera Housebeing filmed discussing the lives and music of Robertand Clara Schumann with Sting and Trudi Styler. It was,however, hardly surprising to find that these nineteenthcenturymusicians had captured the imagination of thisfamous present-day artistic couple who were featuringin Twin Spirits, a production retelling the Schumanns’remarkable story.Having fallen in love at a young age, Robert Schumannand Clara Wieck (as she was then known) were kept apartby her disapproving father. Their abundant correspondencereveals an astonishing devotion to each other despitepainful years of imposed separation. Whilst the story ofthe Schumanns’ relationship can be traced through theseletters, more intriguingly it can also be recaptured in themusical exchange that passed between them. Referencesin their own compositions to each other’s works and thoseof the Polish pianist Frédéric Chopin (whose sensuousmusic – also described as other-worldly and transcendent– they adopted as a site for meeting ‘in spirit’) became ameans of private communication that bridged the gap oftheir physical distance.As a pianist myself, my research was motivated by acuriosity to understand the musical overlap in pieceswritten by a number of pianist-composers of the midnineteenthcentury, such as the kind that links the worksof the Schumanns and Chopin. Oxford has been theideal place to write a doctoral thesis. I have enjoyedthe freedom to pursue my ideas supported by vibrantacademic and musical communities. Catz in particular hasa tradition for attracting students with an eclectic rangeof musical tastes. This, coupled with the magnificentsurroundings of Jacobsen’s buildings, has made for aninvigorating environment in which to live and work.The opportunities available to students at Oxford alsoextend beyond those to be found at the University itself.I undertook a year of graduate study at the University ofChicago, which came about through an initial introductionby Professor Peter Franklin, a Catz Fellow, to the Germanmusicologist – and Schumann enthusiast – BertholdHoeckner. In Chicago, I made use of the University’sChopin Collection as well as exploring my broaderintellectual and social interests. On my return to Europe,I presented a paper at the Sixth International ChopinConference in Warsaw, which was not only a great chancefor scholarly exchange with others working in my field butalso an opportunity to get some serious Chopin tourismunder my belt.Looking back to when I began the DPhil, I would nothave envisaged the paths that I have taken. As I moveon to new things, I do so with a widened view of whatis available to me, and that has been one of the mostvaluable aspects of the whole experience.I have enjoyedthe freedomto pursuemy ideassupportedby vibrantacademicand musicalcommunities.ST CATHERINE’S COLLEGE 2008/27