Arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and… music. There is no need to look for the intruder, there is none: in the Middle Ages, music theory was classified among the sciences within the quadrivium, the set of mathematical sciences. “Music is an acoustic phenomenon, the relationship between science and music is rich and intellectually coherent”, explains Marie Demeilliez. The musicology professor is responsible for the double degree in physics and musicology from the University of Grenoble-Alpes, one of the two courses that update this combination as obvious as it is surprising.
The first to invest in this land on the border between arts and sciences, La Sorbonne inaugurated its double degree in science and musicology in 2010. “This course was born from the frustration of students who, leaving high school, did not want to separate from two disciplines dear to them”retrace Benoît Navarret, co-head of the double degree course in science and musicology at the Sorbonne University.
In 2017 it’s up to the University of Grenoble-Alpes to launch its double degree in physics and musicology. “Music teachers told us that many of their students came from a scientific background. Grenoble is an ideal place to connect the two fields, thanks to the strong presence of physicists on campus and the sound trades class at the Grenoble Conservatory. Students interested in this opportunity can carry out practical activities »confirms Marie Demeilliez.
Challenging curriculum
In Paris as in Grenoble, these double licenses attract many candidates: about two hundred, from all over France, for only twenty positions. “Selected students have a good standing, a good or very good honors in the baccalaureate, with a major in mathematics or physics and a musical practice. They are active and curious: half have the status of high-level athlete or artist, which is much more than in other licenses »., explains the musicology teacher. At the end of the three years of training, his students obtain both a degree in musicology and a degree in physics.
The double license is proving demanding in terms of hours and multidisciplinarity, Benoît Navarret abounds: “Our students must be as comfortable writing music as they are math, harmonizing as well as mechanics. We are not there to fill the bar of twenty-four students for promotion, we only select the profiles that we imagine will arrive at the end of the three years of training. »
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