![Nicholas Jones](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/4213?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Nicholas Jones
(he/him)
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Teams and roles for Nicholas Jones
Professor of Music
School of Global Humanities
Overview
My research interests lie primarily in British music since 1900 and my work focuses on music analysis, interpretation, sketch study, place and landscape, and aspects of biography, context and national identity. I have co-edited books for Cambridge University Press on Peter Maxwell Davies (2009), Michael Tippett (2013) and Harrison Birtwistle (2015). Other publications include Peter Maxwell Davies, Selected Writings (CUP, 2017), The Music of Peter Maxwell Davies (Boydell & Brewer, 2020) and a chapter in A History of Welsh Music (CUP, 2022). An edited volume, The Symphony in Britain and Ireland Since 1900: A Critical History, was published by Cambridge University Press in August 2026.
I am Co-director of the Cardiff University British Music Research Centre (CUBRIT) and the Peter Maxwell Davies Research Network, and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for the journal Tempo.
Within the School of Music, I have previously held the roles of Head of the School of Music (2023-26), Director of Performance (2022-23) and Director of Recruitment and Admissions (2018-21).
I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and hold a Postgraduate Certificate in University Teaching and Learning (PCUTL). I have held External Examiner positions at Edinburgh University, The Open University and Aberystwyth University, and in 2024 I served as a member of the QAA Music Advisory Panel, responsible for developing the 2025 Subject Benchmark Statement for Music. I am a member of the North American British Music Studies Association (NABMSA); I was a Convenor for the Association's 2025 Symposium and have also served on the Membership Committee.
Publication
2026
- Jones, N. 2026. Peter Maxwell Davies’s symphonic imagination. In: Jones, N. ed. The Symphony in Britain and Ireland since 1900: A Critical History. [Peter Maxwell Davies’s Symphonic Imagination]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. , pp.309-325. (10.1017/9781009254496.020)
- Jones, N. 2026. Preface. In: Jones, N. ed. The Symphony in Britain and Ireland since 1900: A Critical History. [Preface]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. , pp.xxv-xxx. (10.1017/9781009254496.001)
- Jones, N. 2026. Operas and music-theater works for children “to play and sing”. In: Calico, J. H. and Vickers, J. eds. Childhood and the Operatic Imaginary since 1900. New York: Oxford University Press. , pp.193-217. (10.1093/9780197780428.003.0009)
2025
- Jones, N. 2025. Composing community: Peter Maxwell Davies's operas for children. Presented at: RMA 61st Annual Conference Southampton, UK 12 September 2025.
- Jones, N. 2025. Echoes of the past in the present: Peter Maxwell Davies and the legacy of John Taverner. Presented at: Discover John Taverner: A Study Afternoon Oxford, UK 22 November 2025.
- Jones, N. 2025. Peter Maxwell Davies: Three early pieces for piano [musical score edition and preface]. Edition Schott (ED 14242)
- Jones, N. 2025. Peter Maxwell Davies's Symphonic Imagination. Presented at: Music Research Seminar Series Maynooth University, Ireland [online] 4 December 2024.
- Jones, N. 2025. Resurrecting the ‘mouldering corpse’? Peter Maxwell Davies and the symphony. Presented at: Symphonic Music After 1945 Belgrade, Serbia 29–31 October 2025.
2024
- Jones, N. 2024. Argraffiadau Cymraeg: Exploring Welsh identity in the music of three ‘Cardiff Group’ composers. Presented at: North American British Music Studies Association Conference 2024 Oberlin College and Conservatory, Ohio, USA 25–29 July 2024.
- Jones, N. 2024. Art Music and 'Welshness': Perspectives from Cardiff. Presented at: 5th Silpakorn Conference on Sound and Music 2024 (SICSAM) Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), Thailand 7-8 June 2024.
2023
- Jones, N. 2023. The symphony in Britain and Ireland since 1900: A critical history - the editor’s perspective. Presented at: NABMSA Colloquium Series - North American British Music Studies Association Online 27 November 2023.
- Jones, N. 2023. ‘The rain soaked sky is leaden’: Welsh identity and dystopian impulses in The Doctor of Myddfai. Cambridge Opera Journal 35 (1), pp.75-105. (10.1017/S0954586723000046)
- Jones, N. 2023. The role of the child in Peter Maxwell Davies's The Doctor of Myddfai: Characterisation and Agency. Presented at: Research Colloquia, KU Leuven Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium 20 March 2023.
2022
- Jones, N. 2022. Art music and Welsh identity. Presented at: 58th Annual Conference of the Royal Musical Association Durham, UK 8-10 September 2022.
- Jones, N. 2022. Composing Cymru: Art music since 1940. In: Herbert, T. , Clarke, M. V. and Barlow, H. eds. Cambridge History of Welsh Music. Cambridge University Press. , pp.264-290. (10.1017/9781009036511.015)
- Jones, N. 2022. ‘The northern night-fire calls us to our sleep’: Peter Maxwell Davies’s The Hogboon and the Dynamics of Late Style. Presented at: Music Since 1900 Twelfth Biennial International Conference Birmingham Conservatoire 17-20 June 2022.
2021
- Jones, N. 2021. Incantations: early chamber works of Peter Maxwell Davies. [ Performed at Unmasking Max: Peter Maxwell Davies Study Day, School of Music, Cardiff University 4 December 2021].
- Jones, N. 2021. Composing Cymru: Welsh identity and British art music since 1945. Presented at: John Bird Research Lectures 2021-22 School of Music, Cardiff University 13 October 2021.
- Jones, N. 2021. Peter Maxwell Davies’s The Doctor of Myddfai: Using the sketches and other primary source material to unveil the creative process. Presented at: Peter Maxwell Davies Research Network Friday Forum Online 12 November 2021.
2020
- Jones, N. 2020. Landscape and place. In: Jones, N. and McGregor, R. eds. The Music of Peter Maxwell Davies. Woodbridge: Boydell & Brewer. , pp.251-302. (10.1017/9781787446823.008)
- Jones, N. and McGregor, R. 2020. The music of Peter Maxwell Davies. Boydell & Brewer.
- Jones, N. 2020. Manchester Resonances: Peter Maxwell Davies’s Juvenilia. Presented at: 2020 North American British Music Studies Association Conference Illinois State University [virtual conference] 21–26 July 2020.
2019
- Jones, N. 2019. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies: the man and the music. [Online].themaxtrust.org: The Peter Maxwell Davies Trust. Available at: https://www.themaxtrust.org/about.html.
2018
- Jones, N. 2018. ‘Death’s dark door stands open’: Peter Maxwell Davies’s Tenth Symphony. Presented at: 54th Annual Conference of the Royal Musicians Assocation Bristol, UK 13-15 September 2018.
- Jones, N. 2018. 'For the Islands I sing': composing the Orkney landscape. Presented at: New Perspectives on the Music of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies Canterbury Christ Church University, UK 12 May 2018.
2017
- Jones, N. 2017. 'Max the Mighty carved these runes': editing the writings of Peter Maxwell Davies. Presented at: Kenneth Gloag In Memoriam One Day Public Symposium, Chamber Recital and Jazz Concert School of Music, Cardiff University, Cardiff 2 December 2017.
- Jones, N. ed. 2017. Peter Maxwell Davies, selected writings. Music since 1900 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (10.1017/9781316662519)
- Jones, N. 2017. British classical music, landscape and a sense of place. Presented at: AWEN [Arts-Whitchurch-Eglwys-Newydd] Public Lecture Whitchurch, Cardiff, UK 13 June 2017.
2016
- Jones, N. and Warnaby, J. 2016. Davies, Peter Maxwell. In: Oxford Music Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press
2015
- Jones, N. 2015. The sound of Raasay: Birtwistle's Hebridean experience. In: Beard, D. , Gloag, K. and Jones, N. eds. Harrison Birtwistle Studies. Cambridge Composer Studies Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. , pp.175-205. (10.1017/CBO9781316145326.008)
- Beard, D. J. , Gloag, K. and Jones, N. eds. 2015. Harrison Birtwistle studies. Cambridge Composer Studies Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (10.1017/CBO9781316145326)
- Jones, N. 2015. Das Land ohne Musik? British classical music, from Elgar to the Cultural Olympiad. Presented at: Exploring the Past Lecture Series Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK 20 May 2015.
2013
- Gloag, K. and Jones, N. eds. 2013. The Cambridge companion to Michael Tippett. Cambridge Companions to Music Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Jones, N. 2013. Embedding assessment into course design: a view from Lifelong Learning. Presented at: UALL Annual Conference: Who and What are Universities For? Durham University, UK 20-22 March 2013.
- Jones, N. 2013. Formal archetypes, revered masters and singing nightingales: Tippett’s string quartets. In: The Cambridge Companion to Michael Tippett. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. , pp.206-228.
2012
- Jones, N. 2012. Being British: Issues of national identity in classical music, from Edward Elgar to Peter Maxwell Davies. Presented at: Creative Minds Festival of Ideas Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK 13 November 2012.
- Jones, N. 2012. Interlacings: Reflections on issues of autobiography in two works of Peter Maxwell Davies. Presented at: New Music in Britain Canterbury Christ Church University, UK 10-12 May 2012.
2011
- Jones, N. 2011. György Kurtág: Three Interviews and Ligeti Homages. Compiled & ed. by Bálint András Varga. [Book review]. Music & Letters 92 (2), pp.330-332. (10.1093/ml/gcr014)
2010
- Jones, N. 2010. Northcott Bayan, The Way We Listen Now and Other Writings on Music, ed. Wintle Christopher (London: Plumbago, 2009) [Book Review]. Twentieth-Century Music 7 (2), pp.267-270. (10.1017/S1478572211000223)
- Jones, N. 2010. Peter Maxwell Davies in the 1950s: a conversation with the composer. Tempo 64 (254), pp.11-19. (10.1017/S0040298210000380)
- Jones, N. 2010. Review: Managing modernism 2. Reviewed work: Musical modernism at the turn of the twenty-first century by David Metzer [Book review]. The Musical Times 151 (1912), pp.109-112.
- Jones, N. 2010. Review: Second chance. Havergal Brian on music, volume two: European and American music in his time, edited by Malcolm MacDonald [Book Review]. Musical Times 151 (1911), pp.118-120.
- Jones, N. and McGregor, R. 2010. Peter Maxwell Davies's Opus and WoO Numbers: A New Work List. Musical Times 151 , pp.53-86.
2009
- Gloag, K. and Jones, N. eds. 2009. Peter Maxwell Davies Studies. Cambridge Composer Studies Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Jones, N. 2009. The music of Hugh Wood. By Edward Venn. [Book review]. Music and Letters 90 (3), pp.514-516. (10.1093/ml/gcp016)
- Jones, N. 2009. Peter Maxwell Davies's articles, lectures, interviews and radio broadcasts. In: Gloag, K. and Jones, N. eds. Peter Maxwell Davies Studies. Cambridge Composer Studies Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. , pp.231-241.
- Jones, N. 2009. Review: Law & Order. Serialism by Arnold Whittall. Musical Times 150 (1906), pp.100-103.
- Jones, N. 2009. The writings of a young British composer: Peter Maxwell Davies in the 1950s. In: Peter Maxwell Davies Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. , pp.21-44.
2008
- Jones, N. 2008. Madonna as pop diva [Chapter in Book 1 of AA100 The Arts Past and Present]. The Open University
- Jones, N. 2008. Seaside music: The Beach Boys and The Who [Chapter in Book 4 of AA100 The Arts Past and Present]. The Open University
2007
- Jones, N. 2007. Review: Dumbing up. The way of music: aural training for the Internet generation by Robin Maconie [Book review]. Musical Times 148 (1901), pp.111-114. (10.2307/25434506)
- Jones, N. 2007. Review: Existential Elgar. Edward Elgar, Modernist by JPE Harper-Scott [Book review]. Musical Times 148 (1899), pp.81-88. (10.2307/25434460)
- Jones, N. 2007. 'The End' by The Doors [Chapter in Block 5 of A179 Start Listening to Music]. The Open University
2006
- Jones, N. 2006. "Disparagement and Invidious Comparisons": assessing critical reactions to Mathias's First Symphony. Tempo 60 (238), pp.8-14. (10.1017/S0040298206000283)
2005
- Jones, N. 2005. 'Playing the Great Game'? Peter Maxwell Davies, Sonata form, and the Naxos Quartet no. 1. Musical Times 146 , pp.71-81. (10.2307/30044107)
- Jones, N. 2005. The music of Peter Maxwell Davies: An introduction. Presented at: Cardiff Recorded Music Society Lecture Series Cardiff, UK 30 November 2005.
2004
- Jones, N. 2004. Peter Maxwell Davies and sonata form. Presented at: Peter Maxwell Davies One-Day Conference Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, UK 16 October 2004.
- Jones, N. 2004. Ranging over the forest: a conversation with Anthony Powers. Tempo 58 (228), pp.23-31. (10.1017/S0040298204000117)
2003
- Jones, N. 2003. Anthony Powers at 50: Luminous, but with shadows. Musical Times 144 (1884), pp.26-35. (10.2307/3650698)
2002
- Jones, N. 2002. Dominant Logic: Peter Maxwell Davies's basic unifying hypothesis. The Musical Times 143 (1878), pp.37-45. (10.2307/1004421)
- Jones, N. 2002. Perspectives on Peter Maxwell Davies edited by R. McGregor [Book Review]. Music and Letters 83 (1), pp.147-151. (10.1093/ml/83.1.147)
- Jones, N. 2002. Review: All Set. Serial Music, Serial Aesthetics: Compositional Theory in Post-War Europe by MJ Grant [Book Review]. Musical Times 143 (1879), pp.78-79. (10.2307/1004607)
2000
- Jones, N. 2000. Architectural perspectives on Peter Maxwell Davies's Third Symphony. Presented at: Peter Maxwell Davies Conference St Martin's College, Lancaster, UK 1-2 April 2000.
- Jones, N. 2000. Mathias's String Quartet No.1. Something to shout about. The Musical Times 141 (1872), pp.24-32. (10.2307/1004395)
- Jones, N. 2000. Peter Maxwell Davies's 'submerged cathedral': architectural principles in the Third Symphony. Music & Letters 81 (3), pp.402-432. (10.1093/ml/81.3.402)
- Jones, N. 2000. Towards the Symphonic odyssey: Maxwell Davies's Works for Orchestra 1958-73. [Online].Maxopus.com. Available at: http://www.maxopus.com/resources_detail.aspx?key=64.
1998
- Jones, N. 1998. 'Preliminary workings': The precompositional process in Maxwell Davies's Third Symphony. Tempo 204 , pp.14-22.
Articles
- Jones, N. 2023. ‘The rain soaked sky is leaden’: Welsh identity and dystopian impulses in The Doctor of Myddfai. Cambridge Opera Journal 35 (1), pp.75-105. (10.1017/S0954586723000046)
- Jones, N. 2011. György Kurtág: Three Interviews and Ligeti Homages. Compiled & ed. by Bálint András Varga. [Book review]. Music & Letters 92 (2), pp.330-332. (10.1093/ml/gcr014)
- Jones, N. 2010. Northcott Bayan, The Way We Listen Now and Other Writings on Music, ed. Wintle Christopher (London: Plumbago, 2009) [Book Review]. Twentieth-Century Music 7 (2), pp.267-270. (10.1017/S1478572211000223)
- Jones, N. 2010. Peter Maxwell Davies in the 1950s: a conversation with the composer. Tempo 64 (254), pp.11-19. (10.1017/S0040298210000380)
- Jones, N. 2010. Review: Managing modernism 2. Reviewed work: Musical modernism at the turn of the twenty-first century by David Metzer [Book review]. The Musical Times 151 (1912), pp.109-112.
- Jones, N. 2010. Review: Second chance. Havergal Brian on music, volume two: European and American music in his time, edited by Malcolm MacDonald [Book Review]. Musical Times 151 (1911), pp.118-120.
- Jones, N. and McGregor, R. 2010. Peter Maxwell Davies's Opus and WoO Numbers: A New Work List. Musical Times 151 , pp.53-86.
- Jones, N. 2009. The music of Hugh Wood. By Edward Venn. [Book review]. Music and Letters 90 (3), pp.514-516. (10.1093/ml/gcp016)
- Jones, N. 2009. Review: Law & Order. Serialism by Arnold Whittall. Musical Times 150 (1906), pp.100-103.
- Jones, N. 2007. Review: Dumbing up. The way of music: aural training for the Internet generation by Robin Maconie [Book review]. Musical Times 148 (1901), pp.111-114. (10.2307/25434506)
- Jones, N. 2007. Review: Existential Elgar. Edward Elgar, Modernist by JPE Harper-Scott [Book review]. Musical Times 148 (1899), pp.81-88. (10.2307/25434460)
- Jones, N. 2006. "Disparagement and Invidious Comparisons": assessing critical reactions to Mathias's First Symphony. Tempo 60 (238), pp.8-14. (10.1017/S0040298206000283)
- Jones, N. 2005. 'Playing the Great Game'? Peter Maxwell Davies, Sonata form, and the Naxos Quartet no. 1. Musical Times 146 , pp.71-81. (10.2307/30044107)
- Jones, N. 2004. Ranging over the forest: a conversation with Anthony Powers. Tempo 58 (228), pp.23-31. (10.1017/S0040298204000117)
- Jones, N. 2003. Anthony Powers at 50: Luminous, but with shadows. Musical Times 144 (1884), pp.26-35. (10.2307/3650698)
- Jones, N. 2002. Dominant Logic: Peter Maxwell Davies's basic unifying hypothesis. The Musical Times 143 (1878), pp.37-45. (10.2307/1004421)
- Jones, N. 2002. Perspectives on Peter Maxwell Davies edited by R. McGregor [Book Review]. Music and Letters 83 (1), pp.147-151. (10.1093/ml/83.1.147)
- Jones, N. 2002. Review: All Set. Serial Music, Serial Aesthetics: Compositional Theory in Post-War Europe by MJ Grant [Book Review]. Musical Times 143 (1879), pp.78-79. (10.2307/1004607)
- Jones, N. 2000. Mathias's String Quartet No.1. Something to shout about. The Musical Times 141 (1872), pp.24-32. (10.2307/1004395)
- Jones, N. 2000. Peter Maxwell Davies's 'submerged cathedral': architectural principles in the Third Symphony. Music & Letters 81 (3), pp.402-432. (10.1093/ml/81.3.402)
- Jones, N. 1998. 'Preliminary workings': The precompositional process in Maxwell Davies's Third Symphony. Tempo 204 , pp.14-22.
Book sections
- Jones, N. 2026. Peter Maxwell Davies’s symphonic imagination. In: Jones, N. ed. The Symphony in Britain and Ireland since 1900: A Critical History. [Peter Maxwell Davies’s Symphonic Imagination]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. , pp.309-325. (10.1017/9781009254496.020)
- Jones, N. 2026. Preface. In: Jones, N. ed. The Symphony in Britain and Ireland since 1900: A Critical History. [Preface]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. , pp.xxv-xxx. (10.1017/9781009254496.001)
- Jones, N. 2026. Operas and music-theater works for children “to play and sing”. In: Calico, J. H. and Vickers, J. eds. Childhood and the Operatic Imaginary since 1900. New York: Oxford University Press. , pp.193-217. (10.1093/9780197780428.003.0009)
- Jones, N. 2022. Composing Cymru: Art music since 1940. In: Herbert, T. , Clarke, M. V. and Barlow, H. eds. Cambridge History of Welsh Music. Cambridge University Press. , pp.264-290. (10.1017/9781009036511.015)
- Jones, N. 2020. Landscape and place. In: Jones, N. and McGregor, R. eds. The Music of Peter Maxwell Davies. Woodbridge: Boydell & Brewer. , pp.251-302. (10.1017/9781787446823.008)
- Jones, N. and Warnaby, J. 2016. Davies, Peter Maxwell. In: Oxford Music Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press
- Jones, N. 2015. The sound of Raasay: Birtwistle's Hebridean experience. In: Beard, D. , Gloag, K. and Jones, N. eds. Harrison Birtwistle Studies. Cambridge Composer Studies Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. , pp.175-205. (10.1017/CBO9781316145326.008)
- Jones, N. 2013. Formal archetypes, revered masters and singing nightingales: Tippett’s string quartets. In: The Cambridge Companion to Michael Tippett. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. , pp.206-228.
- Jones, N. 2009. Peter Maxwell Davies's articles, lectures, interviews and radio broadcasts. In: Gloag, K. and Jones, N. eds. Peter Maxwell Davies Studies. Cambridge Composer Studies Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. , pp.231-241.
- Jones, N. 2009. The writings of a young British composer: Peter Maxwell Davies in the 1950s. In: Peter Maxwell Davies Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. , pp.21-44.
Books
- Jones, N. and McGregor, R. 2020. The music of Peter Maxwell Davies. Boydell & Brewer.
- Jones, N. ed. 2017. Peter Maxwell Davies, selected writings. Music since 1900 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (10.1017/9781316662519)
- Beard, D. J. , Gloag, K. and Jones, N. eds. 2015. Harrison Birtwistle studies. Cambridge Composer Studies Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (10.1017/CBO9781316145326)
- Gloag, K. and Jones, N. eds. 2013. The Cambridge companion to Michael Tippett. Cambridge Companions to Music Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Gloag, K. and Jones, N. eds. 2009. Peter Maxwell Davies Studies. Cambridge Composer Studies Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Conferences
- Jones, N. 2025. Composing community: Peter Maxwell Davies's operas for children. Presented at: RMA 61st Annual Conference Southampton, UK 12 September 2025.
- Jones, N. 2025. Echoes of the past in the present: Peter Maxwell Davies and the legacy of John Taverner. Presented at: Discover John Taverner: A Study Afternoon Oxford, UK 22 November 2025.
- Jones, N. 2025. Peter Maxwell Davies's Symphonic Imagination. Presented at: Music Research Seminar Series Maynooth University, Ireland [online] 4 December 2024.
- Jones, N. 2025. Resurrecting the ‘mouldering corpse’? Peter Maxwell Davies and the symphony. Presented at: Symphonic Music After 1945 Belgrade, Serbia 29–31 October 2025.
- Jones, N. 2024. Argraffiadau Cymraeg: Exploring Welsh identity in the music of three ‘Cardiff Group’ composers. Presented at: North American British Music Studies Association Conference 2024 Oberlin College and Conservatory, Ohio, USA 25–29 July 2024.
- Jones, N. 2024. Art Music and 'Welshness': Perspectives from Cardiff. Presented at: 5th Silpakorn Conference on Sound and Music 2024 (SICSAM) Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), Thailand 7-8 June 2024.
- Jones, N. 2023. The symphony in Britain and Ireland since 1900: A critical history - the editor’s perspective. Presented at: NABMSA Colloquium Series - North American British Music Studies Association Online 27 November 2023.
- Jones, N. 2023. The role of the child in Peter Maxwell Davies's The Doctor of Myddfai: Characterisation and Agency. Presented at: Research Colloquia, KU Leuven Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium 20 March 2023.
- Jones, N. 2022. Art music and Welsh identity. Presented at: 58th Annual Conference of the Royal Musical Association Durham, UK 8-10 September 2022.
- Jones, N. 2022. ‘The northern night-fire calls us to our sleep’: Peter Maxwell Davies’s The Hogboon and the Dynamics of Late Style. Presented at: Music Since 1900 Twelfth Biennial International Conference Birmingham Conservatoire 17-20 June 2022.
- Jones, N. 2021. Composing Cymru: Welsh identity and British art music since 1945. Presented at: John Bird Research Lectures 2021-22 School of Music, Cardiff University 13 October 2021.
- Jones, N. 2021. Peter Maxwell Davies’s The Doctor of Myddfai: Using the sketches and other primary source material to unveil the creative process. Presented at: Peter Maxwell Davies Research Network Friday Forum Online 12 November 2021.
- Jones, N. 2020. Manchester Resonances: Peter Maxwell Davies’s Juvenilia. Presented at: 2020 North American British Music Studies Association Conference Illinois State University [virtual conference] 21–26 July 2020.
- Jones, N. 2018. ‘Death’s dark door stands open’: Peter Maxwell Davies’s Tenth Symphony. Presented at: 54th Annual Conference of the Royal Musicians Assocation Bristol, UK 13-15 September 2018.
- Jones, N. 2018. 'For the Islands I sing': composing the Orkney landscape. Presented at: New Perspectives on the Music of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies Canterbury Christ Church University, UK 12 May 2018.
- Jones, N. 2017. 'Max the Mighty carved these runes': editing the writings of Peter Maxwell Davies. Presented at: Kenneth Gloag In Memoriam One Day Public Symposium, Chamber Recital and Jazz Concert School of Music, Cardiff University, Cardiff 2 December 2017.
- Jones, N. 2017. British classical music, landscape and a sense of place. Presented at: AWEN [Arts-Whitchurch-Eglwys-Newydd] Public Lecture Whitchurch, Cardiff, UK 13 June 2017.
- Jones, N. 2015. Das Land ohne Musik? British classical music, from Elgar to the Cultural Olympiad. Presented at: Exploring the Past Lecture Series Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK 20 May 2015.
- Jones, N. 2013. Embedding assessment into course design: a view from Lifelong Learning. Presented at: UALL Annual Conference: Who and What are Universities For? Durham University, UK 20-22 March 2013.
- Jones, N. 2012. Being British: Issues of national identity in classical music, from Edward Elgar to Peter Maxwell Davies. Presented at: Creative Minds Festival of Ideas Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK 13 November 2012.
- Jones, N. 2012. Interlacings: Reflections on issues of autobiography in two works of Peter Maxwell Davies. Presented at: New Music in Britain Canterbury Christ Church University, UK 10-12 May 2012.
- Jones, N. 2005. The music of Peter Maxwell Davies: An introduction. Presented at: Cardiff Recorded Music Society Lecture Series Cardiff, UK 30 November 2005.
- Jones, N. 2004. Peter Maxwell Davies and sonata form. Presented at: Peter Maxwell Davies One-Day Conference Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, UK 16 October 2004.
- Jones, N. 2000. Architectural perspectives on Peter Maxwell Davies's Third Symphony. Presented at: Peter Maxwell Davies Conference St Martin's College, Lancaster, UK 1-2 April 2000.
Other
- Jones, N. 2025. Peter Maxwell Davies: Three early pieces for piano [musical score edition and preface]. Edition Schott (ED 14242)
- Jones, N. 2008. Madonna as pop diva [Chapter in Book 1 of AA100 The Arts Past and Present]. The Open University
- Jones, N. 2008. Seaside music: The Beach Boys and The Who [Chapter in Book 4 of AA100 The Arts Past and Present]. The Open University
- Jones, N. 2007. 'The End' by The Doors [Chapter in Block 5 of A179 Start Listening to Music]. The Open University
Performances
- Jones, N. 2021. Incantations: early chamber works of Peter Maxwell Davies. [ Performed at Unmasking Max: Peter Maxwell Davies Study Day, School of Music, Cardiff University 4 December 2021].
Websites
- Jones, N. 2019. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies: the man and the music. [Online].themaxtrust.org: The Peter Maxwell Davies Trust. Available at: https://www.themaxtrust.org/about.html.
- Jones, N. 2000. Towards the Symphonic odyssey: Maxwell Davies's Works for Orchestra 1958-73. [Online].Maxopus.com. Available at: http://www.maxopus.com/resources_detail.aspx?key=64.
Research
My research interests lie primarily in British music since 1900 and my work focuses on music analysis, interpretation, sketch study, place and landscape, and aspects of biography, context and national identity. I have co-edited books for Cambridge University Press on Peter Maxwell Davies (2009), Michael Tippett (2013) and Harrison Birtwistle (2015). Other publications include Peter Maxwell Davies, Selected Writings (CUP, 2017), The Music of Peter Maxwell Davies (Boydell & Brewer, 2020) and a chapter in A History of Welsh Music (CUP, 2022). An edited volume, The Symphony in Britain and Ireland since 1900: A Critical History, was published by Cambridge University Press in August 2026.
Teaching
Running in parallel with my research activities, I have a professional interest in all areas of education at HE level, particularly in relation to enhancing the educational experience for learners, exploring different approaches to assessment, improving feedback to students, quality assurance processes and technology-enhanced education. I have devised, implemented and maintained large-scale projects and programmes, and I also have significant leadership and senior-level management experience.
I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and I hold a Postgraduate Certificate in University Teaching and Learning (PCUTL).
Biography
I am a graduate of Cardiff University, where I completed a BMus (1994) and MMus (1995), before being awarded a PhD in 1999 for an analytical study of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies's Third Symphony alongside a portfolio of original compositions. My academic career has combined teaching, research, leadership and widening participation in the humanities. Between 2005 and 2007, I served as Lecturer in Music and Deputy Chair of the MA in Music programme at The Open University. I subsequently joined Cardiff University's Division of Professional and Continuing Education, where I coordinated the Humanities programme from 2008 to 2017. I was appointed Senior Lecturer in Music at Cardiff University in 2016, promoted to Reader in Musicology in 2021, and to Professor of Music in 2026. From 2023 to 2026, I also served as Head of the School of Music.
Academic positions
- 2026 - : Professor of Music, School of Global Humanities, Cardiff University
- 2023 - 2026: Head of the School of Music, Cardiff University
- 2021 - 2026: Reader in Musicology, School of Music, Cardiff University
- 2016 - 2021: Senior Lecturer, School of Music, Cardiff University
- 2008 - 2017: Co-ordinating Lecturer in the Humanities, Continuing and Professional Education, Cardiff University
- 2005 - 2007: Lecturer in Music, Open University
- 2001 - 2010: Associate Lecturer in Music, Open University
- 1996 - 2012: Associate Lecturer in Music, Cardiff University
Committees and reviewing
Member of the Editorial Advisory Board, Tempo
Supervisions
I have successfully supervised a PhD on Peter Maxwell Davies's Revelation and Fall and over 30 MA dissertations.
I am currently supervising 8 PhD students.
- I would welcome enquiries from those interested in PhD research into any aspect of 20th- and 21st-century British music, especially Peter Maxwell Davies and Welsh art music. Those with an interest in 20th-century music more generally are also encouraged to contact me.
Current supervision
News articles
Contact Details
[email protected]
+44 29208 74171
John Percival Building, Floor One, Room 1.27, Colum Drive, Cardiff, CF10 3EU
+44 29208 74171
John Percival Building, Floor One, Room 1.27, Colum Drive, Cardiff, CF10 3EU
Research themes
Specialisms
- 20th-21st century
