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Research Interests

17th Century English Performance Practices:

I completed my PhD in Musicology in September 2019 following three years of study funded by a STEAM Scholarship from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Birmingham City University. My thesis, supervised by Jamie Savan and Carrie Churnside, is entitled 'Wind Instruments in Provincial English Cathedrals, c.1580–c.1680: Towards a Performance Practice', and focusses on the little-understood role of the cathedral wind band in English cathedral life during an exciting period of British history. I am now working on bringing elements of this work into the public domain, via editions of music, scholarly articles and further practice-led research in the field. Since October 2022 I have been employed on the AHRC-funded Aural Histories: Coventry 1451-1642 research project at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, where I am working on aspects of civic and religious performance practices in digitally modelled spaces.

The following publications are now available:

Helen Roberts, 'Reconstructing Verses from MS Drexel 5469', Research Catalogue (2020)

This open-access Research Catalogue exposition comprises scores, recordings and an extended essay detailing the processes behind my edition of A verse for ye Organ, a Sagbot and Cornute by John Coprario and A verse for the Organ, a Sagbot, Cornute and Violin by Henry Loosemore.

https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/944310/1026868  

English Music for the Cornett: Verses by Henry Loosemore and John Coprario from MS Drexel 5469, ed. Helen Roberts (Frome: Septenary Editions, 2020)

Printed performance edition of my reconstruction of these two rare fragmentary items for winds from pre-Restoration England. Available here.
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Helen Roberts, 'New light on the 17th-century English cathedral wind band: a (fragmentary) Canterbury tale',  Early Music, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1093/em/caac049

Historical Improvisation and Ornamentation:

Through Septenary Editions, the publishing house I run, I created the Passaggi app, a cross-platform smartphone app for the practice of historical improvisation and ornamentation. This reflects research interests around improvisation pedagogy, digital tools for historical performance, and communication of historical approaches to learning with the modern performer. This project is ongoing, and donations can be made to the further development of Passaggi here.

Birmingham Baroque 2021 Conference Presentation

Teaching in Higher Education

I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. My HE teaching experience includes undergraduate and postgraduate teaching (Performance Traditions, Improvising Ornamentation, Academic Skills, ESL Support), and includes course design, assessments, marking and feedback. I am currently working as an Associate Lecturer in the Arts and Humanities for the Open University.