Paul Murphy

Paul Murphy is Professor of Music and Chair of the Music Department at Muhlenberg College, a position he has held since 2015. Previously, he served as Chair of Music Theory, History, and Composition at SUNY-Fredonia.

His educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Music Theory from The University of Texas at Austin
• M.M. in Music Theory from The University of Texas at Austin
• M.M. in Piano Performance from Texas Christian University
• B.M. in Piano Performance from The University of New Mexico

Professor Murphy's research spans Music Theory with specialized focus on Spanish harmonic theories of the Baroque period and early twentieth-century music, alongside Music History, Music Pedagogy, and Somatic Practices. His scholarly work has been published in journals including Eighteenth-Century Music, Theoria, Studies in Medievalism, The Journal of Music Teacher Education, and The American Dalcroze Journal, reflecting interdisciplinary engagement across historical analysis and educational methodology.

He is lead author of The Musician's Guide to Aural Skills (3rd ed., 2016) and author of General Rules of Accompaniment: José de Torres's Treatise of 1736 (2000). Holding a Certificate in Dalcroze eurhythmics, he maintains extensive experience as a piano accompanist for ballet and modern dance. His teaching portfolio encompasses counterpoint, musical form, Schenkerian analysis, post-tonal analysis, rhythm and gesture, and modernist period studies. Outside academia, he pursues languages, travel, cooking, pottery, woodworking, and running.