Philosophy
I enjoy the challenge of engaging an audience with complex ideas through writing that remains clear and unencumbered. I draw inspiration from the great explainers of classical music journalism and criticism. In English, Charles Burney, Donald Francis Tovey, and Nicolas Slonimsky are among my favorites—Burney for his bone-dry wit and parading diffidence; Tovey for his curtained yet blindingly intelligible metaphors, whereby he translates music into words and so prepares his readers for deep hearings; and Slonimsky for his pithy and persuasive expression of his opinions. All of them had keen ears, and their hearings echo through their prose. Theirs are styles of public musicology I try to emulate.
Experience
I have collaborated at all stages of the conception, development, editing, and production of academic texts on music. I have also consulted on texts in other fields, including philosophy, liturgy, and theology. I have experience as:
- Peer-reviewed author of academic texts.
- Reviewer of manuscripts for peer-reviewed music publications.
- Line editor and copyeditor for a peer-reviewed music journal.
- Developmental editor and copyeditor for numerous music publications and theses.
- Managing editor responsible for coordinating multi-author projects with complex workflows.
- Translator into English and English-language editor for ESL scholars.
- Bibliographer and indexer for book projects.
- Music engraver.
- Designer, compositor, and publisher for small-run publication (500–1500 copies) of program books combining text, images, and music.
Languages
- Native speaker of English
- High proficiency in German and French
- Reading and translation ability in Latin, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese
- Ability to check for accuracy in most European languages.
Services
- Usually, my editing services start at 2¢ per word for basic proofreading, to about 6¢ or more per word for more extensive line editing or for complex multilingual documents. Developmental editing services are charged at $75 per hour.
- Every project is different, so please contact me to discuss your specific needs and budget. For some projects and budgets, a flat fee may make more sense. I do my best to “over-deliver”: to provide superior quality work within budget and on time.
matthwhall [at] gmail [dot] com