Call for Papers: The Past, Present, and Future of Public Musicology

The Public Musicology Blog

The Past, Present, and Future of Public Musicology
Westminster Choir College of Rider University
Princeton, NJ
January 30 – February 1, 2015

Proposal Deadline: September 1, 2014

To further research on how music scholars, performers, educators, journalists and industry professionals can engage the public, Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey will host a three-day conference on public musicology from January 30 to February 1, 2015.  We welcome individual paper, lecture-recital, panel, workshop and innovative-format proposals on any aspect of public musicology.  These include but are not limited to the following areas:

• Innovative Programming
• The History of Public Musicology
• Music and Museums
• Musical Archives and the Public
• Music, Collective Memory, and Historical Interpretation
• The Material Culture of Music
• Musical Tourism
• The Relationship Between Academic Musicology and Public Musicology
• Music and Historical Preservation
• Public Musicology vs. Public History and Public Science

Proposals for individual papers, workshops, and innovative-format…

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A Day in the Life of an Organist by Mary Copeley

An organist? You mean the reclusive creature who lives in the choir loft at church? or sweet old grandma who shows up on Sundays to play the expressionless instrument? These are just a few of the popular conceptions of organists. True, its not hard to spot a stereotypical organist, but of course we’re not all like that. I myself even had a grave misconception of the instrument and its masters before I turned to the dark side and became an organist myself. Honestly, it pretty much fell into my lap, and I didn’t have much of a choice. So, I’m going to make it the goal of this post to shed a little light on the otherwise foreign topic. 

First, to negate some common misconceptions I had about organists:

-Since organs are typically found in churches, the instrument is often associated with boring, stuffy music. However, there is actually a very active concert scene in which organists perform all around the world as solo concert artists.

-It’s not just for old Thelma up there anymore… kids can play too!

-It’s not an expressionless instrument. That’s what all the stops, knobs and pedals are for – manipulating the sound.

-Not all organ music is doomy-gloomy (as it is portrayed in movies)

-Organists are not loners, they’re just really busy!

There are so many additional aspects to being an organist than simply playing the organ, as if that weren’t enough as it is. First of all, no two organs are the same, and unlike almost every other kind of musician, organists cannot take their instrument with them. This means they have to have a general understanding of all the different kinds of stops, (and know the names in several different languages) in order to get to know an organ quickly when “meeting” it for the first time. Some organs have only one keyboard, some have seven; some have a couple hundred pipes, some have tens of thousands. Some organs are brand new, some are hundreds of years old. Some have mechanical action, some have electric. These many differences between instruments require organists to be some of the most flexible musicians. Not only do they need to adapt to their instrument though, they also have to be flexible in working with others. This can mean musically (making music with an other person or ensemble) or working with others administratively (as in planning worship services with others). This leads to another point: organists are often required to wear several different hats. They often have to double as music director or choir directors, teach private lessons, balance concert schedules, and much more. This usually strenuous schedule often keeps organists “on their toes.” 😉

If this post did not help you to understand organists any better… the best way to do that is to go out and make friends with one! We’re a breed of our own, and, like our instruments, no two are the same!

The Importance of Art in the Liturgy: A Closer Look at Music in Worship.

From Isabella Burns

burnsiblog

Church musicians are frequently asked why they dedicate so much time toward the perfection of their art. Why must there be months of planning and rehearsing for liturgy? Isn’t one song just as good as the next? A more immediate answer could simply be that no congregation enjoys bad music-music that sounds bad and has no spiritual significance to their lives. A deeper examination however, will show that the answer to this is far more complex in the realm of worship.

There is no parallel medium in the world to the human voice. And still no comparison to that of a well-trained and well-rehearsed choir. It is one of the most honest forms of communication. When that element is paired with well written music, it is one of the highest art forms in existence. It has been for many centuries. Indeed, there is a vast collection of excellent music which…

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Dmitri Tymoczko – Crackpot Hymnal

Review of Princeton composer Dmitri Tymoczko’s new CD!

Christian B. Carey - Composer

Dmitri Tymoczko

Crackpot Hymnal

Bridge Records CD

In recent decades, there’s been a move in some American academic circles to put more separation between the disciplines of music composition and music theory. It seems especially curious to those of us who have, to greater or lesser degrees, modeled our careers and aesthetics on our forebears, adopting the “composer-theorist” approach (some of us even adopt the “composer-performer-theorist” tag, but that’s another story for another day). Happily, academics like Dmitri Tymoczko thrive, pointing out that a hyphenated or, more properly, interdisciplinary existence is still amply possible without compromising one’s standing in either or both disciplines.

Tymoczko is one of the best known scholars discussing geometric modeling in music theory; his “The Geometry of Musical Chords” was the first music theory article published in Science Magazine; his first book, A Geometry of Music (Oxford University Press, 2011) is thought-provoking and, given its…

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This Fall on the “Music in Princeton” Blog

In Fall 2013, over 40 undergraduate students at Westminster Choir College of Rider University–working in partnership with the Alice Paul Institute–will conduct oral history interviews with New Jersey women who are deeply involved in music.  Each student will contribute two entries on this blog:  the first will address the topic of their oral history project, and the second will discuss what they learned from the interview and the oral history process.  Please enjoy!

At a later date, I will announce where you can view excerpts from these oral history interviews.

An Electronic Esthetic: Getting to Know You

From Gillian Hurst:

hurstg

I recently found an electronic music composer interviewee and I was fortunate enough to talk with Westminster Choir College’s own CORTLANDT MATTHEWS! Cortlandt is a Junior (now senior, technically) Sacred Music major at WCC. Over the past few years I have heard some of his music but this was a great opportunity to get inside the artist’s mind.

Q: How did you “get into” electronic music?

A: My folks somehow acquired this English CD of all this crazy dance anthems from the Second Summer of Love when I was like 5 and it was my favorite stuff for a long time. [example of Second Summer of Love track: Ebeneezer Goode by the Shamen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFJdUJg4wOk]

Q: Who/what is your music inspired by?

A: The French House sound for sure like La Roache and Madeon, but I really like Grum, Miike Snow is good too, Nuvo Rich, Discovery

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A Short Interview with Singer/Songwriter Hannah Larson by Nicole Fragala

Hannah Larson

Finding myself so captivated with the mindset of today’s singer/songwriters, I decided to pick the brain of one of Westminster’s finest. Ms. Hannah Larson took the time to sit down and answer the questions I had about being a self-sufficient artist and what it takes to write, book gigs and create a cd.

Fragala: As a singer/songwriter, what inspires you to write?

Larson: I am inspired by events that happen to me and the people around me. I’m always reflecting and people watching, and somehow it always translates back into my notebook and into a song. Sometimes I feel like I have to write something just to stay sane. One time I wrote a song during math class, another time at the park, another while I was getting gas for my car. Some songs come easier than others. I wrote “Run, Run Away” in 15 minutes. But, the song “Someone” took me over a year to finish. Overall, songwriting is how I communicate the best.

Fragala: Have you performed in Princeton? If so, where?

Larson: I’ve performed in Princeton quite a bit; mostly Small World Coffee on Witherspoon Street, Cafe Improv at the Paul Robeson Center, The Wilson House, Indie Music Night at the Griggstown Pavilion, The Lincoln Club, and Westminster (of course!).

Fragala: How did you begin getting live gigs? (Is there an audition process, a fee, open mic etc.)

Larson: Getting live gigs is mostly based on making connections. The first show I played in Philadelphia was at an open mic at World Cafe Live. I stood in line for an hour and a half just to sign up for a 15 minute slot. I played two of my best songs in front of about 100 people. From there, I received emails with other gig opportunities in Philly. It’s all about networking with other musicians and people in the business.

Fragala: What was it like creating an album?

Larson: Creating an album is an art form in and of itself. It is a BLAST! When I’m in the studio, I am like a kid in a candy store. It’s a long process and is quite different from performing. You have to be spot on when it comes to tempo, pitch, emotion, volume, etc. Listening is key. This is a crucial and critical process. But the best feeling comes when you listen back to a recording and you just KNOW that it’s right. That’s when I’ll listen to it over and over.

Fragala: Who are your inspirations for writing/performing?

Larson: My biggest inspiration is Coldplay for their ability to move an audience. They have so much stage presence and I would die to have that someday. They tell stories through their music and they write the most beautiful melodies and lyrics. Another inspiration is Regina Spektor. When she moved to America, she didn’t have a piano so she would pretend to play on table tops. She went around New York City asking to play her music at different bars. She wouldn’t stop until she made it.

To hear more of Hannah and her music, check out her facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/hannahlarsonmusic!

Inon Barnatan Recital: Final Event of the Woodrow Wilson Centennial

Igancy Jan Paderewski and Woodrow Wilson

Over the past year, the Princeton area has been celebrating the centennial of Princeton alum and president Woodrow Wilson’s election as President of the United States.  The final public event of this celebration is superb pianist Inon Barnatan’s recreation of a 1925 Princeton recital that Ignacy Paderewski gave in honor of his friend, Woodrow Wilson.

Paderewski was not only a great pianist, but also an important Polish politician.  He was that country’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1919, and worked with Wilson at the Paris Peace Conference after World War I.  He was one of the signatories of the Treaty of Versailles, and became the Polish Ambassador to the League of Nations from December 1919 to October 1921.

The recital will take place tonight (Tuesday, April 9) at 7:30pm in Richardson Auditorium.  On the program are Beethoven’s 32 Variations in C Minor and Waldstein Sonata, Schumann’s Carnaval, and works by Chopin, Schelling and Stojowski.

For more information about the concert and tickets, please visit the Princeton University Concerts website.

More information about the Woodrow Wilson Centennial can be found here.

Mark J. Butler on DJ Practice at Princeton University this Thursday

This Thursday at 4:30pm, Mark J. Butler, Associate Professor and Coordinator of the program in Music Theory and Cognition at Northwestern University, will deliver a lecture entitled “Ringing the Changes: Sounding the Preexistent and the Novel within Improvised DJ Practice” at Princeton University’s Woolworth Center (Music Building), Room 106.  The lecture is open to the public, and admission is free.

For Dr. Butler’s abstract and bio, please click here

Also at our Inaugural Concert: the a cappella group The Deaftones

As Brian Sengdala wrote a month ago on this blog, a cappella groups can be heard all over Princeton.  There are many excellent ensembles at both Princeton University and Westminster Choir College.  Additionally, there are some community a cappella groups in town.  At our inaugural “Music in Princeton” concert this coming Wednesday (Williamson Hall at Westminster Choir College at 7:30pm; free admission and reception to follow), you will hear Westminster Choir College’s Deaftones, which Brian Sengdala leads!  Here is a taste of what you will see: