AMS Midwest Chapter

Those in the Chicago vicinity can see musicology in action on October 6-7 at National Lewis University. The program includes a roundtable on teaching music history with Matthew Balensuela, my office neighbor, participating. He has developed an interesting series of activities for students based on compositional treatises and pedagogical sketches that are often included in music history textbooks. I think it's a great integration of theory and history, and must think of a way to repay the favor. The cost of the conference is $10, which also gets you a membership in the Chapter.

The Robe and Crown

A reader from Dublin wrote me to ask if I knew about the connection between "Down to the River to Pray" and the Underground Railroad. A friend of hers said that the person who wore the robe and starry crown was next to be freed from slavery via the Underground Railroad. I found some sources on Gospel songs used for secret communication, but I couldn't find anything that confirmed this story. Does anyone out there know more details?

FriPod: Feel the Spirit

Today I had a meeting with my rector, in which spirituality was discussed.

1. Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 73, 4th movement, Allegro con spirito. Johannes Brahms, performed by George Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

2. Canzon I "La Spiritata." Giovanni Gabrieli, performed by (1) Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort & Players; (2) American Brass Quintet.

3. Con spirito from Heldenmusik. Georg Phillip Telemann, performed by the Empire Brass

4. Concerto For Trumpet, Bassoon & String Orchestra; 1. Allegro Spiritoso. Paul Hindemith, performed by Jouko Harjanne et al.

5. Concerto for trumpet in E Major I. Allegro con spirito. Johann Nepomuk Hummel, performed by (1) John Wallace; (2) Wynton Marsalis (performed in E-flat).

6. "Possente spirito e formidalbil Nume," from Orfeo. Claudio Monteverdi, I don't remember who performs this.

7. Sonata for Trumpet and Piano - III. Spiritual. Jean Hubeau, performed by Thierry Caens, Yves Henry.

8. Sonata for trumpet In D - Spiritoso ed adagio. Arcangelo Corelli, performed by Crispian Steele-Perkins.

9. Sonata for trumpet in D Major: I. Spirituoso (Allegro). Georg Phillip Telemann, performed by Stephen Burns.

10. Symph. #103 E Flat Maj "Drum Roll": I. Adagio - Allegro Con Spiritu - Adagio. Franz Joseph Haydn, performed by Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic.

11. Symphony No. 8 in E flat "Symphony of a Thousand": 1. Hymnus: Veni, Creator Spiritus. Gustav Mahler, performed by Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

May the shouter rest in peace*

Most people who are interested in classical music already know that Luciano Pavarotti died this morning. It was interesting seeing how students reacted to the news. The ones that were saddened were also horrified when other students said "who?"

WGBH has posted a 1972 interview with Luciano on their website. They also sent a press release with details of the interview:

On Monday, April 10, 1972 during the radio program Morning pro musica hosted by Robert J. Lurtsema, WGBH 89.7 in Boston featured an interview with a rising opera star named Luciano Pavarotti. The interview was recorded from a phone conversation between WGBH 89.7 host Ron Della Chiesa and the tenor that took place on March 14, less than a month after Pavarotti's now legendary 1972 New York Metropolitan Opera appearance. This was a pivotal point in the tenor's career. He was making musical history at the Met, singing the role of Tonio in Donizetti's "Daughter of the Regiment". The role includes the demanding aria "Ah! mes amis, quel jour de fête!" Often called the "Mount Everest" for tenors, the aria features 9 exposed, high Cs in rapid-fire succession--requiring monumental vocal dexterity. According to the Kennedy Center biography for Pavarotti, he made history by being the first tenor to sing those 9 high C's loudly, musically, in full voice (i.e. not falsetto.) As Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and cultural critic Manuela Hoelterhoff described the triumph, "Pavarotti stepped to the footlights and sang all nine as if he were flipping pancakes into his mouth. The crowd roared." This is when he was crowned the "King of the High C's". In this historic interview, Ron Della Chiesa speaks with the tenor about his childhood in Modena, his thoughts about the great tenors of the past, his plans for future recordings, and --of course-- the unprecedented musical accomplishment that launched him to international superstardom.

*The title comes from an appearance Luciano made on David Letterman. He was explaining to Dave how to sing, and said it was basically controlled shouting.

What's out there

A colleague in the math department sent me this link to a great explanation of violin acoustics.

Stephen Casales has finished the Unfinished Symphony.

Composer, teacher and critic Stephen Casale studied theory and composition at the New England Conservatory of Music and musicology at New York University. The project to realize a performing version of the Scherzo movement of Schubert's "Unfinished" symphony based on Schubert's piano sketch for the movement took shape in Martin Chusid's graduate course on Schubert at NYU, where it was performed in 1978. A studio recording of the Scherzo was subsequently made by the Czech Radio Symphony under Vladimir Valek in 1995. The present performance by the Toronto Philharmonia is the first professional concert presentation of this realization of the movement.

A new e-company is trying to connect music instructors with students at ClickForLessons. I have no idea how effective it is.

This Saturday there is a symposium celebrating John Cage's 95th birthday at the University of New Hampshire.

John Cage in 2007: Reception, Performance Practice, Analysis

Symposium, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., M-223, Paul Creative Arts Center, UNH

Our Memory of What Happened is Not What Happened: Cage and the Power of Myth
Brent Reidy, Ph.D. candidate, Musicology, Indiana University

On John Cage's Late Music, Analysis, and the Model of Renga in Two2
Rob Haskins, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Music, UNH

Interdeterminacy and Performance Practice in Cage?s _Variations_
David P. Miller, Boston, MA

Thinking About Cage and Nature, Back Then and Right Now
David Andrew, Ph.D., Professor of Art History, UNH

Concert, 8:00 p.m., Bratton Recital Hall, Paul Creative Arts Center, UNH

Music for One
Margaret Herlehy, Oboe

Four6
Rob Haskins, David Miller, Laurel Karlik Sheehan, and Brent Reidy, performers

Two2
Rob Haskins and Laurel Karlik Sheehan, pianos

The long walk

Today I made the last tiny adjustments to my tenure files, and walked them over to the Committee on Faculty (COF) Coordinator's office. I had three files: Teaching, Professional Growth, and Service. The first two were pretty fat files, the third and skinny file was mostly letters from colleagues thanking me for serving on committees or other service. The next step is for the Personnel Committee of the School of Music to review my files during the next three weeks and to write their report with a recommended decision. The School Personnel Committee (SPC) consists of all full-time faculty, except those in their first or last year at DePauw. Plus untenured faculty can recuse themselves, as I did for my colleague's tenure review that is immediately after mine. I get to read the SPC's report and write a response if I see fit, and then these are sent on to COF. They write their own report with recommendation to either concur or disagree with the SPC's decision, which is sent on the Vice President of Academic Affairs and eventually to the President. Theoretically either of these people or the Board of Trustees could overrule the previous decisions, but I'm told this is unlikely to the point of never happening.

It feels much like when I submitted my dissertation, concerned whether I caught all the typos and logical flaws. But nothing is perfect, and I feel the files do represent my work, which is the important thing.

Running fool

This morning I ran my longest distance, 7.7 miles at exactly a 10.0 min/mile pace. I wasn't shooting for this pace, I was only trying to see if I could run over seven miles. I needed to know this, because I foolishly agreed to join my brother's team for Reach the Beach. That's right, 200 miles in 24 hours. The legs range from 2.8 miles to 9.3 (gulp!) miles, with many in 7+ mile distances. To make my little test more accurate, my route included several killer hills and I only slept four hours the night before. The latter feature wasn't intended, I was suffering from some insomnia and decided to make it useful. The cool thing is that I finally reached that runner's high. I could have kept going past my house, my lungs and legs felt perfectly fine. Granted, I had energy lows later, so I don't know how well I will do after my first leg, especially as I will be going at a faster racing pace. But while I still feel completely daunted by this relay race, I know it is possible. Of course, my students will have to prod me with sticks to get me through the following Monday's classes.