Edited by James McKinnon (NHC Fellow, 1993–94) In The Early Christian Period and the Latin Middle Ages, we witness the merger of musica, then an abstract academic enterprise, and cantus, or practical music. The volume spans a millennium of writings, ranging from scriptural commentaries by St. Jerome and other fourth-century Church Fathers to an excerpt from Speculum musicae, an … Continued
By Jann Pasler (NHC Fellow, 2006–07) Drawing on a passion for music, a remarkably diverse interdisciplinary toolbox, and a gift for accessible language that speaks equally to scholars and the general public, Jann Pasler invites us to read as she writes "through" music, unveiling the forces that affect our sonic encounters. In an extraordinary collection … Continued
Edited by Wye J. Allanbrook (NHC Fellow, 1986–87; 2003–04)
Edited by Theodore E. Buehrer (NHC Fellow, 2006–07) Careful listeners and readers need to spend little time perusing Mary Lou Williams’s solo piano recordings or her music manuscripts to realize her immense talent. A two-time Guggenheim Fellow, Williams (1910–81) honed her craft as a jazz pianist, composer, and arranger during a career that spanned five … Continued
By Timothy D. Taylor (NHC Fellow, 1999–00) In Strange Sounds, Timothy D. Taylor explains the wonder and anxiety provoked by a technological revolution that began in the 1940s and gathers steam daily. Taylor discusses the ultural role of technology, its use in making music, and the inevitable concerns about "authenticity" that arise from electronic music. Informative … Continued
Edited by Richard A. Peterson (NHC Fellow, 1989–90) and Melton A. McLaurin
Edited by Richard A. Peterson (NHC Fellow, 1989–90) In Creating Country Music, Richard Peterson traces the development of country music and its institutionalization from Fiddlin’ John Carson’s pioneering recordings in Atlanta in 1923 to the posthumous success of Hank Williams. Peterson captures the free-wheeling entrepreneurial spirit of the era, detailing the activities of the key promoters … Continued
By Paul F. Berliner (NHC Fellow, 1996–97; 2010–11) Growing out of the collaborative research of an American ethnomusicologist and Zimbabwean musician, Paul F. Berliner and Cosmas Magaya’s Mbira’s Restless Dance documents the repertory for a keyboard instrument known generally as mbira. At the heart of this work lies the analysis of the improvisatory processes that … Continued
Edited by Katherine K. Preston (NHC Fellow, 2009–10) George Frederick Bristow (1825–98), American composer, conductor, teacher, and performer, was a pillar of the New York musical community for the second half of the nineteenth century. His participation in an important mid-century battle of words—between William Henry Fry and the journalist Richard Storrs Willis, concerning a … Continued
By Richard Will (NHC Fellow, 2009–10) Don Giovanni Captured considers the life of a single opera, engaging with the entire history of its recorded performance. Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni has long inspired myths about eros and masculinity. Over time, its performance history has revealed a growing trend toward critique—an increasing effort on the part of performers and directors … Continued