Music Practice Commons^™

Tracking The Harmonium From Christian Missionary Hymns To Sikh Kirtan, Gurminder Kaur Bhogal

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

The harmonium is prominent in Sikh practices of devotional music known as kirtan and yet its significance has barely been addressed in Euro-American scholarship. Following on the heels of a recent ban against using the instrument at the holiest temple of the Sikhs, Harmandir Sahib (popularly known as the Golden Temple), this article explores how the ban seeks to discard this colonial instrument and return to playing traditional string instruments (tanti saz) associated with the courts (darbar) of the Sikh Gurus. This study is the first to examine primary missionary sources from the nineteenth and early …

We Will Hold Onto You: The Liberating Power Of Music And Liturgy To Break Open The Stories Of Mental Illness In Communities Of Faith, Hillary Doerries

Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses

One in five people lives with a diagnosable mental health problem in any given year. Thus, the presence of mental illness already permeates faith communities. The church’s history with mental illness remains complicated, especially as some communities of faith continue to espouse negative lay theologies that are harmful and dismissive to people living with mental health problems. Guided by the tenants of liberation theology, this thesis argues that mental health justice is a part of God’s overarching justice intended for all creation. When we, as God’s people, encounter or observe injustice, it is our theological task to gather the weary, …

Do Androids Dream Of Improvisation?, Aidan J. Samp

Senior Projects Spring 2022

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Arts of Bard College.

Early Modern Scottish Metrical Psalmody: Origins And Practice, Timothy Duguid

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

Non-literate societies are often dependent on music for transmitting news and ideas because of music’s ability to enhance memory. Sixteenth-century reformers were aware of this, but they had to compete with secular and Roman Catholic music that often contradicted Reformed doctrine. Highly influenced by the Strasbourg-based Martin Bucer and the writings of Saint Augustine, John Calvin insisted that Biblical Psalms, set in vernacular poetry, were most appropriate for both corporate worship and private devotion. The result was a series of metrical psalters that were intended to be performable by everyone. Some editions had explicitly liturgical designs, but most were intended …

Re-Forming Music: Martin Luther’S Impact On Church Music Through The Lutheran Reformation, Soraya Peront

Musical Offerings

Martin Luther is regarded as a seminal figure in 16th-century Europe, having a profound impact on the development of the Protestant Church as it separated from the Roman Catholic Church. Though Luther is most commonly known for his theological influences during the time, his upbringing and musical education strongly influenced his theological beliefs. Not only did this result in a development of a new Christian denomination, but Luther permanently changed the way music was written and performed in the church. How is it, though, that we can credit this musical change to Luther? Through an examination of Luther’s musical understanding …

Singing Difference Amid Relational Connectedness: A Narrative Study Of How Singing Together Shapes Worldview, Debbie Lou Ludolph

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The experience of singing together holds the potential to constrain or set free the imagination to shape worldview. Undergirded by Walter Brueggemann’s argument that a contest of narratives exists in twenty-first century North American church and society, the researcher draws from Mary (Joy) Philip’s call for “in-between space” created by safe haven and adjacency and Lee Higgins’ “boundary-walking” to understand the place of difference in a theological orientation to community singing practice. Rooted in a narrative paradigm and undergirded by an interdisciplinary approach, this inquiry explores the storied lives of sixteen singers in a faith-based singing community called Inshallah to …

Santería In A Globalized World: A Study In Afro-Cuban Folkloric Music, Nathan Montgomery

Lawrence University Honors Projects

The Yoruban people of modern-day Nigeria worship many deities called orichas by means of singing, drumming, and dancing. Their aurally preserved artistic traditions are intrinsically connected to both religious ceremony and everyday life. These forms of worship traveled to the Americas during the colonial era through the brutal transatlantic slave trade and continued to evolve beneath racist societal hierarchies implemented by western European nations. Despite severe oppression, Yoruban slaves in Cuba were able to disguise orichas behind Catholic saints so that they could still actively worship in public. This initial guise led to a synthesis of religious practice, language, and …

Sounding The Congregational Voice, Marissa Glynias Moore

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

Congregational singing is a participatory vocal practice undertaken by Christians across a wide range of denominations, yet the specific qualities and active capacities of the congregational voice have yet to be investigated. Drawing on recent musicological and philosophical perspectives on voice, I theorize the congregational voice as an active practice, illuminating its abilities to do something in worship through sound.

Taking Brian Kane’s model of the voice as a circulation of content (logos), sound (echos), and source (topos), I explore how these categories are redefined through an active-based theorization of congregational singing. I argue that …

The Makings Of An Ep: From Silence To Portable Sounds, Emily Ream

Senior Honors Theses

The creation of an EP is a process that requires skills in multiple areas. Once, creating an EP was only available to those who garnered resources and support from a record label. However, an increasing number of aspiring musicians are writing, recording, and making their music available for download or purchase without the assistance of a record label. Doing this successfully and excellently requires application of knowledge in areas such as literature, theology (for Christian artists), music theory, music technology, and marketing. This thesis will describe one process used to turn inspiration into a tangible product that one can purchase …

Singing The Story Of Advent And Christmas: How Congregational Song Makes Diverse Theologies Incarnate, Hilary Seraph Donaldson

Consensus

No abstract provided.

War Of The Worlds: Music And Cosmological Battles In The Balinese Cremation Procession, Michael B. Bakan

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

Abstract

This article explores processional action as a form of cosmological intervention in Hindu-Balinese cremation processions, focusing on the multiple and intersecting functions of a particular type of Balinese instrumental music ensemble: the gamelan beleganjur. It explores the alternately “enlivening and protective aspects” (DeVale 1990, 62) that underlie the use of beleganjur music in the ngaben, or cremation ritual, showing how beleganjur’s sonic power and rhythmic drive serve to combat malevolent spirit beings, strengthen and inspire processional participants in their efforts to meet challenging ritual obligations, and grant courage to the souls of deceased individuals embarking on their …

Jewish Liturgy In Music, Rachel A. Brown

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

From Silence To Golden: The Slow Integration Of Instruments Into Christian Worship, Jonathan Lyons

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

The Christian church’s stance on the use of instruments in sacred music shifted through influences of church leaders, composers, and secular culture. Synthesizing the writings of early church leaders and church historians reveals a clear progression. The early musical practices of the church were connected to the Jewish synagogues. As recorded in the Old Testament, Jewish worship included instruments as assigned by one’s priestly tribe. Eventually, early church leaders rejected that inclusion and developed a rather robust argument against instruments in liturgical worship. The totalitarian stance on musical instruments in sacred worship began to loosen as the organ increased in …

The Production Of Sticky Notes And Bible Quotes: Godly Answers For Sticky Situations A Children’S Musical As Directed By Julie Brinkman, Julie Elizabeth Brinkman

Honors College

This thesis reflects upon a director’s experience while directing her first production: Sticky Notes and Bible Quotes: Godly Answers for Sticky Situations by Dennis and Nan Allen. This children’s musical was produced in cooperation with Wylie United Methodist Church of Abilene, TX. Over forty children, with the help of ten adult volunteers, shared the importance of memorizing scripture and looking to God’s Word in times of trouble through song, skits, and the recitation of scripture. While reflecting upon the production process after each rehearsal, the director makes connections between her experiences as director, the content of her music education undergraduate …

Singing The Sermon: Where Musicology Meets Homiletics, Emmett G. Price Iii

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

From the beginning of the Christian Church, singing and preaching have served as major tools of communication. In fact, they remain the most utilized methods of articulating and explicating personal and communal theologies across the diverse and expansive expressions of Christianity.

From the life, ministry, and legacy of Jesus Christ through the teachings of the Apostle Paul, the roles and functions of singing and preaching are well known but not well studied as a unit. From the foundational writings of the early Church Fathers through the various theses of the reformers, the acts of singing and preaching have been studied …

Preaching And The Power Of Music: A Dialogue Between The Pulpit And Choir Loft In 1689, Markus Rathey

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

During the ecclesiastical year 1689-90 the Lutheran superintendent in Leipzig, Johann Benedict Carpzov, and his cantor, the composer Johann Schelle, embarked on a collaboration of unusual scale. In the previous year, Carpzov had preached a cycle of sermons based on well-known hymns from the Lutheran tradition. In 1689-90 Carpzov gave a short summary of the earlier hymn sermons, while Schelle composed for each Sunday a cantata based on the very same hymn. The result is a unique collaboration between preacher and musician, pulpit and choir loft. Only a few of Schelle’s compositions have survived; however, the extant cantatas together with …

'Sing Unto The Lord A New Song--Just Not That One!' A Case Study Of Music Censorship In Free Will Baptist Colleges, Jon Edward Bullock

Masters Theses

Like so many of the world’s other religious institutions, the Christian church has a long and well-documented history of using music to enhance and enliven the spiritual experiences of believers. Many of the church’s greatest champions throughout history have spoken about the inherent power of music, but as history always seems to demonstrate, along with power comes the need for control. As long as church leaders have used music to attain spiritual progress, they have also censored music that threatens to impede that progress. Even today, many church leaders still rely on music censorship to protect the future and identity …

Buddhism As Performing Art: Visualizing Music In The Tibetan Sacred Ritual Music Liturgies, Jeffrey W. Cupchik

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

The eleventh-century Tibetan female ascetic, Machik Labdrön (1055-1153), developed a Vajrayāna (Tantric) Buddhist meditation method called Chöd (Tib. gCod, Eng. “to cut”) and associated ritual practices as a means of eliminating “self-grasping,” which is defined as the mistaken instinct of regarding one’s “self” and all phenomena as intrinsically, or independently, existent. Her musical-meditation method became renowned across Central Asia during her lifetime, and Chödritual practices and liturgies have been transmitted from teacher to disciple in unbroken lineages until today. The ritual is now well known globally, with Tibetan Lamas, nuns, and empowered exponents teaching widely, across a transnational …

Kachin Sound Instruments Within The Context Of The Kachin Baptist Convention Of Northern Burma: History, Classification, And Uses, Walter Brath

Masters Theses

This organology identifies and describes the Kachin's sound instruments, classifies them according to the Hornbostel-Sachs' system, and considers evidence of an indigenous classification scheme. Very little research exists to date on the music of the Kachin peoples of Northern Burma. This paper cites the only known indigenous organology and is the first English language study to extrapolate evidence into an emergent classification system. This qualitative study is based on ethnographic interviews, the minimal literature available on the topic, and participant observation drawn from fieldwork conducted in the Kachin State of Northern Burma (modern day Myanmar) during the months of May …

A Study Of Youth Choirs In The Presbyterian Churches, U.S.A. Of The San Joaquin Presbytery, California Synod, Samuel J. Barkman

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Information received during interviews with fifteen prominent choral directors, ministers and laymen of different communities end questionnaire responses from thirty of fifty churches of the San Joaquin Presbytery of tho Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., indicates almost unanimously that there is a growing need. and also a growing awakening among the youth of the church for participation in church musical activities.

For many years churches, large and small, have been struggling with the difficult problems of providing satisfactory musical experiences for both the adults and the youth in the churches of various denominations. For the large churches, with large budgets at their …

Volume 75, Number 05 (May-June 1957), Guy Mccoy

The Etude Magazine: 1883-1957

Josef Hofmann, 1876-1957

Igor Stravinsky, Approaching his 75th Birthday, is Truly a Colossus of Modern Music

Music in the High School Gym

Good Vocal Habits (interview with Renata Tebaldi)

What Power Professional Criticism

Thalberg's Erard: A Discovery

An Intriguing Account of the Various Operational Details Requiring Careful Attention . . . Behind the Opera Curtain

Books on American Music: A Selected Bibliography

Music in the Schools

Choral Potential From the Baroque Era

Music to Link Mankind: The Story of the Formation of an Important Body Having to Do with International Relations

Volume 75, Number 04 (April 1957), Guy Mccoy

The Etude Magazine: 1883-1957

Folk Music and Art Music

Playing with Orchestra (interview with Alec Templeton)

Community Solves its Music Crisis: The Inspiring Story of The Bronx Symphony

Orchestra Genius Lies in the Individual

Miniature Opera from Salzburg

Kostelanetz on Conducting, Conductors and Batons

Drama in Song: A Discussion of the Importance of Clear Enunciation on the Part of Singers

A Glimpse of the Inner Workings of One of the Largest Summer Music Camps is Gained from These Day to Day Entries . . . From the Music Camp Office

Henry Cowell—Musician and Citizen, Part 3

Richard Rodgers on Current Trends in Popular Music

Volume 75, Number 03 (March 1957), Guy Mccoy

The Etude Magazine: 1883-1957

Hail and Farewell to The Grand Old Man of Music Confusion

Confounded: An Objective Explanation of Some Frequently Perplexing Musical Terms

Singing Must be Natural (interview with Victoria de los Angeles)

Music's Part in Social Integration

Mariachis of Mexico

Henry Cowell—Musician and Citizen, Part 2

Music in the Schools High School Symphony Orchestra . . . How It Is Made

New Studio

Volume 75, Number 02 (February 1957), Guy Mccoy

The Etude Magazine: 1883-1957

International Aspect of Folk Music

Candlelight Concerts in Colonial Williamsburg

Don't Shy Away From Adult Beginners

Singing on Television (interview with Lois Hunt) Impressions of Musical Education in the United States

Henry Cowell—Musician and Citizen Shape Notes, New England Music and White Spirituals, Part 2

We Can Co-operate

Staccatos for the Sightless New Vistas in Music Programming for Radio

Volume 75, Number 01 (January 1957), Guy Mccoy

The Etude Magazine: 1883-1957

Philadelphia's Academy of Music . . . One Hundredth Anniversary

Story of Roy Harris—American Composers, Part 2

Some Impressions of Music Education in Japan

Louis Moreau Gottschalk—First American Concert-Pianist

Shape Notes, New England Music and White Spirituals

Approach to Chopin's Etudes (interview with Ruth Slenczynska)

Music in the Schools

Madrigal Group is Fun Composer, Conductor, Comedian . . . That's Jackie Gleason

American School Music: An Assessment

Volume 74, Number 10 (December 1956), Guy Mccoy

The Etude Magazine: 1883-1957

Obituary - Guy Maier (1890-1956)

Béla Bartók and Hungarian Folk Music

Story of Roy Harris—American Composer

Cradle of Music: A Brief Visit to One of the Most Interesting of Old-World Music Publishing Houses

Some Basic Issues in Music Education

Operas of Hugo Weisgall

Volume 74, Number 09 (November 1956), Guy Mccoy

The Etude Magazine: 1883-1957

Carl Orff's Musical Theatre

World Ballad of Bady Doe

Responsibility of Music Education to Music—A Reply

Opera for all America: Chandler Cowles, General Manager of NBC Opera Company, Outlines His Ideas Concerning the Project

Volume 74, Number 08 (October 1956), Guy Mccoy

The Etude Magazine: 1883-1957

Folk Music in Civilization

In Memorium - Mrs. Eduard MacDowell (1857-1956)

Wallingford Riegger—Composer and Pedagog

Loring Club

Bach of High Fidelity (interview with Robert D. Darrell)

Glenn Gould, A Début and a Personality

Volume 74, Number 07 (September 1956), Guy Mccoy

The Etude Magazine: 1883-1957

Music in Focus

Responsibility of Music Education to Music

Music in the American Wilderness

Picture Painted in Sound: Alden B. Dow Creates a New Art Visualizing Music

Pianist's Page

Waltz and Brahms' Opus 39

Volume 74, Number 06 (July-August 1956), Guy Mccoy

The Etude Magazine: 1883-1957

Music in Focus

Daylight and Darkness: Robert Schumann and the Years after Leipzig

Lieder Singer (interview with Irmgard Seefried)

Charles E. Ives, Part Two

Robert Schumann: Across the Years