AMS-NE: New England Chapter of the AMS

As the year draws to a close, I thought I'd take the opportunity to summarize and comment upon chapter activities and events that have marked this past year for us in the AMS-NE. We had a very successful Winter meeting at Boston University on February 21, 2015, which was not only well-attended, but featured particularly good feedback and questions from the audience. I make special note of this as one of the people in attendance that day is no longer with us--Dr. Joel Sheveloff, who left us on November 8, 2015. There have been many beautiful remembrances of Dr. Sheveloff, but I include one from chapter member Fred Thornton at the end of this post. I hope you will take the time to read it, as we lost someone who was an inspiration, mentor, and friend to so many in our chapter. Early May 2015 brought us to a meeting at Yale , which, despite an unexpected campus-wide power failure, was a lively and enlightening gathering! We look forward to being back in Connecticut at The Hartt S...

Call for Papers:  Winter 2016 Meeting of the AMS New England Chapter The Hartt School 20 February 2016   The Winter 2016 meeting of the New England Chapter of the American Musicological Society will be held on  Saturday, 20 February 2016  at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford in West Hartford, CT. The Program Committee invites proposals of up to 300 words for 30-minute papers and for roundtable sessions. All abstracts are subject to blind review, and submissions from faculty, independent scholars, and graduate students are all encouraged and welcome. Abstracts should be submitted by  Friday, 15 January 2016  via email to jsholes at  bu.edu  or by mail to  Jacquelyn  Sholes, AMS-NE Program Chair, Department of Musicology & Ethnomusicology, School of Music, College of Fine Arts, Boston University, 855 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215. Please refer to the AMS abstract guidelines: “Proposals should rep...

Below is a list of papers to be presented at AMS Louisville by people affiliated with institutions or locations in the chapter. Also included are sessions chaired or organized by AMS-NE members. Please consider providing a summary of any of these sessions/papers so that they can be shared here on the AMS-NE Blog. Please e-mail ams.newengland at gmail dot com with any omissions to this list and/or if you would be interested in "covering" these papers for the AMS-NE Blog. If you are are an AMS-NE member delivering a paper at AMS, we would also welcome a report as well. 11/12 Thursday Afternoon, 2 to 5 p.m. SESSION: Blackface Legacies Henry Stoll (Harvard University), “Peau blanche, masques noirs: Operatic Blackface in Colonial Haiti” SESSION: Decoding Film Music   William O’Hara (Harvard University), “Atonality in Monterey: Leonard Rosenman’s Score for East of Eden and the Sound Worlds of Cinematic Modernism” SESSION: Listening Beyond Hearing...

Clark University, late September through mid-November: Bach to Bach  Bach’s Art of Fugue in Color Wednesday, October 21, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. in Razzo Hall Johann Sebastian’s Bach’s Art of Fugue is one of his last great masterpieces.  As Bach’s final, encyclopedic exploration of the art and science of counterpoint and fugue, it has left a great legacy to the future.  The final fugue was left unfinished at the composer’s death, and has thus posed fascinating riddles ever since.  And the performance of this highly intricate, deeply beautiful score presents a wonderful series of challenges and opportunities to performers and listeners alike.  This performance will embrace and celebrate Bach’s Art of Fugue. Featuring Frances Conover Fitch with Arcadia Viols and guest instrumentalists   In addition, Frances Conover Fitch and members of the Arcadia Viols will offer a pre-concert demonstration for students at 4:00 in Razzo Ha...

PLEASE NOTE: This program has been revised with new times to reflect a last-minute change (9/30/15) AMS-NE Fall Chapter Meeting October 3, 2015 Amherst College Arms Music Center, Room 3 Free Weekend Parking Available in lots 9:45-10:15 Refreshments and Registration (Chapter Dues $10: exact change appreciated) Morning Session 10:15   Welcome   10:20  Arnold Dolmetsch against Antiquarianism: The Development and Endurance of Period Instrument Revival Ideologies Maia Perez (Boston University)   Arnold Dolmetsch cut a fascinating figure in the eyes of his contemporaries: the eccentric but devoted leader of one of the first major early music revivals of the 20th century, essential to its success, and the primary force behind its dissemination. But as the century continued, his amateurism and his unshaken belief in the musical authority of a semi-mystical “performer’s insight” prevented most musicologists (and even his own studen...

Call for Papers:  Fall 2015 Meeting of the AMS New England Chapter Amherst College 3 October 2015   The Fall 2015 meeting of the New England Chapter of the American Musicological Society will be held on  Saturday, 3 October 2015 at Amherst College in Amherst, MA. The Program Committee invites proposals of up to 300 words for 30-minute papers and for roundtable sessions. All abstracts are subject to blind review, and submissions from faculty, independent scholars, and graduate students are all encouraged and welcome. Abstracts should be submitted by  Tuesday, 1 September 2015  via email to jsholes at  bu.edu  or by mail to Jacquelyn Sholes, AMS-NE Program Chair, Department of Musicology & Ethnomusicology, School of Music, College of Fine Arts, Boston University, 855 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215. Please refer to the AMS abstract guidelines: “Proposals should represent the presentation as fully as possible....

The Mozart Society of America is delighted to announce a conference: Mozart and His Contemporaries The Sixth Biennial Meeting of the Mozart Society of America Tufts University (Medford, Massachusetts) September 11-13, 2015   This conference will bring together over twenty scholars and performers to explore the lives and music of Mozart and his contemporaries in their domestic, courtly, ecclesiastical, and theatrical spheres. Special events include a visit to the musical instruments collection at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, a Viennese Redoute featuring dances taught and led by renowned dance historian Ken Pierce, and a concert of chamber music for pianoforte, violin, and cello, performed on original instruments. The registration form and schedule are available at the AMS-NE Facebook page as well as the AMS-NE Google Group . A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hyatt Place - Boston/Medford (877 540-3721 ).  The code is “MSA Conference” and the con...