Autumn 2006
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NEWSLETTER |
Vol. 2, No. 2 |
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Full Reports from the NABMSA
Conference |
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Table of Contents
◊◊◊ NABMSA Where: AMS/SMT 2006
meeting, Hyatt Century Hotel, ◊◊◊
NABMSA members attending the Second Biennial Conference
mourn the loss of Ben & Jerry’s “Cool Britannia”
ice cream. |
A Word from our President I am
still enjoying the afterglow of our second conference, held at St.
Michael’s College, Colchester, Vermont in August 2006. It was
beautifully planned by the Program Committee, and especially well
hosted by Nathaniel Lew. As the only NABMSA
member for hundreds of miles around, Nat had to make all the local
arrangements himself. Everything seemed to go like clockwork, and
everybody seemed happy. A memorable event was the dinner cruise on
Lake Champlain, where we were favored with perfect weather. When out
of range of the piped music, one could enjoy lively conversation in
idyllic surroundings, or enter a solitary dream world where even musicology
did not intrude. The
Selection Committee had chosen 38 papers and lecture-recitals out
of over 50 submissions, a healthy situation for a young organization
like ours. I thought the standard was consistently high. The climax
came with the closing lecture-concert, in which a brilliant group
of performers and scholars gave us a convincing display of how gesture
and voice production can enhance the effect of baroque mad songs.
They brought the music to life in ways I had not experienced before,
and backed up their interpretations with convincing evidence. Earlier,
there was a fascinating keynote address by Christina Bashford, who brought new and wide-ranging evidence to refute
the conventional “Land ohne Musik” picture of Victorian domestic life. We
are clearly in good shape, socially and intellectually, though it
would be nice if we had a more even distribution of interest over
the history of British music. Our strongest hub has always been the
time on either side of 1900, an exciting period indeed, no matter
whether it was a “Renaissance” or when it is held to begin.
On the other hand, what used to be called the Golden Age of English
music, on either side of 1600, is sparsely represented among us, as
are the earlier centuries; but I think this can be partly explained
by the existence of long-established organizations giving ample coverage
to those periods. It is more surprising to find so few 18th-century
scholars in our group. If you can think of possible recruits, especially
from the lean periods, do please tell them what a terrific society
NABMSA is. We do need new members. (We also need new subscriptions
from lapsed members!) Our
annual general meeting will be at 12:00 noon on Saturday, November
4, during the AMS/SMT meeting at the Hyatt Century Plaza Hotel, Los
Angeles. It’s a chance to test new ideas and proposals and get
a general reaction. Specifically, we need to determine the venue and
date of the third biennial conference, set for 2008. We hope also
to announce at that time the election of officers and Board members-at-large
for the coming year. The election itself will be conducted by Secretary
Deborah Heckert by mail and e-mail during
the month of October. Meanwhile, if you would like to propose yourself
or someone else for the Board, or for one of the offices, please contact
a member of the Nominating Committee: Dorothy de Val (ddeval@yorku.ca), Roberta Marvin (roberta-marvin@uiowa.edu), or Charles
McGuire (Charles.McGuire@oberlin.edu). |
