Report on the 2008 Meeting of the FMCS
By Laurel E. Zeiss (Baylor University)
The 2008 national meeting of the Forum on Music and Christian Scholarship took place February 29 and March 1, 2008. Hosted by the Baylor University School of Music, the conference attracted approximately forty participants from the United States and Canada, whose specialties included musicology, music theory, theology, philosophy, church music, and music performance.
The conference opened with a keynote lecture by Anne Walters Robertson (University of Chicago) titled “The Seven Deadly Sins in Medieval Music.” Robertson discussed why the seven sins, a favorite subject in the visual and literary arts during the Middle Ages, were rarely depicted in music. She then demonstrated how several of the era’s motets do portray these sins through musical devices such as rhythmic incongruities and deliberate violations of contrapuntal rules.
Paper presentations ranged from reconsiderations of well known choral and chamber works, discussions of congregational singing and contemporary Christian music, to the intersections between twentieth-century theories of music, time, and theology. Selections from each era of music history served as examples; a wide variety of genres – madrigals, operas, oratorios, solo piano works, among others – acted as springboards as well. The final session of the conference was indicative of the breadth and the interdisciplinary nature of many of the presentations. George Harne (Princeton University) drew upon medieval music theory, Biblical exegesis, fourteenth-century theological disputes and educational methods during his discussion of Musica contemplativa; Philip Stoltzfus (University of St. Thomas) incorporated examples from Mozart’s The Magic Flute and the writings of Hanslick and Busoni as he explored the impact of musical experience and aesthetic reflection on the theology of Karl Barth.
The two-day event also included several lecture-performances. Kate Butler (University of Nebraska – Lincoln) combined thoughtful ideas with her rich mezzo soprano voice in her discussion of how to craft concerts that serve the music, the audience, and God the Creator. Scott Robinson (Eastern University) performed a composition for tabla and tape inspired by the Prologue to the Gospel of John. Cheryl Pauls (Canadian Mennonite University) closed her paper, “The Artifice of Musicality as Sound Theology: Practicing Time with Carter and Messiaen,” with a vivid performance of the pieces considered. Kevin Holm-Hudson (University of Kentucky) not only lectured and performed, he gave listeners an opportunity to make music themselves during a workshop on Christian improvisation.
Another highlight of the meeting was an “Evening of Sacred Music” led by Randall Bradley (Director of Baylor’s Center for Christian Music Studies) and the Baylor Men’s Choir. This event, which combined choral music, scripture readings, and congregational singing, included the premiere of a new hymn text composed by Baylor church music professor Terry York in honor of FMCS.
On-campus lunches and dinners increased opportunities for fellowship with one another. Anne Walters Robertson’s visit to Baylor, sponsored in part by the Meadows Foundation in Dallas, was timed to coincide with the Baylor Lyceum Series and the FMCS conference so that she could participate in both events. Coordinating FMCS with pre-existing lecture or concert series is an avenue that we would encourage future hosts to consider. The program committee (Kevin Holm-Hudson, Robin Wallace, Elizabeth Kramer, Edward Latham, and Catrina Flint de Médicis) are to be commended for creating such a rich experience.
The next FMCS conference will be hosted by Notre Dame University on February 27-28, 2009. We hope you will plan to attend.