Doctoral candidate Miguel Arango Calle has been invited to participate in the international conference “Towards a New History of German Music Theatre: Embodiment, Sounds, and Global Mobilities, c. 1650–1820,” to be held in Český Krumlov, Czech Republic. The workshop will bring together contributors to the forthcoming Cambridge History of German Opera, to which Arango Calle will contribute a chapter.

The gathering, hosted at the Krumlov Study Centre, will offer participants the opportunity to present and discuss draft chapters in an intimate, collaborative setting. For those still in progress, the event also welcomes trial runs of work in development. In addition to scholarly exchange, attendees will have access to the Schwarzenberg archive and a guided tour of the eighteenth-century baroque theater in Český Krumlov—one of the best-preserved historical theaters in Europe.

The workshop coincides with the town’s celebrated Baroque Night hat features a candlelit opera production in the historic theater, access to the palace, and a garden illuminated for the occasion.

While in Europe, Arango Calle also plans to visit archives relevant to his dissertation research and gain hands-on experience as a stagehand at the historical theater—a rare opportunity to explore baroque stagecraft from behind the scenes.

Congratulations and good luck, Miguel!

ELIGIBILITY

Students may nominate their own projects. Alternatively, students’ projects may be nominated or encouraged by faculty members, associate instructors, and classmates. To be eligible for this year’s award, a project must have been submitted in fulfillment of course requirements for a music history class during the 2024 calendar year. You may revise the project before submitting it for the award (that is, it is not required that the version submitted be exactly what was turned in for a grade).

A student need not be currently enrolled as an IU undergraduate in order to be eligible to submit a project; for example, a student who submitted a project for M402 in Spring 2024 may have since graduated, but is still eligible to submit that project for consideration. Each student may submit only one project.

PRIZE

Each winner will receive a certificate and $250 award. The IU Department of Musicology will also post an award announcement on its website.

DEADLINE

Submissions must be received by March 10th, 2025.

HOW TO APPLY

Complete the electronic submission form. For papers, upload a clean PDF version (without comments from instructors or editorial marks), identified by title only (not by student name). For research projects delivered in podcast or lecture-recital formats, please submit the written script and final audio file with student names removed.

Submitted projects will be read and judged by a committee of faculty members in the Musicology Department. The committee will not consider submissions that arrive after the deadline or that fail to meet the submission guidelines. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to the musicology department at musicol@iu.edu.

The Austin B. Caswell award was established in 1998 in honor of Prof. Caswell, a devoted teacher and member of the musicology faculty at Indiana University from 1966 until his retirement in 1996. The Caswell Award recognizes the two best undergraduate music history projects (such as research papers, podcasts, and lecture-recitals) submitted at the Jacobs School of Music each year.

Each year, students in the IU Department of Musicology have the opportunity to apply for grants and fellowships that support travel, research, and study abroad. These funds, generously provided by donors and departmental supporters, help students access archives, participate in language programs, and engage with primary sources and cultural contexts crucial to their research.

This past year, two of our musicology Ph.D. students were able to perform archival research at key locations related to their work. In July, Yishai Rubin was able to visit Germany and Austria, thanks to the  Peter Burkholder and Doug McKinney Musicology Research Travel Fund. Jacqueline Fortier just recently returned from her trip to Fort-de-France, the capital of Martinique, thanks to the A. Peter Brown and Carol V. Brown Research Travel Fund. Below, they share highlights from their recent travels as well as some thoughts about how these experiences enriched their research and inspired new directions in their studies.

Last summer, I had the precious opportunity to conduct archival research in Germany and Austria. My trip was made possible by the very generous support of the Peter Burkholder and Doug McKinney Musicology Research Travel Fund, for which I am immensely grateful.

My current research focuses on musical activities involving the Jewish community of Bonn in the mid-to-late eighteenth century. So far, my work in the topic led me to look at manuscript copies of notated synagogue music, rabbinical publications in Hebrew, historical German newspapers, as well as many financial and legal documents, a lot of which became accessible to me thanks to the recent trip. A figure that is naturally ever-present in the background of my inquiry is Ludwig van Beethoven, who was born and raised in Bonn during the same time period, and whose relations to the city’s Jews are yet to be fully investigated.

My visit in Europe certainly had its share of Beethoveniana, as I unexpectedly stumbled upon one of Beethoven’s best-known letters while I was plowing through archival materials at the Haus-, Hof- und Staatsarchiv in Vienna—now I can proudly say that I held an autograph Beethoven manuscript in my hands!

—Yishai Rubin

My recent research travel has greatly impacted my dissertation research in many ways. I was able to make great strides in my fieldwork. I met with a good number of local musicians, scholars, and avid listeners who gave me crucial information on the rich and complex state of music on the island, past and present. I was also able to attend various musical performances around Martinique, testifying to the island’s vibrant and diverse musical life. These include bèlè drumming and dance performances, zouk concerts, and intimate reggae and ragga evenings in local restaurants.

I spent time working in the Schoelcher Library, the library of the Université des Antilles, as well as the Archives Territoriales de la Martinique. The materials held in these spaces include various music periodicals from the late 20th century that pertain to my research as well as books and dissertations that are hard to access outside of the island. I also worked with the fonds Sully Cally, which includes hours of interviews with musicians on the island, which has aided in strengthening my knowledge of music history in Martinique. I am extremely thankful to Carol V. Brown for establishing the A. Peter Brown and Carol V. Brown Research Travel Fund. Without this funding, I would not have been able to pursue this trip which has been central to my research.

I’ve included a few pictures. First, the beautiful bibliothèque Schoelcher, situated in Fort-de-France, the capital of Martinique. This library is not only a fantastic resource for my research but also an important historical monument. Second, a picture of the anse Figuier beach, one of the many beautiful beaches in Martinique where I like to spend my time when I am not working.

—Jacqueline Fortier

Addendum: We are delighted to share that Jacqueline Fortier has been awarded the M. Elizabeth C. Bartlet Fund for Research in France (2024) for her project, “Sounding Martinican Identity through Popular Music in the 21st Century.” This prestigious award supports doctoral and post-doctoral musicological research in France and honors the memory of M. Elizabeth C. Bartlet, a renowned scholar of French music. Congratulations to Jackie for this remarkable achievement!