This NEH summer seminar for college and university teachers will explore music books produced in Europe between 1500 and 1700. The seminar will engage with the history of books and readers, and with the social and cultural history of performance. Recent scholarship on the history of the book emphasizes the book object as a space for cultural performance at all levels, from the "how-to" manual to a source for philosophical speculation. Like many book objects, music books are by their nature performative, not only as records of performances (real or imagined), but also as guides or prescriptions for behavior, and as indicators of wider cultural patterns and concerns.
The seminar will meet for four weeks, and will consist of discussion sessions, show-and-tell sessions of rare books, and weekly "cocktails and music making sessions." Under the guidence of the co-directors, participants will be expected to carry out individual research projects using The Newberry's collection of early modern music books and related texts. Participants will be assigned research carrels and and will have all the privilages of a scholar in residence.
Although this seminar will be of special interest to teachers of music history, we seek to attract a diverse group of participants from such academic fields as literature, history, art history, theater, and religious studies.
Successful applicants will receive a stipend of $3,200 to help defray travel and housing expenses.
Application Instructions
Applicants are responsible for reviewing the following before applying:
Letter to Participant (From the Co-Directors)
Completed applications must be postmarked no later than Monday, March 2, 2009. Persons who do not submit a complete application by this deadline will NOT be considered for a seat in the seminar. Successful applicants will be notified of their selection on April 1, 2009. Applicants will be notified when their applications and recommendations are received; however, no other informations regarding their status will be made available prior to April 1.
Applicants are asked to complete the APPLICATION COVER SHEET online at the NEH's website. Please mail hard copies of all other required materials (three copies each of the cover sheet, a résumé, an APPLICATION ESSAY, and two letters of recommendation) to the Center for Renaissance Studies.
To request that the seminar description and application guidelines and materials be sent to you, contact:
Max BarryCenter for Renaissance StudiesThe Newberry Library60 W. Walton St., Chicago, IL 60610Please note: if you are unable to download materials from this website, you most likely will not be able to open them as e-mail attachments because the attachments that will be sent to you will be the same files that are posted here.
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