Chorus and Community, w/CD.* Chorus and Community, w/CD, edited Karen Ahlquist, University of Illinois Press The University of Illinois Press (UIP), is a major American university press and part of the University of Illinois. Overview According to the UIP's website: (www.press.uillinois.edu; (800) 621-2736), 2006. $30. Karen Ahlquist is currently associate professor and chair of the department of music at George Washington University George Washington University, at Washington, D.C.; coeducational; chartered 1821 as Columbian College (one of the first nonsectarian colleges), opened 1822, became a university in 1873, renamed 1904. , where she teaches music history, music literature and ethnomusicology ethnomusicology Scholarly study of the world's musics from various perspectives. Although it had antecedents in the 18th and early 19th centuries, the field expanded with the development of recording technologies in the late 19th century. . She combines her knowledge of choral conducting and ethnomusicology to give readers this unique collection of essays that covers global and historical views of choirs and their places in communities. The book contains 13 well-documented essays by different authors and is divided into five units. Each author writes using his own understanding of the word "community." The choirs discussed have some elements in common, such as a director, regular rehearsals, set memberships and set repertoires. The ability of a choir to promote a political aim is exemplified in an essay by Charles Maguire about John Curwen and his Tonic Sol-fa Method used to teach singing and help advance the Temperance Movement temperance movement International social movement dedicated to the control of alcohol consumption through the promotion of moderation and abstinence. It began as a church-sponsored movement in the U.S. in the early 19th century. in England during the second half of the nineteenth century. Activism is illustrated in an essay by Jill Stachan that covers the gay and lesbian choral movement in the Washington, D.C. area. An essay by Bernard Lortat-Jacob looks at singing in a Sardinian brotherhood where a singer must give up personal desires for the growth of the entire choir. Ahlquist offers a historical perspective in an essay relating to the establishment of choruses in 19th-century Germany. Included on an accompanying compact disc are examples of music representing most of the choirs discussed. The opening essay, by Gregory Barz, clearly shows the emotional support a choir can provide its members. It begins with a Tanzanian kwaya (choir) gathering to mourn the loss of a member's sister. Included on the CD is a touching song recorded as the kwaya proceeds to visit the family of the deceased. The book also discusses minority choirs in the United States. An excellent essay by Marva Griffin Carter discusses the choral legacy of Hall Johnson. Included is a recording of the Heritage Signature Chorale chorale (kōrăl`, –räl`), any of the traditional hymns of the German Protestant Church. The form was developed after the Reformation to replace the plainsong of the earlier service and as a means of congregational participation in singing his beloved "Elijah Rock." Chorus and Community encourages the reader to think beyond the scope of choirs as entertainment or religious ensembles. One realizes how much community effort is involved in building a choir. It also reminds us how much dedication is required of directors and members to build a solid choir in any culture.--Reviewed by Sharon Ard, NCTM NCTM National Council of Teachers of Mathematics NCTM Nationally Certified Teacher of Music NCTM North Carolina Transportation Museum NCTM National Capital Trolley Museum NCTM Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage , El Dorado, Arkansas El Dorado (pronounced to rhyme with 'tornado' (IPA: [εl doˈreɪdoʊ] or [εl dəˈreɪdə])) is a city in Union County, Arkansas, USA. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 20,467. * This items can be ordered via the MTNA MTNA Music Teachers National Association MTNA Middle Tennessee Nursery Association (McMinnville, Tennessee) website through our affiliation with Amazon.com. Go to www.mtna.org for more information. |
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