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Moravian Music Foundation

Moravian Music Foundation

Preserving, Sharing, and Celebrating Moravian Musical Culture

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Types of Research Projects

TYPES OF RESEARCH PROJECTS & SOME PROJECT IDEAS TO GET YOU STARTED

The following broad categories may spark interest in a variety of possibilities.

Sometimes, research into the holdings of the Moravian Music Foundation culminates with a published anthem or other newly edited musical work. As custodian of a seemingly bottomless well of 18th and early 19th century works for voices and instruments, with words in German and in alte Deutsche Schrift (old German script), as well as instrumental works, the Foundation holds many opportunities. While the study and “resurrection” of this beautiful music is meaningful and welcomed, please be aware of other Moravian musical “treasure troves” waiting to be unlocked and explored.

Terminology

The following definitions are crucial to the understanding of the Moravian Music Foundation’s holdings and of research into “Moravian music.”

Moravian music: works written by Moravian composers, or works written on Moravian themes or tunes.

Holdings of the Moravian Music Foundation: music housed in the vaults of the Moravian Music Foundation in Winston-Salem, NC or in Bethlehem, PA. It is vital to note that the term “holdings of the MMF” is not synonymous with the term ”Moravian music!” Not all Moravian music is housed with the Foundation, nor is all of the music in the Foundation collections “Moravian.”   Quick look

In addition, most of this music does not belong to the Moravian Music Foundation but to the congregations of the Moravian Church in America. The Foundation is not the owner, but rather (under contract with these Church entities) the sole custodian and curator of this vast storehouse of musical craftsmanship and artistry. These holdings encompass music both sacred and secular, instrumental and vocal, solo, chamber, and orchestral, of varying periods — and of varying quality and interest.

With these definitions in mind, then, the following are some of the research opportunities available in cooperation with the Moravian Music Foundation. The Moravian Music Foundation welcomes inquiries as well concerning other areas of study. It cannot be overemphasized that what follows is only a starting point, not a complete list of opportunities!

Study and Edition of a Single Work

The end result of this type of project is a scholarly and performing edition of a work housed in the Foundation’s holdings. Included in the study is information about the composer; circumstances surrounding the composition and presentation of the work, if available; and comparison of this work with others by the same composer in MMF holdings. For more information, please review our Editorial Policies. The editor may also write an article discussing the life and work of the composer, other works by the same composer in MMF holdings and elsewhere, and questions of performance practice.

The performing edition may be considered by the MMF for publication; and the accompanying research may be used by the researcher as a term paper, or it may be considered for publication in the Moravian Music Foundation Newsletter.

Reconstruction of an Event

Research of this type, for example, may enable the re-enactment of an historic event or worship service. Study may include the edition of one or more musical selections; the identification of tunes appropriate to hymn texts known to have been used; reference to diaries relating the event; and so on. This is a particularly challenging area of research, but one which can be quite rewarding both during and upon completion of the project. An additional aspect of the project might be the preparation of the actual re-enactment, which would then include issues of historical performance practice.

Composer Studies

This type of research involves the examination of the works of one composer (or perhaps a small group or family of composers) in MMF holdings. The length of the resulting work will depend upon the choice of composer(s) and the depth to which the research is conducted, from the length of an article to that of a doctoral dissertation or book. Some examples follow:

  • The first generation of composers (1722-c.1780) of the Renewed Moravian Church (Friedrich, Eberhard, Schlicht, Molther, Grimm)
  • The works of J.A.P. Schulz (1747-1800) in Moravian collections
  • H.M.H.W. Voullaire (1825-1902), Moravian composer of the Romantic era
  • The life and works of Ernst Immanuel Erbe (1854-1927) Now being studied in a doctoral project!
  • The life and works of Theodor Liley Clemens (1858-1933)
  • Aspects of the music of Charles G. Vardell (1893-1962)

Moreover, compositional technique is an appropriate area of study for a music theory specialist, with topics ranging from cantus firmus writing to the influence of a particular theorist upon the Moravian composers.

Repertoire Studies

The repertoire to be examined may be determined by genre (e.g., sonatas, preludes); by instrument; by date; by physical manifestation (e.g., full score vs. parts, manuscript vs. printed). Studies of this type may relate closely to the investigation of a specific practice as described below:

  • Music of the Bach family in Moravian collections
  • Early Stephen Foster prints in Moravian collections
  • Musical first editions in Moravian collections
  • Early prints of non-hymnic Moravian music: What music by Moravian composers (or music on Moravian themes), prior to the latter half of the twentieth century, was published? By whom was it written? For whom was it written? What is the nature of the publication? This study encompasses composers from Latrobe to Erbe, Clemens and Vardell.
  • Italian musical prints in Moravian collections.
  • Repertoire and resources of the 26th North Carolina Regimental Band
  • Early American sheet music in Moravian archives: first editions and rare prints
  • Sources of sixteenth-century Moravian congregational song in Bohemia and Moravia (must be able to read Czech and German)
  • A reconstruction of the musical repertory of the Graceham, MD, Moravian church (1758-1831)
  • History and music of the Salem Orchestra in the nineteenth century
  • History and music of the Bethlehem Trombone Choir
  • Music for children in Moravian collections (past and present)
  • Music for a specific location: for example, the musical life of the Moravians in England; in Labrador; in the Caribbean; in Alaska; in Bethania, NC

Investigation of a Specific Practice

This study involves examination of a body of music in order to answer certain questions: what music actually exists relating to a particular practice or custom? Where does it exist? In what physical condition? Are there markings of any kind on the music? In addition, the study will involve research into descriptive writings in correspondence and diaries.

The Moravian wind band tradition today: Although a number of denominations sponsor church orchestras, the Moravian church retains its two-hundred-year-old tradition of the wind band. Trombone-only choirs exist in several American Moravian churches or communities at the present time; many congregations also have active church bands and instructional programs. As an ongoing link to the history of the Moravian denomination and its continuing commitment to music (instrumental as well as vocal, participation by amateurs as well as by professionals), examination of this practice and its various manifestations promises to be interesting and useful to those participating in or wishing to initiate such ensembles, but our knowledge is far from complete.

Musical life of women in Moravian communities, past and present: This is quite a broad topic, which may be subdivided into a number of articles (which may or may not be the work of a single researcher). The researcher interested in the pre-twentieth-century history (or overseas practices) should be able to read German. Possible subdivisions (or chapter headings) might include Women as Hymn writers; Musical Education of Women; Women as Instrumentalists; Music Written for Women; Music Written by Women; and many other facets.

History of music and music instruction at Moravian educational institutions. Pauline Fox has done a wonderful dissertation on the music at the Moravian schools in Bethlehem, but there’s still room for more research especially for schools in other settlements.

Trends in music editing: The published editions of Moravian anthems (1940-1993) can be seen as a microcosm of the evolution of twentieth-century editorial norms. Over the publication of nearly four hundred anthems spanning some fifty years, editorial practices have undergone a variety of shifts in emphasis. These differences involve such aspects as inclusion of the original language as well as a translation; preferences for old versus modern spellings; indications of editorial emendations or performance suggestions; varying flexibility in adapting orchestral parts to keyboard reductions; varying attitudes towards changing key or adapting notes and rhythms for greater ease in performance, and so on. These differences in interpretation are to be analyzed in light of the contemporary editorial practice. The researcher should have experience in music scholarship and editing, and a familiarity with scholarly editorial practice. The study will involve comparison of some published anthems with the manuscripts, and comparison of several editions of the same work.

Moravian Hymnody: Evolution of tunes and texts over two or three hundred years, including musical settings, text alterations, translations and recastings; knowledge of German important, as is sensitivity to Moravian theology.

Restoration process of the 1800 Tannenberg organ in Salem.

revised: August 2012 by Dr. Nola Reed Knouse, Director


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WINSTON-SALEM OFFICE at the ARCHIE K. DAVIS CENTER

457 South Church St.
Winston-Salem, NC 27101

Phone: (336) 725-0651
Email: info@moravianmusic.org

BETHLEHEM OFFICE at the MORAVIAN ARCHIVES

41 West Locust St
Bethlehem, PA 18018

Phone: (610) 866-3340

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Other resources at MMF:

  • Reference library: the Peter Memorial Library in Winston-Salem
  • Irving Lowens Collection of early American tunebooks and songbooks, in Winston-Salem
  • An extensive international collection of hymnals (mostly Moravian) in many languages, dating to the 16th century, in Winston-Salem

 
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ArchivGrid

ArchiveGrid                         LINK

This is a collection of over 7,000,000 archival descriptions, including documents, personal papers, family histories, and other archival materials held in about 1,500 archival institutions. ArchiveGrid helps researchers looking for primary source materials, but who may not know exactly where to go to find them. MMF’s finding aids can be discovered through ArchiveGrid. For an example, go to https://researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/help/; type in the search box (upper right) “Bethlehem congregation” and the first thing you will find is MMF’s finding aid for the Bethlehem Congregation Collection, and also related collections and suggested search terms (Lancaster, Dover, Lititz, etc.), linked to those finding aids on the MMF website.

Finding Aids

Individual Finding Aids       LINK

Guide: Arranged by Collection          LINK

The archival holdings of MMF are divided into collections. (some in Bethlehem, some in Winston-Salem)

The finding aid for each collection is a “30,000-foot view” of the collection in its context. Each finding aid contains information about the size of the collection, how it was created, history of the community or key individuals involved in the collection, and a description of the contents.

A guide to the MMF collections is available at MoravianMusic.org:

For the individual finding aids, see https://moravianmusic.org/category/finding-aids/
Then, click on any of the titles and read about that collection. When this work is completed, there will be a finding aid for every collection we hold.

RISM

RISM: Répertoire International des Sources Musicales    LINK

RISM, or International Inventory of Musical Sources, is an international, non-profit organization that aims to comprehensively document extant musical sources worldwide: manuscripts, printed music editions, writings on music theory, and libretti that are found in libraries, archives, churches, schools, and private collections.

The RISM Catalog of Musical Sources contains over 1.2 million records and can be searched at no cost. Early western music from 1600 through to the early 19th century is included.    https://rism.info/de/search.html

RISM was founded in Paris in 1952 and is the largest and only global organization that documents written musical sources. RISM records what exists and where it can be found. RISM is where scholars go when they are looking for music manuscripts or early prints around the world. RISM entries include the musical incipits – the first phrase or so of music – to enable identification of a specific piece of music (which setting of “Sing to the Lord a New Song” is this?).

GemeinKat

GemeinKat is the MMF digital catalog on WorldCat.org    LINK

“GemeinKat” is the name given to MMF’s project to upload new and enhanced digital records to the OCLC and RISM databases. We have used the name “GemeinKat” as our umbrella term for the entire project, involving Backstage Library Works, OCLC, WorldCat, and RISM and the work of cataloging; also, the creation of the digital records and the creation of finding aids.

GemeinKat is available to the public, on the internet, at moravianmusic.on.worldcat.org and is a WorldCat Discovery catalog, developed by OCLC, a nonprofit organization that provides services to thousands of libraries worldwide. Through WorldCat, users have the potential to access more than 1.8 billion items in libraries around the world.

GemeinKat itself is: the bibliographic records for each manuscript, book, or printed music item found in MMF holdings.
These archival holdings are grouped by collections and physically reside in either the Bethlehem or Winston-Salem archive (sometimes in both).
For a description, see the MMF website: https://moravianmusic.org/gemeinkat-catalog/.

WorldCat.org: to search the catalog, go to https://moravianmusic.on.worldcat.org/discovery. You can search by composer, title, collection, or any number of other keywords; just go try!

OCLC (Online Computer Library Center): the collective of organization(s) that built the online database called WorldCat. It is now owned by Backstage Library Works.

Timeline of the Transition

The current plan (subject to change and adjustments, of course) is shared here, and will be updated.

How it works; who hires whom?

A. The MMF Board of Trustees hires the Executive Director. 
B. The Executive Director hires the Asst. Director and other MMF staff.

The Plan

1. Nola and Gwyn will retire, effective the end of August, 2022.

2. The Board is currently searching and accepting applications for Executive Director.

3. A new Executive Director will be named by summer and will be in place by mid-July, 2022.
The new Director would then be able to experience Festival and spend up to 6 weeks with the current Director.

4. An interim Asst. Director will be hired by summer and will overlap with the current Asst. Director.
This position will be 2-days a week to finish out the 2022 calendar year, while the new Director considers applicants for Asst. Director.

5. Assistant Director opening will be posted in the fall of 2022.

6. A new Asst. Director will be hired by the new ED and should be in place to start as of Jan. 1, 2023.

We are open for business!

…however, we prefer you make an appointment to visit the WINSTON-SALEM office in-person, and follow the guidelines, below.

336-725-0651

We request visitors follow these requirements:

  • Researchers must call or email to make an appointment. Walk-in researchers will not be admitted.
  • There will be a limit of 3 persons in the research room at a time (including MMF and Archives researchers).
  • Masks required for ALL.
  • Researchers are required to bring their own writing materials (pencils & paper).

 

For shopping, when convenient, please order items on the MMF website. We can leave them at the door for pick-up or ship to you.

For anthem and lending library requests, research inquiries, and other inquiries,
you are welcome to send an email to info@moravianmusic.org or sales@moravianmusic.org
or, for research, dave@moravianmusic.org
or directly to any of the staff, using this pattern: [first name]@moravianmusic.org

We Are Open for Business!

…however, you must make an appointment to visit the BETHLEHEM office in-person. Masks, distancing, and limits of occupancy are mandated.  

610-866-3340

For shopping, when convenient, please order items on the MMF website. We can leave them at the door for pick-up or ship to you.

For anthem and lending library requests, research inquiries, and other inquiries,
you are welcome to send an email to info@moravianmusic.org or sales@moravianmusic.org or
directly to any of the staff, using this pattern: [first name]@moravianmusic.org

A recent inquiry to MMF - Subject: Copyright/Streaming

 

Dear MMF,

I have a question about copyright and streaming. We have CCLI license and streaming license at my church, but it does not cover many pieces for organ. Would the ASCAP license provide that protection for us to stream and include copyrighted organ music? I’ve read their website, and it seems like it would.  https://www.ascap.com/music-users/types/church-or-ministry

Thanks!

____________________________________________________

Dear Worship Leader,

We have been instructing folks to follow CCLI and OneLicense guidelines, which, as you discovered, unfortunately, rarely cover instrumental/keyboard music.

Yes, it appears as though ASCAP offers a “WorshipCast” streaming license, which is set up in much the same manner as CCLI and OneLicense licenses – i.e., the fee structure is based on worship attendance:

https://apps.christiancopyrightsolutions.com/purchase-license.aspx?svc=wc

A quick click brought up this fee structure:
1 – 199 (in attendance): $284.00
200 – 499 (in attendance): $424.00 (obviously it goes up from here)

Some further good news – the WorshipCast license offered above is controlled by Christian Copyright Solutions (a division of CCLI, and it appears as though purchase of this license would allow you to broadcast both ASCAP and BMI titles, opening up even more possibilities.

I don’t think, however, that this license includes SESAC titles; thus, if you wished to perform anything under the SESAC umbrella (Dan Gawthrop, for instance), you would need to approach that entity directly for a license:

https://www.sesac.com/#!/

Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Blessings to you in your music ministry!

Gwyneth Michel, Assistant Director, Moravian Music Foundation      – – (with edits by Erik S.)

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Internships at MMF

The Moravian Music Foundation welcomes students for internships.
Both college (or higher) and high school levels may be accommodated.
Some projects require no musical experience; others require ability to read music and understand orchestral scores/parts.

Internship Opportunities

Archie K Davis Center

Construction began on the building in the fall of 1999, and the facility was completed and occupied in July 2001. In September 2001, the building was dedicated as the Archie K. Davis Center. More about the man, the building, and a quick, visual tour of our beautiful home.

The Archie K. Davis Center