PRISMYALE IN STITUTE O F SAC R E D MU S I C

“Common ground“for musicians“and ministers,“for scholars“and practitioners.”

N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 1 V O L U M E X N U M B E R 3 Y A L E U N I V E R S I T Y

Also in this IssueISM’s Newest “Graduates” ...................... Page 2Alumni & Faculty News ........................... Page 2Placement Listings ..................................... Page 4Where Are They Now? ............................ Page 5Room at the Top! ........................................ Page 5Organ Week .................................................. Page 6

Tribute to Richard F. FrenchGiven by Robert L. Blocker

The Lucy and Henry Moses Dean of Music, Yale UniversitySeptember 24, 2001 at Battell Chapel, New Haven

Our presence this afternoonis testimony to the para-graphs or chapters that Rich-ard French wrote in each ofour autobiographies. His in-fluence, as his presence, wasprescient – sometimes quiet,sometimes intrusive, some-times abrupt, sometimesgentle, sometimes stern – butalways inquisitive, alwayscarefully considered,

– and always with a gleamin his eye.

These character traitswere discernible in Richard’s childhood. In 1928 he was com-pleting the eighth grade at the Thayerlands School, and theschool yearbook provides these glimpses of a classmate knownto his peers as “Dicky.” The class census states that “askingquestions” is the primary characteristic of Richard French. “Hishigh standard of scholarship and his willingness to help at alltimes have made him an invaluable member of the class.”

As class historian, Richard (I could never imagine him asDicky) displayed his keen intellect, wry sense of humor, andrefined writing skills at the young age of 12. The followingparagraph is taken from the class history:

In the fifth grade the class of ’28 had two eventswhich we remember well, the first being astereopticon lecture on “The Grand Canyon ofthe Colorado River.” This was our pioneerexperience in giving a lecture to an assembly,but we were proud of it, as was the school. Itwas received with great applause by all who werepresent. As a reward for our success, Mrs.Southworth, who was our teacher, gave us a“Weenie Roast.” This was something new to usand many a “weenie” sizzled on the embers atthe great despair of the eater-to-be.

– Always the gleam in his eye.

Richard’s student days at Exeter and Harvard furthershaped and molded his academic and personal values. How

he loved those institutions; they were undoubtedly days ofutmost joy in his life. And we all know the delight he took inwearing his Harvard jacket and cap around the Yale campus.

– Always the gleam in his eye.

Someone described Richard’s career as one that took azig-zag path. After all, he was an administrator at Harvardas well as an Associate Professor of Music, vice presidentand director of publications at Associated Music Publish-ers, President of Pro Musica Antiqua, Professor at UnionTheological Seminary and at Yale, and Director of DoctoralStudies at Juilliard. The common threads woven into thisprofessional tapestry were Richard’s beliefs that the libraryis the heart of any institution and that teaching is a highand noble calling.

At the national symposium held by Harvard to honorthe creation of the Richard F. French Librarianship, the firstmusic library chair in the United States, our colleague andfriend inquired:

What is this musical art, anyway? What do youhave in your libraries — on your shelves, in yourcassettes, in your acid-free archival boxes? A goodfriend who served as librarian at a New York semi-nary in the nineteen sixties would have been athis happiest only when all his materials were onthe shelves, all the lights out, and all the doorslocked. A real imprisonment. But, alas, he neverlistened to the din, he never heard all the noisegoing on between those covers.

Continued on page 3

ALUMNI & FACULTY NEWS

ISM

James Boline ’94 has a new address: 1942 Grace Avenue,No. 217, Hollywood Hills, CA 90068. His home phone is323-969-8498.Mike Linton ’80 has been promoted to Professor of Music atMiddle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN. Mikeand Janet continue to lead music at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church,where last Christmas his composition, “Nativity”, a setting ofthe Luke infancy narrative, premiered. Mike writes frequentlyfor the journal First Things and the Weekly Standard.Anne Napoli ’01 has taken a position in the educationdepartment of the Yale University Art Gallery. Her officephone is 203-436-1559; e-mail, anne.napoli@yale.edu.

UTS

John Boatner’s ’69 composition, “A Sonata for Organ,” wasperformed this past summer by concert organist CarsonCooman during his tour of Europe. Cooman performed thesonata in Prague, Czech Republic and Varna, Bulgaria. Com-posed in 1969, John has performed the work himself in NewYork, Memphis and Traverse City, MI. The sonata is publishedby JB Music.Robert Burns ’58 has a new address: 12009 England Street,Overland Park, KS 66213.Carolyn J. Nickel Kibler ’68 has a change of address: 198Camino Real, Fort Collins, CO 80524.

PRISM is published ten times a yearby the Yale Institute of Sacred Music

Margot E. Fassler, Director

409 Prospect St.New Haven, CT 06511Telephone 203 432 5180Fax 203 432 5296

Editor: Melissa Maier, melissa.maier@yale.edu

Alumni and Job Placement Editor:Laurie Holst, laurie.holst@yale.edu

Layout and Design: Elaine Piraino-Holevoet, PIROET

Photos: ISM archives, pages 1 and 3;Laurie Holst, pages 2 and 5; Robert Lisak, page 6.

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MISSING ALUMSCan you help us locate addresses for the followingalums? ISM: Benjamin Broening ’91, CraigCampbell ’88. UTS: Jeffrey L. Daehn ’72, JerryDavidson ’69, Roland Dollhopf ’58, Grace Epler’48, Diana Norton Jackson ’68, David M. Lowry’62, Mary Monroe ’67, John R. Parsons ’73, andClarice Williams Stegall ’64.

FACULTY

Bryan Spinks attended the International Anglican LiturgicalConsultation at Berkeley, CA in August. He also presented apaper at the Societas Liturgica Congress at Santa Clara inAugust, entitled “Cranmer, Baptism and Christian Nurture:or, Toronto Revisited”. In September he gave a presentationon methodologies in the study of Liturgy at the conferenceon Christian scholarship at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI.He delivered the Pitt Lecture entitled, “Berkeley, the LiturgicalMovement and Liturgical Scholars,” at the October YDSconvocation. Professor Spinks has two new books publishedrecently (or due soon): one comparing Perkins and Hooker,Two Faces of Anglican Theology: Sacraments and Salvation in theThought of William Perkins and Richard Hooker (1999), and theother entitled Sacraments, Ceremonies and the Stuart Divines: Sac-ramental Theology and Liturgy in England and Scotland 1603-1662(Ashgate, due out December 2001).

Recently, the Institute’s staff was privileged to partici-pate in Yale’s first Customer Service Institute, an ex-traordinary experience that has enhanced the staff’sefforts and their commitment to the mission of Yaleand the ISM. In addition to the ISM staff, four Univer-sity groups participated in the Customer Service Insti-tute: Payroll Services, Dining Services, the DocumentDelivery Group of the Library, and the Medical SchoolHelp Desk Support group. Over an eight-month pe-riod, participants attended over 75 hours of seminars,presentations, and panel discussions led by experts invarious areas of customer service and business admin-istration, and worked with a consultant to improve com-munications and streamline systems. Sponsored in theprogram by Director Margot Fassler, the ISM staff cameto realize that its “customers” are many and diverse:the students, past, present and future; the faculty; andthe outside world of local faith communities, arts or-ganizations, and audiences. “We are also our own cus-tomers,” said ISM staff member Beth Vieira in her clos-ing remarks at the graduation ceremony on November9. “By treating each other according to the principlesof customer service developed in the CSI, we are en-abled to function as a team, to better serve all our di-verse constituent customer groups.”

ISM’s Newest “Graduates”

Pictured here: ISM “graduates” of the Customer Service Institute MelissaMaier, Terese Cain, Gale Pollen, Beth Vieira, and Laurie Holst.

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What noise? you ask – we don’t hear it. Yes, youdo. Think, and listen. The scores on your shelvesare not respectable, lifeless corpses, got up forposterity. They are messy, often only moderatelysuccessful, and maybe even unreadable, attemptsto invent new musical languages whereincomposers and performers may find new ways toask new questions about music, forever. Whatthe seminary librarian mistook for the answers toquestions, all the materials which he felt deservedto be imprisoned, were really the eternally activequestions, screaming to be let loose, attended to,heard. The world rewards not the answerer butthe questioner, not the imprisoner but the liberator.Great art, like great scholarship and great teachingand great performance, does not provide answers,but shows us only how to begin to interrogate theworld in a new way.

Richard French was a legendary teacher. An oral historyemerged long ago from the plethora of student experiencesretold by subsequent classes. Perhaps this recent letter fromElizabeth Adkins, the associate concertmaster of the NationalSymphony Orchestra and recipient of threeYale degrees, bestsummarizes his didactic skill and passion.

The first course I took at the Yale School of Musicwas Mr. French’s course on Mozart operas. Atour first class, he expressed the opinion that inorder truly to appreciate Mozart’s genius in thisform, one had to sing the music. Yes, he meantUS, all of us, right there in the classroom,ready…take a breath …SING! We sang “Hiersoll ich dich denn sehen” from The Abductionfrom the Seraglio, and I remember it in full tothis day: the physical experience of followingthe beautiful shapes and contours of the melody,with Richard French singing the loudest, anexalted expression on his face, with no self-consciousness whatever as he reveled in thesubtle simplicity of the song.The following semester I took his course onBeethoven. As an experienced musician, I wasn’texpecting much that I didn’t know already. Icertainly was not expecting to be completely“turned on” to Beethoven! Again Mr. Frenchrevealed the powerful topography, the visceralexperience of the presumably dry compositionaltechniques I had studied elsewhere. A piece byBeethoven was a tale, a narrative, an adventureto him, illustrated by leaping into the air atdeceptive cadences, shouting the chords of unusualprogressions as they flung around us, much likethe guide of a whitewater craft taking his amateurcrew through the rapids.From Richard French I learned not only to seekthe physical joy of making music, but to endeavorto convey that joy to those who listen. This wasMr. French’s great talent– in his hands and in hisheart, music was a thrilling ride.

Richard French’s students were so well acquainted with –– the gleam in his eye!

Finally, we acknowledgeour friend’s compassion andhumanity. In anonymity Ri-chard gave financial supportto countless numbers of stu-dents – tuition, opera tickets,books, meals, travel expenses,scores to name a few. He gavetime and guidance to the un-initiated, uninformed, dis-couraged, and disadvantaged.His expectation was clear,predictable and conditional –if you work hard and seekcontinual growth, I will help you.

To colleagues he was mentor, friend, and counselor inmatters personal and professional. All knew that Richard’sconfidence and integrity were impeccable.

The caption beneath Richard’s fifth grade picture reads“as merry as the day is long.”

Such merriment came in various ways:- an array of fur caps- his annual recitation of Paul Revere’s Ride with

Rosamond Hamlin- raucous laughter after hearing or telling a joke- a yellow VW beetle so that, in his words to

me, he could go out in style- public objections to a visiting scholar’s thesis

at a symposium in honor of his own retirement- pink snakes for desks where important

messages needed to be seen- co-hosted with Harold Samuels at Yale football

games, the only tailgating parties in the worldthat served both Manhattans and WhiskeySours, followed by English tea at half-time

- brightly colored bow ties, and,

– the ever-present gleam in his eye.

In the 25th anniversary report of the Harvard Class of 1937,Richard best described his life and at the same time gives hisexpectations of us.

…..After twenty-five years, one can fairly beginto ask how the story of one’s life relates to suc-cess or failure. One element of such a judgmentwould surely be the ways in which one’s workand attitudes relate to the traditions in which onehas come to believe, how they combine respectfor the past with acts of innovation, how theyadd up in terms of self-respect. I have, I hope,treated my colleagues, friends and responsibili-ties somewhat better than the girl in Cole Porter’slife (‘I’ll be true to you, Darlin’, in my fashion’)treated him. For the next twenty-five, as well asfor the last, I should like to think I might be ableto sing Amen to the concluding lines ofStravinsky’s Les Noces – lines addressed bygroom to bride, but lines that might be addressedby each of us to his world:

“Let us have lived together, that others shouldhave envied us.”

Richard, thanks for the thrilling ride of music and friend-ship. And that gleam in your eye – it is now a light that pointsus forward.

TRIBUTE T0 RICHARD FRENCH continued from page 1

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Church PositionsFirst Presbyterian Church, 231 S. Broad-way, Hastings, MI 49058. 616-945-5463. Fulltime Director of Music. Two Sunday ser-vices—traditional 9 am service and contem-porary service at 11:20. Adult, children’s andyouth choirs, praise team. Lauck organ, 20-years-old, recently updated with a midi.Salary is listed at $25-35,000. Contact thechurch for additional information.Westminster Presbyterian, 724 DelawareAve, Buffalo, NY 14209-2294. 716-884-9437. Full time Director of Music Ministries.1,000-member metropolitan congregationseeks an experienced church musician toadminister, manage and implement its di-verse music program. Two Aeolian-Skin-ner organs, substantial music endowmentfund, several choirs and a music series. In-quiries may be directed to the church.

Academic PositionsAsbury College, Wilmore, KY 40390. In-dependent, evangelical Christian, liberalarts college has a tenure-track position inBible/Theology. PhD in New Testamentstudies (ABD considered) and evidence ofexcellent teaching ability required. Re-sponsibilities include teaching New Tes-tament to undergraduate students as wellas Bible majors. Candidates must give evi-dence of a Wesleyan evangelical commit-ment, be in agreement with the college’sStatement of Faith, and assist in modelingits spiritual mission. Send resume andstatement of Wesleyan Christian commit-ment to the Provost.Baylor University, PO Box 97408, Waco,TX 76798-7408. Tenure-track assistant, as-sociate, or full professor in church music be-ginning August, 2002. Candidate will be re-sponsible for teaching undergraduate andgraduate courses in church music, maintain-ing relationships with church leaders, andmaintaining an active profile of professionalachievement in the church music field inpractical and/or research roles. Qualifica-tions include a doctorate, an ability to teacha variety of courses in church music, and arecord of practical experience in music min-istry. Beyond these requirements, college-level teaching experience and a record of re-search/scholarly/creative activity are de-sired. Salary and rank are commensuratewith qualifications and experience. Applica-tions will be accepted until the position isfilled. To ensure full consideration, a com-pleted application should be received byJanuary 7, 2002. Send a letter of applica-tion, CV, list of references, transcripts andthree current letters of recommendation toRandall Bradley, Chair; Church Music SearchCommittee, School of Music.Central Missouri State University,Warrensburg, MO 64093. Choir director,

assistant professor beginning August,2002. Direct a large choral ensemble,chamber choirs, teach choral methods,and attend administrative responsibilitiesin the choral area. May include appliedvoice. Doctorate in music preferred, ABDrequired. Evidence of successful teachingof choral music, applied voice, and ad-ministrative skills required. Screening be-gins January 14, 2002 and continues un-til filled. Send letter of application, re-sume, complete transcripts, three currentletters of reference, and a cassette tapeor CD of a choir performance under yourdirection to Dr. Mia Kim, Choral SearchCommittee Chair; Position #51223; De-partment of Music.Drew University, Madison, NJ 07940. TheDepartment of Religious Studies invites ap-plications for a tenure-track position, at therank of assistant professor, to begin in the2002-03 academic year, contingent uponfunding approval. Primary specializationshould be in social ethics, including busi-ness and bio-medical ethics. Competency toteach in psychology or religion or in Mod-ern (19th and 20th centuries) Western reli-gious thought is also required. A completedPhD is preferred, though outstanding ABDmay be considered. The successful candi-date will demonstrate a commitment to ex-cellence in teaching at the undergraduatelevel and to scholarly research. Submit a let-ter of application, which includes a descrip-tion of teaching philosophy and researchinterests, a CV, transcripts and three lettersof reference (or dossier containing all ofthese) to Dr. William D. Stroker, Chair. Re-view begins December 1 and continues un-til position is filled.The Hiroshima Peace Institute,Hiroshima City University, Japan, seeksapplicants to fill several positions as in-structor, assistant professor, associate pro-fessor, and/or professor. Applicants shouldbe committed to studies related to thetheory of peace and methodology of peaceresearch; the nuclear holocausts inHiroshima and Nagasaki; the development,production, deployment, proliferation, dis-armament and abolition of nuclear and con-ventional weapons; international and do-mestic war, peace, conflict resolution, andsecurity in the Asia-Pacific region; and paci-fistic ideas, culture, and movements in theAsia-Pacific region. Application deadline isDecember 20, 2001. The dates of appoint-ment are between July 1, 2002 and April 1,2003. Inquiries: Tel: +81-82-544-7570;Fax: +81-82-544-7573;University of South Carolina, School ofMusic, 813 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC29208. Full time, tenure-eligible positionfor an assistant professor of Choral Mu-sic, beginning Fall 2002. Responsibilities

include conducting the university chorus,teaching courses in undergraduate con-ducting, choral and secondary methods,and supervising student teachers. Otherresponsibilities may include graduate andundergraduate teaching of related courses.Master’s degree (Choral Conducting orMusic Education) and public school teach-ing experience at the secondary level re-quired. Doctorate and college-level teach-ing experience preferred. Screening beginsNovember 26, 2001 and will continue un-til the position is filled. Candidates shouldsend letter of application, CV, three cur-rent letters of recommendation, and sup-porting credentials to Chair, Choral MusicSearch Committee.University of Wisconsin, School of Hu-man Ecology, 1300 Linden Drive, Madison,WI 53706. Three tenure-track positions,beginning August 2002, assistant, asso-ciate, or full professor. Salary commensu-rate with experience and qualifications.Will consider all areas of the arts, humani-ties, social and natural sciences that en-gage questions of vision and visual sys-tems. Priority to candidates whose re-search and teaching interests includetransnational and/or multi-ethnic dimen-sions. Must have strong record of schol-arly publication and/or creative practiceand commitment to interdisciplinary re-search. Should be prepared to develop newcurricula and assume leadership roles ininterdepartmental activities. Deadline forapplications is January 15, 2002. Send CV,contact information for three references,examples of scholarly and/or creative workto Laurie Beth Clark, Visual Culture SearchCommittee.Westminster Choir College of Rider Uni-versity in Princeton, NJ. Rider Universityannounces a full-time tenure-track posi-tion as assistant professor or organ in theDepartment of Conducting, Organ, and Sa-cred Music. The successful candidate willbe an exceptional musician, gifted per-former and teacher, and committed to theimportance of music in the worship life ofthe church. Experience in teaching at thecollege level and an earned doctorate arepreferred qualifications but not essential.Other supporting attributes may includeexperience as a church musician and/orchoral conductor. Duties will include class-room and studio teaching. Position beginsin fall 2002.Address questions to StevenL. Pilkington, Chair, Conducting, Organ,and Sacred Music at (609) 921-7100, ext.286 or pilkington@rider.edu, or send letterof application, cv, two letters of recommen-dation and list of references to RosemaryMalloy, Manager of Employment, HumanResources, Rider University, 2083Lawrenceville Rd, Lawrenceville, NJ 06848.

P L A C E M E N T L I S T I N G S

Room at the Top!

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The first in a series of articles profiling the careers of recent alums ofthe Institute through one of the professional schools, this month’sfeature reports on two graduates of the Choral Conducting program.We celebrate alums not only because we are proud of them, but alsoto remind them and all readers of PRISM to direct talented prospec-tive students towards Yale.

Brad Wells began his third year on the faculty at WilliamsCollege (Williamstown, MA) this fall. As Williams’s first Artistin Residence in Choral and Vocal Music, Brad oversees thechoral program, directs two of the three choirs and instructsvoice students. The choral program he inherited —one choirof 25-30 singers— has grown under his leadership; it nowconsists of three choirs with 65, 60 and 20 singers respectively.Last spring, Brad led a concert tour of 60 Williams studentsthrough southern Italy. He also teaches conducting, arrangingand theory courses in the department. Since leaving Yale, Bradhas also adjudicated at choral festivals and this past springguest conducted the Berkshire Bach Society in performancesof Bach cantatas in Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood.

Tram Sparks is Assistant Professor of Choral Music at TempleUniversity’s Esther Boyer College of Music in Philadelphia.This fall she has been teaching a graduate seminar in ChoralLiterature of the Baroque, Advanced Conducting and con-ducting the University Singers, one of six choral ensemblesat the Boyer College, whose campus performances draw au-diences from the greater Philadelphia area. “My philosophyof conducting pedagogy,” says Tram, “is based on the move-ment analysis principles of Rudolf von Laban (1879-1958),movement theorist and intellectual father of modern dance.Currently, I am working with Professor Emeritus Gail B. Pochon a conducting textbook based on Laban Movement Analy-sis (LMA) principles.” In addition to her position at TempleUniversity, Tram conducts two ensembles at Saint Joseph’sUniversity, and is Music Director at St. Paul’s EpiscopalChurch in Elkins Park, PA, where the Rector is the Rev. MarisaHerrera (an alum of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale).Tram cites the Institute’s “remarkable Colloquium series,course offerings, and colleagues and mentors” as pricelessexperiences. “I look back on my studies at the Yale Instituteof Sacred Music and School of Music with great fondnessand deep appreciation,” she says, “realizing that every valu-able artistic step leads to another.”

Please remember to send your alumni news to Laurie Holst, the alumnieditor (laurie.holst@yale.edu).

Where Are They Now?

It is with great pleasure thatMargot Fassler announcesthat President Levin hasnamed Professor of Liturgi-cal Studies Bryan Spinks asActing Director of the Insti-tute for the Spring 2002 termduring her upcoming leave ofabsence. Professor Spinkswill be the first to hold thepost of Acting Director sinceHarry Adams elevated it to itscurrent stature. Spinks, who came to Yale in 1996, hasrecently finished two books (see Faculty News). Fasslernotes that Spinks, with so much work just out or in press,is due for some down time in a relaxing administrativecapacity. Spinks will lead the Institute during its firstsemester in its new quarters, and have all the bugs outof the system by the time Fassler returns to kick off theFall 2002 semester.

�WORSHIP • MUSIC • ARTS

YALE INSTITUTE OF SACRED MUSIC PRESENTS

COMMEMORATIONAdvent Concert

Includes works performed with orchestra:Bach Magnificat and “Dona Nobis Pacem” from the B-minor MassNaumann Te Deum and Gloria

Yale CamerataMarguerite Brooks, conductorMartin Jean, organistJulia Blue Raspé, sopranoPaul Berry, tenor

Saturday, December 1, 20018:00 pmBattell ChapelCorner of College and Elm New HavenFree admission

Yale Institute of Sacred Music409 Prospect Street / New Haven, CT 06511 / 432.5180

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YALE UNIVERSITYSCHOOL OF MUSIC / INSTITUTE OF SACRED MUSIC

Professor of Choral Conducting (Adjunct)The Yale School of Music and the Institute of SacredMusic seek a distinguished choral conductor ofinternational reputation for a position as Professor ofChoral Conducting (Adjunct). Primary responsibilitiesinclude conducting a select chamber choir, teachingin the conducting program, and collaborating withconducting colleagues. Salary commensurate withexperience. Send letter of interest, resumé and contact

information for three references to Professor MartinJean, chair; Choral Search Committee, Institute ofSacred Music, 409 Prospect Street, New Haven CT06511. No recordings or supporting materials at thistime. Deadline for application is January 15, 2002 oruntil position is filled. Full job description is availableby calling Gale Pollen at 203-432-9751. Yale is anaffirmative action employer.

The Yale Institute of Sacred Music409 Prospect StreetNew Haven, CT 06511-2167

In June 2002, the Institute of Sacred Music will launch anew educational initiative for young organists. A few highlygifted undergraduate organ students will gather on the Yalecampus to work with some of the nation’s top artist/teachers.For one week, a limited number of qualified young musicianswill receive daily lessons, participate in workshops on topicsrelated to organ literature and church music, study notableorgans in New Haven and environs as well as New YorkCity, and hear performances by faculty and each other inevening events. Students will encounter organ playing andteaching of the highest caliber, and will meet their peers inother organ departments from across the country.

Additionally, musicians from some of the historic NewHaven and New York City churches will present lecture/demonstrations on various topics.

All students selected for participation in the Yale OrganWeek will receive full scholarship support, including roomand board. Applications are due January 15, 2002. Furtherprogram and application information can be obtained fromthe Institute.

Yale Organ Week2002

A Unique Musical Experience forSelect Undergraduate Organ Students

FACULTYMartin Jean, Yale University

Thomas Murray, Yale UniversityPamela Ruiter-FeenstraEastern Michigan University

Haskell ThomsonOberlin College

Christopher YoungIndiana University