Irmgard Scheitler, University of Wuerzburg, DAAD Visiting Professor at UBC, Scholar in Residence at Green College
Coach House, Green College, UBC
Tuesday, November 21, 5-6:30 pm, with reception to follow
Martin Luther not only had a strong personal fondness for music but was also convinced of its spiritual value. By introducing the Lied into liturgy, he opened the door to a range of other sung genres, including the chorale and associated forms. Gradually hymns in the vernacular gained general acceptance in other denominations too, as Luther’s instincts prevailed over Calvin’s attempt to limit church singing to the psalms and the Roman Catholic restriction of choral music to what could be sung in Latin. This talk, timed to fall within a few weeks of the 500th anniversary of Luther's legendary nailing of his famous 95 theses to a church door in Wittenberg, will give an account of this revolution in musical, religious and cultural practice, illustrated by recordings.
Irmgard Scheitler’s scholarly expertise includes theology, German language and literature, and Byzantine studies. She has taught at the Catholic University of Eichstätt, the Technical University of Dresden and the Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg, where she was appointed Professor for German Literature in 2002. Her work and teaching cover the whole range of modern German Literature from Luther’s times to the 21st century. She also has a strong practical interest in music, and has organized many concerts. She is president of a festival for Alte Musik in the baroque town of Eichstätt (Bavaria).
In the series
Transforming Sounds / Altered Selves: How Music Changes in Time, Changes Us, and Changes Our Worlds
