March 7-10, 2013
Jefferson Foundation, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
Ludwig von Beethoven once remarked that music is the soil in which the human spirit lives, thinks, and creates. According to Victor Hugo, "Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to remain silent," Certainly, the American South cannot be understood without it's musical traditions, nor can the South's contribution to world culture and American life be assessed without attention to it's many forms of music.
The Abbeville Institute will turn attention to this subject with both lectures and illustrative performances. Among other topics, presentations will treat the British origins of Southern music, the “sacred heart” gospel tradition, music and agrarianism, comparison of the criticism of modern society found in other musical sources with that of the South, the trends of recent times, and the deep timelessness of Southern music.
-Thomas Sheeley, “Music, Nature and Society: The Agrarian Principle and Musical Form”
-Thomas Minsel, “The Southern Musical Paradigm and the Legacy of Banjo and Fiddle”
-Kirk Sutphin, “The Southern Musical Tradition, Still With Us—Inherited and Preserved Through the Generations
-James Kibler, “Singing Billy Walker and the ‘Sacred Harp’ Tradition” and “Singing Billy Walker’s ‘Amazing Grace’ and its Legacy”
-Joseph Stromberg, “Southern Music on Record: A Survey of ‘Country & Western’ in the 20th Century”
-Alan Harrelson, “The Place of Rural Britain in the Making of Southern Music” and “Southern Music as Southern Tradition”
-Gregory Butler, “From Where the Grip is the Stoutest: Bruce Springsteen’s Southern Sensibility”
-Carey Roberts, “Federalism and the Flowering of Art and Music in the South”
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
ACCOMMODATIONS: The Cavalier Inn (105 N. Emmet Street, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903) is within easy walking distance of the main campus. Buses run regularly between the Inn and the Jefferson Foundation Building. Rooms are $79.00 (single or double, includes continental breakfast); a suite is $109. For reservations call (888) 882-2129. Conference rate expires February 7th, 2013.
CONFERENCE FEE: $275 (includes lectures, musical events, banquets on Thursday and Saturday, drinks and refreshments). Abbeville members: $175 (members pay an annual fee of $50). Become a member today by adding $50.00 to the Members Conference Fee for a payment of $225.00. See below to register and/or pay on line. STUDENTS: Conference fee is waived for a limited number of well qualified full time students. INQUIRES: Call (843) 323-0690.