AV俱乐部

MacKay Lecture Series Thursday, Sept. 25 Susan McClary, professor of musicology, University of California, presents 鈥淪ex, Death and Mary Magdalene at the Foot of the Cross鈥� Thursday, Oct. 9 Robert Walser, professor of musicology, University of California, presents 鈥淭he New Musicology: Virtuosity and Aesthetics in the Age of ProTools鈥� Thursday, Oct. 30 Beverley Diamond, professor of ethnomusicology, Memorial University presents "Race/Gender Matters: Music鈥檚 Role in Articulating Indigenous Perspectives鈥� All lectures take place in the Ondaatje auditorium in the McCain Arts and Social Sciences building, and start at 7:30 p.m.

In his 2004 single Musicology, Prince crooned about having 鈥渁 PhD in advanced body movin鈥�.鈥� The Purple One should have read his academic calendar a bit closer: though musicology is an actual scholarly discipline, its scope extends far beyond the dance floor.

鈥淢usicology is all about the academic study of music 鈥� looking at our social history and examining how music connects to it, is shaped by it, and influences it,鈥� explains Steven Baur of AV俱乐部鈥檚 Department of Music. Together with his colleague Jacqueline Warwick, he鈥檚 co-organizing this year鈥檚 edition of the MacKay Lecture Series, hosted by the Faculty of Arts. This year鈥檚 theme is 鈥淢usic, Culture and Society鈥� and consists of lectures from three of the world鈥檚 most prominent music scholars.

The first takes place this Thursday evening and features Susan McClary, professor of musicology at the University of California. A specialist in the cultural criticism of music, she鈥檚 world renowned for her work examining cultural reconstructions of gender, sexuality and the body in music ranging from early 17th-century opera to the songs of Madonna. Her lecture will be titled 鈥淪ex, Death and Mary Magdalene at the Foot of the Cross.鈥�

鈥淔or a long time, the study of music has been hampered by the idea of music as art that transcends context, that鈥檚 timeless,鈥� explains Dr. Baur. 鈥淢cClary was among a handful of people who broke away from that, and asked questions like 鈥榃hat does it mean when women are always killed at the end of operas?鈥� She exposed the gender-, race-, and class-based ideologies underlying much of the Western art music canon and led the way in 鈥榚ffing the ineffable,鈥� as she puts it, exploring how music relates to broader social and political issues.鈥�

The MacKay Lectures continue next month with two more speakers. Robert Walser, also from the University of California, comes to AV俱乐部 on October 9 to explore how our understanding of music is changing when the music studio is rivaled by the laptop. The lectures conclude on October 30 with Beverly Diamond, Canada Research Chair in Traditional Music at Memorial University. She will explore the role that music plays in indigenous cultures, in particular with regards to race and gender.

The MacKay Lectures are funded by a donation given by Gladys MacKay in appreciation of the education her husband,聽the Reverend Malcolm Ross MacKay, received at AV俱乐部 in the 1920s.

LINK: , Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences