LATER THIS MONTH, THERE IS A WEEKEND OF ACTIVITIES PLANNED AT
THE U-MASS AMHERST CAMPUS CELEBRATING THE WORKS OF JOHANN
SEBASTIAN BACH.
U-MASS MUSIC AND DANCE DEPARTMENT CHAIR PROFESSOR ERINN
KNYT AND ROBERTA MARVIN AND SENIOR LECTURER BILL HITE CAME
IN TO TELL US ALL ABOUT IT.
>> THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST PRIDES
ITSELF, AND PARTICULARLY THE DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC AND DANCE
PRIDES ITSELF ON BEING A PROGRAM THAT IS CONSERVATORY QUALITY AND
YET POSITIONS ITSELF WITHIN RESEARCH UNIVERSITY.
THAT PRESENTS US WITH ALL KINDS OF WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES.
THE BACH FESTIVAL IS EXACTLY ONE OF THE KINDS OF OPPORTUNITIES
THAT WE CAN HAVE IN AN INSTITUTION LIKE U-MASS BECAUSE
WE ARE GOING TO BRING TO GO HUGE NUMBERS OF PERFORMERS TO PERFORM
IMPORTANT WORKS BY ONE OF THE ALL-TIME BEST COMPOSERS, IN MANY
PEOPLE'S MINDS, ALONG WITH SCHOLARLY TALKS, ACADEMIC
PANELS, SO THAT WE ARE GOING TO EDUCATE PEOPLE AND ENTERTAIN
THEM BOTH THROUGH HAVING THESE TWO DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF A
FESTIVAL AND SYMPOSIUM.
>> SUMMED IT UP WELL, AND WE'LL GET BACK TO THOSE POINTS.
PROFESSOR ERINN KNYT, I KNOW PROFESSOR OF MUSIC HISTORY, ONE
OF YOUR JOBS, YOU ARE COORDINATING A VERY BIG
SYMPOSIUM ON SATURDAY, APRIL 22, BACH IN THE AGE OF MODERNISM,
POST-MODERNISM AND GLOBALIZATION, WOW.
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO COVER THAT IN LESS THAN THREE WEEKS?
YOU ARE A PRESENTER AS WELL AT THAT DAY LONG EVENT, AND WHAT AN
AMAZING GATHERING THIS IS OF MUSIC ACADEMICS TO TALK ABOUT
THIS MAN, THIS GREAT PART OF MUSIC HISTORY.
>> WE HAVE SPEAKERS COMING FROM AUSTRALIA, FROM POLAND, FROM
AROUND THE UNITED STATES, AND INCLUDING CALIFORNIA, AND OUR
KEYNOTE SPEAKER, MICHAEL JUST CAME OUT WITH A BOOK, AND HE HAS
A VERY INTERESTING TALK, BACH AGAINST MODERNARITY AND WE ARE
CURIOUS WHAT HE'S GOING TO SAY.
ONE THING I COULD SAY IS UNIQUE ABOUT THIS SOMEIUM IS THAT WE
ARE FOCUSING ON BACH IN THE 20th AND 21ST CENTURY.
ALTHOUGH BACH HIMSELF NEVER LEFT GERMANY.
HIS MUSIC HAS SPREAD AROUND THE GLOBE.
AND HAS AFFECTED A LOT OF PEOPLE, PERMEATED POP MUSIC,
ROCK, JAZZ, CLASSICAL MUSIC.
MOST PEOPLE HAVE LISTENED TO IT EVEN IF THEY DON'T KNOW A LOT OF
CLASSICAL MUSIC SO IT'S AN EXPLORATION OF HOW IT PERMEATED
THE CULTURE AND THE SOCIETY AND HOW IT HAS SPREAD FROM EUROPE TO
NON-CHRISTIAN CULTURES AND AROUND THE GLOBE.
>> BILL HITE.
>> YES.
>> SENIOR LECTURER IN VOICE.
YOU ARE HELPING TO COORDINATE I AM TOLD MANY PERFORMANCES.
YOU WILL BE PERFORMING YOURSELF, FEATURED SOLOISTS APRIL 22 AND
23, WITH THE BACH FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS, AND THAT'S
A PERFORMANCE OF A BACH MASS, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE AT GRACE
CHURCH IN AMHERST.
BEAUTIFUL, PERFECT SETTING.
WHAT A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF ACTIVITY IS GOING INTO
COORDINATING ALL OF THESE STUDENTS, ALUMNI, VISITING
PERFORMERS?
>> YES.
YEAH.
YOU HIT ON A TALKING POINT THAT I WANTED TO BRING UP BUT YOU ARE
RIGHT, GRACE CHURCH IS A PERFECT VENUE WHERE WE'RE GRATEFUL TO
THE CHURCH FOR ALLOWING US TO, AS IT WERE, INSWRAID THEIR SPACE
AND A PERFECT VENUE FOR THE MASS AND B MINOR, THE KIND OF
CULMINATION OF BACH'S COMPOSITIONAL LIFE.
NOTHING SHORT OF THAT.
WE'RE SO PROUD THAT WE HAVE ABOUT 85 STUDENTS, CURRENT
STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE FESTIVAL.
ANOTHER 20 ALUMNI PARTICIPATING IN THE FESTIVAL AND THEN ABOUT
15 TO 16 FACULTY MEMBERS, SO THE NUMBERS, IT'S ABOUT 125 TO 130
CURRENT AND FORMER U-MASS PEOPLE, SO THIS COMMUNITY THAT
WE HAVE PULLED TOGETHER TO UNDERTAKE THIS, AND WE NEED ALL
OF THOSE BODIES FOR ALL OF THE CONCERTS THAT WE ARE DOING.
>> WHEN WE THINK OF STUDENTS, AND THAT'S A LOADED WORD, WE
DON'T TEND TO THINK OF BACH.
WE THINK OF HIP-HOP AND RAP AND WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE, AND I
DON'T KNOW WHAT THE LATEST MUSICAL TRENDS ARE FOR THE AGE
GROUP THAT WE THINK OF AS STUDENTS NOW GRANTED THAT'S
REALLY A WRONG WAY TO LOOK AT IT, BUT CLEARLY, THERE IS A
SENSE AND CLEARLY YOU SEE IN YOUR STUDENTS OF WHAT WE THINK
OF AS A COLLEGE AGE, IRRELEVANCE TO SOMEONE, A COMPOSER WHO HAS
BEEN DEAD OVER TWO CENTURIES.
>> WELL, AND I THINK WHAT YOU ARE BRINGING UP IS AN ARGUMENT
THAT WE HEAR WITH REGARD HISTORY IN GENERAL WHEN WE ARE TALKING
ABOUT HISTORICAL MUSIC AND WE ALL LEARN FROM HISTORY, HOW TO
LIVE OUR LIVES AND HOW TO ENJOY OUR LIVES AND HOW TO NOT MAKE
THE SAME MISTAKES, AND OUR STUDENTS, OF COURSE, IT'S LIKE
GREAT ARTWORK.
THE MUSIC IS A GREAT ARTWORK, SO YOU NEVER WOULD DO AWAY WITH THE
MUSEUMS THAT HOUSE THE MONETS AND THE REMBRANDTS AND WE'RE NOT
GOING TO DO AWAY WITH THE MUSIC THAT'S BACH, BEETHOVEN AND
VERDE.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING IN AND ALL THE BEST WITH
THE SECOND SYMPOSIUM AT BOSTON U-MASS.
>> THANK YOU.