Spirituality in Song
—Mexican Choirbooks of the Newberry Library

Claudia Brittenham, Ireri Chávez-Bárcenas, and Ellen Hargis

Apr 18, 2023

6:00pm–7:00pm

Hybrid – Ruggles Hall and Zoom

In this multidisciplinary event, we’ll look at—and hear music from—17th- and 18th-century Mexican choirbooks in the Newberry collection.

This program will be held in-person at the Newberry and livestreamed on Zoom. The online version of this event will be live captioned. Please register below.

Join us for an in-depth look at the Newberry’s rich holdings of choirbooks from colonial Mexico, which combined European forms with Indigenous traditions to produce new spiritual music.

This roundtable discussion will examine the books and music from three diverse perspectives: music historian Ireri Chávez-Bárcenas will illuminate the cultural context of the music, art historian Claudia Brittenham will consider the material aspects of the Newberry’s large-scale books, and renowned early music vocalist Ellen Hargis will share the experience of researching and performing the music today. Clips of recordings of music from these historic books will serve as the soundtrack for the conversation.

This event is cosponsored by the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation.
Speakers

Claudia Brittenham, Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Chicago, studies the art of ancient Mesoamerica, with particular attention to the materiality of art and the politics of style.

Ireri Chávez-Bárcenas is Assistant Professor of Music at Bowdoin College. Her current research focuses on the function, meaning, and transmission of the vernacular song tradition in the Spanish empire.

Ellen Hargis, one of America’s premier early music singers, is also a leading voice teacher and lecturer on historical performance practice. She served as Artistic Co-Director of the Newberry Consort from 2008 to 2022 and is a 2022 recipient of the Howard Mayer Brown Award for Lifetime Achievement in Early Music. Her ongoing study of the Newberry choir books since 2011 has led to numerous performances and recordings.
Cost and Registration

This program is free and open to all. Advance registration required.

This program is free and open to all. Advance registration required.
In-Person Registration:
https://reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0057-0014-484ad9ae74324eefb92ccd5fbc27c480

Livestream Registration:
https://reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0057-0014-86cb89e225b447359f268b92095548e1

Official Website

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Tags: Chicago, Claudia Brittenham, Ellen Hargis, Ireri Chávez-Bárcenas, Near Norths Side, Newberry Library, Spirituality in Song —Mexican Choirbooks of the Newberry Library