Dr. Arne Spohr
Dr. Arne Spohr is an Associate Professor of Musicology at Bowling Green State University where he teaches courses in music history and directs the BGSU Early Music Ensemble. Spohr’s research focuses on musical issues of cultural exchange and court culture in Britain, Germany, and Scandinavia between 1500 and 1750. In his research project entitled “Forgotten Voices: Rediscovering Europe's Black Musical Past,” Dr. Spohr sheds light on the lived experiences and musical contributions of Black composers and performers in Europe between 1450 and 1800.
Videos
Jordi Savall, conductor and violist, presented a tribute in memoriam of victims of the slave trade. Savall and his large array of guest performers explore three music styles from three continents that where all involved in slave trade. Historical text on slavery accompany the orchestra beginning with entries from as far back as 1444 all the way up to texts written by Martin Luther King Jr. The goal of the tribute was to pay homage to victims of slavery, explore different music styles, reveal attitudes aimed towards Africans in other continents, and to celebrate hope.
For Further Information
Journalism
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Ten black composers whose works deserve to be heard more oftenArticle by The Guardian demonstrating the important role Black composers have played in creating musical compositions – by John Lewis, June 2, 2015
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The Myth of Whiteness in Classical SculptureArticle in The New Yorker about historians and artists who are rediscovering the color that has been covered or taken off many classical sculptures and what this process revealed about the whitewashing of European history – by Margaret Talbot, October 29, 2018.
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Yellowface, Whitewashing, and the History of White People Playing Asian CharactersTeen Vogue article depicting how ancient and classical Asian stories, anime, and folktale have been adapted for the big screen, but the Asian characters are largely played by white actors – by Jenn Fang, August 8, 2018
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Whitewashing Ancient Statues: Whiteness, Racism And Color In The Ancient WorldEye-opening Forbes article exploring polychrome, pure marble, and the misconceptions about ancient Greeks only making sculptures with white marble – by Sarah Bond, April 27, 2017.
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Educators Push Back Against Proposed Changes to AP World HistoryNEA Today article that describes how the American college board aims to cut out all history predating western civilization in AP History classes nationwide. This would cut out the time period described as “the most rich, diverse content” of the curriculum – by Sara Luster, June 25, 2018
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Taking A Magnifying Glass To The Brown Faces In Medieval ArtExploring art that characterized a diverse representation of the population in the middle ages on NPR – by Gene Demby, December 13, 2013.
Podcast
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Britain's Black PastGretchen Gerzina of BBC Radio explores the life of Ignatius Sancho, a 18th century butler who became famous in high society through his composition of music. Much of what was discovered of him was done so through his letters, stories, and personal narratives
Books
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Music and Diplomacy from the Early Modern Era to the Present
by Call Number: ML3916 .M855 2014ISBN: 9781137468321Publication Date: 2014-12-10 -
Germany and the Black Diaspora Points of Contact, 1250-1914
by ISBN: 9780857459534Publication Date: 2013-07-01Available via OhioLINK -
Music and Musicians in Early Nineteenth-Century Cornwall
by ISBN: 9780859893596Publication Date: 1991-05-31Available via OhioLINK
Academic Articles
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Missing Faces from the Orchestra: An Issue of Social Justice?by Lisa C. DeLorenzo – article in Music Educators Journal [2012]
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Latin American Baroque: performance as a post-colonial act?by Geoff Baker in Early Music, v.36 no.3, August 2008
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English AbroadReview by Matthew Laube of the book by Arne Spohr, in Early Music, Volume 40, Issue 1, February 2012
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The Music of Francis Johnson and His Contemporaries: Early 19th-Century Black ComposersRecording Review in Journal of the Society for American Music (2014), Volume 8, Number 2
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‘This Charming Invention Created by the King’: Christian IV and his invisible musicby Arne Spohr in Danish Yearbook of Musicology, Volume 39, 2012