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Volume 53, Issue 12 | tuesday, september 4, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
Professor discusses musical controversy Alexander Blachly addresses debate over Tudor-era song’s release date and dedication during talk By MAX LANDER News Writer
Professor of musicology Alexander Blachly gave a lecture Monday in O’Neill Hall where he attempted to answer some questions surrounding a forty-voice motet, or short piece of sacred choral music, called “Spem in Alium” by Thomas Tallis. Though the piece is well-know — it recently appeared in the movie “Fifty Shades of Grey” — the motet’s actual release date, as well as the identity of the person for whom it was written, has long been a point of debate. Blachly said the piece was composed for Mary Tudor, the queen of England, in 1556. This conclusion goes against the consensus of other scholars, such as historical musicologist Richard Taruskin, who generally date the piece to 1573, during the
reign of English queen Elizabeth I. Blachly’s argument hinges on several points, mainly the significance of the text Tallis used in the composition and the overall sound of the piece. “Any attempt to answer questions about ‘Spem in Alium’s’ origin must take into account the symbolic nature of Tallis’s text, it must also account for the triumphant character of the music itself,” Blachly said. The actual text of “Spem in Alium” is derived from the apocryphal “Book of Judith,” which told the story of a widow who beheaded an Assyrian general and saved her besieged town. This is important to understanding the origin of Tallis’ motet because the story of Judith was popular during the period in question and because see TUDOR PAGE 4
ANN CURTIS | The Observer
Alexander Blachly, professor of musicology at Notre Dame, speaks at a lecture Monday at O’Neill Hall. Blachly elaborated on several controversies surrounding the 16th century choral song “Spem in Alium.”
Saint Mary’s club aims to foster interfaith dialogue By MARIA LEONTARAS and KELLY BURKE Associate Saint Mary’s Editor and News Writer
This semester, students at Saint Mary’s College will be able to join a new club called Better Together that is focused on promoting interfaith dialogue throughout campus. Sophomore Jackie Rojas, secretary of Better Together, said the goal of this club is to demonstrate how people with different perspectives and religious traditions can work together to better the community as a whole. Rojas further explained that the club will strive to make the campus community more welcoming for students who come from different religious traditions. “Before coming to Saint Mary’s, I really didn’t know a lot about other religious traditions or other worldviews,” Rojas said. “As a Hispanic student I know how it feels to feel underrepresented so I don’t want people of other backgrounds to feel that way.”
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The co-presidents, juniors Sophie McDevitt and Gabby Haff, interned for Professor Anita Houck of the Religious Studies department last semester. McDevitt and Haff helped to organize an interfaith conference that inspired the creation of this new club. McDevitt explained that the interfaith conference helped inspire the framework for the new club. “After the conference we talked about what we wanted our next steps to be. How do we want to increase interfaith dialogue on campus?,” she said. The next steps, McDevitt said, consisted of integrating aspects from the conference into a group of students who would meet regularly. Aspects of the club’s work in this regard include visiting different places of worship, holding panels with various religious leaders, and open discussion nights. “We are saying interfaith dialogue instead of inter-religious dialogue because we want people to realize that you don’t have
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to have any religious affiliation to come,” McDevitt said. Rojas said the club’s plans for this semester include exploring members’ own experiences and studying different faith communities in the South Bend area. “We want to have different events where we get together to talk about our own stories in interfaith and also visit different communities or temples or places of worship,” she said. “We also want to work with the women’s interfaith dialogue group in South Bend to work with the outside community and try to increase awareness for the importance of interfaith dialogue.” McDevitt extended an open invitation to anyone who might be interested in joining the club. “We do have some open positions on our board if anyone is interested in joining our new club,” she said. Contact Maria Leontaras at mleontaras01@saintmarys.edu and Kelly Burke at kburke01@saintmarys.edu
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Student reflects on internship By COLLEEN FISCHER News Writer
Junior Elizabeth Ferry worked as an archives and curation intern at the National Comedy Center during this past summer. At this internship, Ferry’s duties included three roles — working at the center’s Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum, working for the National Comedy Center itself and helping with the Lucille Ball Comedy Fest, or “Lucy Fest.” “[The National Comedy Center] is the first American Institution solely dedicated to the art of comedy,” Ferry said. “We were preparing for the grand opening.” Lucy Fest allowed Ferry to establish new connections and realize the completion of her work, she said. “I got to meet hardcore Lucy and comedy fans from all over the country, and I also got to meet the comedians and family members from the items I curated,” she said. “They were standing in front of them. It was cool.” Ferry said comedy is often ignored as an art form. While
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classical versions of art are given large budgets and countless ways to preserve their history, The Nation Comedy Center is alone in its focus on comedy. “[The creation of the comedy museum] has never been done before,” Ferry said. “No one has given a space for comedy, because comedy isn’t taken seriously. We have art museums and big symphonies. Comedy is looked down upon but it is a serious art form and a societal tool.” Ferry found out about the internship while she was looking for museum jobs on Google and applied. “I thought it was going to be a longshot,” she said. “But I got it” Saint Mary’s helped Ferry secure this opportunity, she said. “I got a grant from the Career Crossing Office. Without that, I wouldn’t have been able to go,” Ferry said. “They helped me with my resume and all other resources that Saint Mary’s gave us were instrumental.” Ferry explained that she is see COMEDY PAGE 3
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