Sonneck Society for American Music
Bulletin, Volume XXV, no. 2 (Summer 1999)
News of the Society
From the President
Colleagues,
The dawn of the new millennium certainly brings the unknown but it is a time of hope and, with it,
new and dynamic possibilities to embrace the richness and diversity that make American music great.
I have just returned from San Francisco where I heard, on Friday evening, 28 May, a stunning and perhaps for
many, an unusual concert. The Women's Philharmonic performed three orchestral works by 20th c. American
women composers -- Hilary Tann's From Afar (1996), Tina Davidson's They Come Dancing (1994), and
Florence Price's Symphony No. 3 in C Minor (1940). The Women's Philharmonic is recognized nationally
as the only professional orchestra of its kind -- dedicated to the promotion of women composers, conductors,
and performers. I have heard the Women's Philharmonic before. Again, I was reminded of their high
artistic standards, their innovative programming (for which they have won numerous awards), their
audience development initiatives, and their pride in being an orchestra devoted to the promotion of
music by women coposers, particularly Americans.
In many ways this concert embodies for me a prototype for the American concert halls of the 21st century:
Tann's From Afar was influence by the traditional sounds of the ethereal Japanese shakuhachi (a
vertical bamboo flute), Davidson's They Come Dancing unfolds as the composer's vision fothe sacred
dance traditions of the Native American Lakota culture, and in Price's Symphony the African-Amerian
dance rhythms underlying the whole of the work literally had the audience bobbing in their seats.
In the twenty-first century concerts such as this may be the norm -- East meets West, oral and written
traditions fuse, "cultivated" and "vernacular" become even more elusive terms. And, programs of
all music by women composers, performed by an orchestra of all women, will no longer be an anomoly.
American composers in the twenty-first century will not be marginal but will be an
increasingly important part of the wonderfully diverse tapestry of global musical intersections.
I am truly proud to be elected the eighth president of the Society for American Music. I look forward to serving
the Society in what will be a historic time of remembrance for all of us. I eagerly embrace the many
goals, challenges, and new ventures before us in the next two years. These include:
* the planning simultaneously of three conferences: Charleston (March 2000), the mega-conference (with
fifteen other societies! Toronto, November 2000), and Trinidad with the Center for Black Music
Research (May 2001). This is incredibly exciting to me not only because the Toronto conference
is so unique -- we will probably not experience anything like it again in our lifetime -- but
also these conferences offer opportunities to explore the historical and artistic richness of
many intersecting cultures.
* the completion and ratification of the Long Range Plan. The committee urges you to send us
your thoughts about the plan. After all, this is the Society's guide for the allocation of resources
and it will focus the direction of SAM for the next few years. Please send your comments to
Mark Tucker, Vice President.
* the hiring of a new Executive Director. Our beloved and incredibly efficient Kitty Keller will be
retiring soon. We would all agree that Kitty is irreplaceable in many ways and we are grateful for
her long service on behalf of the Society.
It is important that we continue to increase the visibility of the Society. Our members are active
in so many areas of music but we must do even more to get the word out about what the Society for
American Music has to ofer and the wealth of expertise amoungst us. To this end, Cheryl Taranto and
Bob Keller are working diligently on our web-site and they are exploring ways in which the internet
can be sued even more to disseminate information about American music. Also, I encourage all of you
to join the Society's listserv. It is a wonderful forum for discussion and for the dissemination of
ideas. (If you are not on-line, please see the Society's Directory for subscribing).
We must also work to increase the diversity of the Society. We are making some progress here, especially
geographically. After all, the Society has just elected its second president from the West Coast!!
We still must do more to reach out to people with diverse intellectual and professional interest. We are,
after all, an organization of not only scholars by performers, collectors, composers, librarians,
music teachers. As our society becomes increasingly more interdisciplinary, we should encourage
those non-musicologists doing important work on American music topics to join us.
We must also do more to diversify the Society ethnically and racially. The Society has certainly
made a very powerful and positive statement when it elected me, to my knowledge, the first African
American to head a major music Society. The Society should be proud of making history here but more can
and should be done to encourage others to join the Society and attend its conferences.
The Sonneck Society has changed its name to the Society for American Music (SAM) but we still honor
the legacy of Oscar Sonneck and the important work of the Society for the past twenty-five years.
In the new era, I hope that we will continue to build upon this foundation while at the same time
reaching out to new ideas and new people in the pursuit of the study of American music.
I look foward to working with all of you.
Most Sincerely,
Rae Linda Brown
Annual Business Meeting
Saturday, 13 March 1999, 4:40 pm
A summary of the minutes of the 1998 annual meeting (21 February 1998) was distributed; they were
accepted after a small editorial change was noted. Outgoing President McLucas acknowledged her honor
at having served as President for two years. She noted some of the differences betwen our Society, which she described
as a "haven for American Music scholars," and other scholarly music societies. Particularly marked,
she said, is our welcoming attitude and an overt attempt to be genial and inclusive at our meetings.
Evidence of this welcoming attitude is the number of students in attendance at the meeting.
McLucas pointed out that the Board is working hard to preserve this element of the Society. McLucas
mentioned three important, recent, high-visibility efforts involving the Society:
(1) Panels at the Society for Ethnomusicology Conference in 1998.
(2) A session at the conference of the National Association for Schools of Music 9which has published
an advisory note on the teaching of American music in its appendix to the NASM handbook).
(3) A session at the current conference (devoted to the violin music of Quincy Porter) that will be
broadcast on Performance Today on National Public Radio.
She further highlighted the visible and beneficial activities of both the American Music network and
the Society's Interest Groups.
In closing, she hoped, on behalf of the Board, that the Society will continue to be a collegial group
that supports the study and performance of American music and Music in America.
A moment of silence for all departed members of the Society, including Alan Buechner and Stephen
Gilbert, was observed.
A summary report was distributed by Treasurer William Everett that indicates that the Society continues
to do well financially. Most of our expenses are for publications, some are for management. The
report contains some information on restricted funds. Everett pointed out that sixteen students
reading papers at this conference received travel funds from the Society; the source of this money
is the Silent Auctions and contributions from members. The report was accepted by the membership.
Paul Wells, chair of the Nominations Committee, announced that the New Members-at-Large of the Board
are Emily Good and Marva Carter; the newly elected Vice President is Mark Tucker, and the re-elected
Treasurer is William Everett. There was hearty applause for retiring officers and Board members: John
Graziano, stepping down as Vice President, and retiring Board Members Carol Baron and Ron Pen.
Student Committee Co-Chair Shannon Green reported that there are more than fifty students in attendance;
approximately thirty attended a special student dinner and presentation by Judy McCulloh and Rob Walser.
Green voiced apprciation for hte Society's support of students. Rebecca Bryant will replace Green
(who has graduated) as Co-Chair with Christina Baade.
New Business
Executive Director Search. Nym Cooke, newly appointed chair of the Executive Director Search Committee,
announce the formation of the committee in response to Kate van Winkle Keller's announed intention
to retire as Executive Director. The committee will consist of Rae Linda Brown, Anne Dhu McLucas,
James Cassaro, William Everett, Linda Pohly, Lee Orr, and Katherine Preston.
Long-Range Plan. President McLucas announced that the Society has come to the end of the period
covered by the Five-Year Plan adopted in 1994. Many of the goals of the Plan have been accomplished,
and we are now in the process of establishing a subsequent Long-Range Plan. The Committee has been
established (consult the front of the directory for membership). A handout was distributed at the meeting
containing a list of preliminary goals; this same list was published in the Spring issue of
the Bulletin. This list is extremely preliminary; the committee actively and genuinely solicits
feedback and suggestions from both individuals and Interest Groups Since a great deal of time and
planning went into the creation of the Five-Year Plan, and since this Long-Range Plan will build
on that document, the LRP Committee has agreed to a very tight schedule for adoption of this plan:
feedback from individuals and Interest Groups should be sent to Vice-President Mark Tucker; the LRP
Committee will meet in September to finish drafting the document; the Committee will submit it to the
Board at the Fall meeting. The final document will be presented for ratification to Society members
at the annual meeting in Charleston in March 2000. McLucas reiterated that the Long Range Plan is our
resource blueprint; it determines how the Society spends its resources. We need ideas from everyone
in the Society.
McLucas expressed hope that there would be discussion of this plan on the Society listserv. Instructions
on how to subscirbe to the listserv are in the front matter of the Directory and in the Bulletin
Board section of this issue of the Bulletin.
By-Laws Changes
President McLucas reminded attendes that according to our current by-laws, any by-law changes have
to be ratified in person by the membership. The only logical venue for doing so is the annual
meeting. There are two by-laws issues in front of the membership at this meeting; both have
been announced to the membership (as required) ahead of time.
a. Unopposed election of Treasurer
The following proposed by-laws change (which was published in the Fall 1998 issue of the Bulletin)
was read to the assembled members at the annual meeting:
Article III, Section 2. Nomination, Election, and Term of Office.
The Board of Trustees shall present to the members each year a double slate of candidates, acting
on a proposal by the Nominating Committee, except that, at their discretion, the Board of Trustees
may, by a two-thirds vote, decide to present only one candidate for the post of secretary
providing the candidate has already served at least one term in the same post. The Board of Trustees
may, at their discretion, present only one candidate for the post of Treasurer.
This change was ratified unanimously by the members.
b. Name Change of the Society.
Prior to a discussion of the pros and cons of this amendment, President McLucas described the process
by which the proposed change was made and how the membership was notified of the proposal. In November
1998, at its biannual meeting and after lengthy discussion, the Board of Trustees voted to propose
that the name of the Society be changed from The Sonneck Society for American Music to the Society
for American Music: The Sonneck Society. (The corporate name of the Society is currently The Sonneck
Society; the name by which we do business is the Sonneck Society for American Music).
The Board was uncomfortable with the idea that such a momentous change had to be accepted or rejected
by only the minority of Society members present at the annual meeting, and as a result voted to
conduct a straw poll of the membership, the results of which would be announced to the members
present at the annual meeting. In February every member of the Society received by mail an announcement
of the proposed change, along with a cover letter from President McLucas, and arguments from long-time
members of the Socity both pro and contra the amendment. Members were asked to register their
sentiments by a non-binding poll. The response was ambiguous: 202 "yes" votes, 207 "no" votes, and
16 qualified "no" votes (that is, with comments). The comments written on ballots, a fairly lively
exchange on the Society uselist, adn statements made to officers and to Board members suggested
clearly that many members objected not to the idea of a name change but rather to the Board's choice
of a name, which many found cumbersome. Taking this strong response into account, the Board, at its
meeting on Wednesday 10 March, voted to amend its proposed by-laws change, to read as follows:
That the Society for American Music be the corporate name of the organization, with the clear
understanding that all Society publications (stationary, brochures, etc.) will always include the
information that the Society was founded in honor of Oscar G.T. Sonneck.
McLucas then opened the floor to discussion, with the following ground rules: comments were to be
limited to one minute and would alternate pro and contra; no personal attacks; speakers must be
dues-paid members of the Society.
Carol Baron moved a substitute amendment that the name be the Oscar Sonneck Society for American Music.
This was seconded by Irene Heskes. There followed a discussion clarifying the procedures to be
followed at the meeting. Robert Keller moved that all proposed amendments be voted on (in order
that all members be heard); this was seconded by Paul Machlin. This motion was passed on a hand
vote.
There followed further discussion of Baron's motion, which was then put to a vote. The tally for this
motion was 41 in favor, 102 opposed, and 5 abstained. Michael Ochs, seconded by Victor Yellin,
moved that the Board's motion be tabled for further discussion, to be voted on at the Charleston
conference. There was discussion, and a vote was taken. The result was 56 in favor, 89 opposed and
3 abstentions.
There followed further discussion of the Board's original amended motion. Philip Todd, seconded
by Orly Krasner, made the following substitute motion: that the corporate name be changed to
The Sonneck Society for American Music. There was little discussion prior to putting the motion to a
vote, with the following results: 89 in favor, 72 opposed and 7 abstentions. Robert Keller moved
that we reconsider this substitute motion, on the grounds that the implications had not been
thoroughly discussed; this motion was seconded by several members. There was a hand vote taken to
reconsider this motion; the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of reopening the discussion. There
followed extended discussion fo the Todd/Krasner motion. The question was called and the motion put up
for a second vote, with the following results: 34 in favor of the motion, 107 against, and 6
abstentions.
The original amended motion was now once again the subject of consideration. President McLucas announced
that an additional ten minutes would be devoted to further arguments, which were presented by
various members. At the end of ten minutes, members were asked to vote on the Board's original
amended motion, using the paper ballots that had been distributed at the beginning of the
meeting. These ballots were collected for tallying. (The results were announced at the end
of the meeting: see below).
President McLucas thanked all members present for an orderly and amicable discussion of a very important
and emotional issue; the assembled members could be proud of maintaining a consistent atmosphere
of serious and congenial deliberation.
Conferences
Ft. Worth Local Arrangements Co-Chair Allen Lott was introduced to a hearty round of applause. He thanked
various individuals, including members of his committee, his co-chair, Michael Meckna, and his wife, Carolyn
Lott. President McLucas presented to Lott two plaques of appreciation, one for each of the co-chairs.
President McLucas also presented a plaque of appreciation to Program Committee Chair Michael Broyles,
who likewise thanked the members of his committee, various other individuals, and all who had submitted
abstracts for the meeting. Conference Site Selection Committtee Chair Wilma Cipolla announced the
locations for the next four conferences: Charleston, South Carolina (1-5 March 2000), Toronto 2000:
Musical Intersections (1-5 Nov 2000), Trinidad (Memorial Day Weekend, 2001), and Lexington, Kentucky
(spring 2002).
Paul Wells, Chair of the Program Committee for the Charleston meeting, announced a call for papers
for that conference. Katherine Preston (Toronto) and Johann Buis (Trinidad) are future Program
Committee chairs.
Honors and Awards
Ron Pen, Chair of the Lowens (Book) Award 1997, announced that the recipient of the award was Judith
Tick, for her book Ruth Crawford Seeger (Oxford: University Press). Pen read the award statement
and presented it to Adrienne Fried Block, who accepted it on behalf of Tick, who was unable to attend
the meeting.
Anne McLucas, for Victor Cardell, chair of the Irving Lowens (Article) Award, presented the award to
Kim Kowalke, for his article "For Those We Love: Hindemith, whitman, and An American Requiem," which
appeared in the Journal of the American Musicological Society 50:1 (Spring 1997). Kowalke make
brief comments in accepting the award. McLucas noted that other awards had been presented by the Society
this year, either at the Ft. Worth meeting, or (in one case) prior to the meeting: the Distinguished
Service Award was given to Alan Buechner in November, shortly before his death; the Lifetime Achievement
Award was presented to Robert Stevenson, around whom a plenary session had been arranged at the
Ft. Worth meeting; and an Honorary Membership was awarded to Van Cliburn at a Tribute Concert in
his honor also held earlier in the conference.
Committee Chairs
President McLucas thanked all outgoing committee members for their hard work. She also thanked the
following retiring committee chairs: Pamela Fox (Development), Dale Cockrell (Publications), Paul Wells
(Nominations), Raoul Camus (Honors and Awards), George Heller (Education), John Koegel (Public
Relations), Homer Rudolf (Finance), Ron Pen (Board Liaison to the Student Committee), John Beckwith
(Publications Subvention), Wayne Schneider (Non-Print Media Subvention), Robert Keller (American Music
Network), Anne Silverberg (RILM Liaison), Guthrie Ramsey (Cultural Diversity), Ron Pen (Lowens Book
Award), and Victor Cardell (Lowens Article Award).
President-Elect Rae Linda Brown introduced new committee chairs: Anne McLucas (Publications), Ann
Sears (Nominations), George Keck (Honors and Awards), Deane Root (Education), Homer Rudolf (Public
Relations), N. Lee Orr (Finance), Marva Carter (Board Liaison to the Student Committee), Lenore
Coral (Publications Subvention), Mary Jane Corry (Non-Print Media Subvention), Cheryl Taranto (American
Music Network), Judy Tsou (RILM Liaison), Tammy Kernodle (Cultural Diversity), Jean Snyder (Lowens
Book Award 1998), N. Lee Orr (Lowens Book Award 1999), Steven Ledbetter (Lowens Article Award), and
Catherine Smith (Dissertation Award).
Change of Administration
Anne McLucas welcomed the President-Elect Rae Linda Brown. President Brown accepted the gavel,
expressed her pride and deep honor in being elected. She thanked out-going president Anne McLucas,
describing her as a gracious, honest, and good-humored leader, and presented her with a plaque
of appreciation from the Society.
President McLucas's final official duty as out-going president was to announce the results of the vote
on the name-change. The final tally was decisive: in favor of the name change: 124; opposed to the
name change: 37; abstained: 3. The final business meeting of the Sonneck Society for American Music
(and the first of the Society for American Music) was adjourned by acclamation.
--Katherine K. Preston
The College of William and Mary
Updated 09/10/99