Music of the World’s Religions
Music is an integral part of the liturgies of almost every major religion. It is a powerful cohesive and a proclamation of common identity. It is the traditional element of many rituals connected with the life cycle, and is often used as a way of mediating ones relationship with God. Since music is fundamental to the religious experience and has not yet been subject to rigorous comparative scrutiny, Dr. Shenton is working on the development of courses and publications that seek to engage initially with the six religions generally regarded as the major religions of the world: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. The project will attempt to put both the religion and its music in cultural and historical context. By using music as the point of entry for a broad study of religious and cultural issues, it seeks to discuss different religious traditions through common ground and to encourage respect and tolerance for fundamentally different viewpoints. This project aims to answer the fundamental question: What is the role of music in the religions of the world?
Arvo Pärt
Despite being one of the most popular contemporary classical composers, Arvo Pärt (b. 1935) has been afforded little attention by the scholarly community. Dr. Shenton is working with an international team of scholars to engage with Pärt’s life and works more fully. Current projects include The Cambridge Companion to Arvo Pärt which Dr. Shenton is editing and for which he will be a contributor, an international conference held at Boston University in March 2010 entitled ‘Arvo Pärt and Contemporary Spirituality‘ for which he was the convenor and principal organizer, and a conference in London in September 2010 for which he was both an organizer and presenter.
Olivier Messiaen
Dr. Shenton is a leading authority on the life and works of the French composer Olivier Messiaen (1908-92). In 2005 he founded the Boston University Messiaen Project [BUMP], which promoted a series of concerts, conferences, events and publications leading up to the composer’s birth in 2008. He is principal author and editor of oliviermessiaen.net the web site associated with [BUMP], which is ongoing in its mission to provide an open access peer-reviewed site dedicated to the life and work of this significant and unusual composer. Dr. Shenton’s areas of interest include Messiaen’s theology, his organ music, Messiaen’s musical technique (especially his work with language and signs), and Messiaen’s sphere of influence. Dr. Shenton has contributed several important publications to Messiaen scholarship.
Music21
Music21 is a toolkit for computer-aided musicology designed to helping scholars and other active listeners answer questions about music quickly and simply. Dr. Shenton is working with Michael Scott Cuthbert and his team at M.I.T. to conduct sophisticated musical and statistical analysis to repertoires (especially Pärt and Messiaen) using modern programming techniques.
Select courses taught at Boston University
| MU 119 | Music Appreciation |
| MU 225 | Jazz Music |
| TA 710 | Music of the World’s Religions I: The Abrahamic traditions – Judaism, Christianity, Islam |
| TA 711 | Music of the World’s Religions II: The Asians traditions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism |
| MU 727 | Music in the Twentieth Century |
| MU 740 | Passions and Requiems |
| MU 742 | Music in France during the Third Republic (1870-1940) |
| TA 820 | The Church and the Arts |