Proposals for papers are invited for the meeting of the American Bach Society, which will be held September 27-30, 2012, at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY, in conjunction with the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative ("EROI") Festival. All proposals will be considered, but papers dealing with the organ's role in chorales, concerted works, continuo practice, and freely improvised works, will be favored. Other topics that would be welcomed include Bach and organ building; style, form and performance practice of his organ music; the organ in Bach's cultural context; organ pedagogy in Bach's time, and reception history of Bach's organ music in North America. In this regard, it may be of interest that by the time of this conference, Christ Church will house a restored E. & G. G. Hook and Hastings three-manual organ from 1893 in its front chambers in addition to the historic reconstruction of Casparini's Vilnius organ of 1776 in the rear gallery. For details of these instruments, please see http://www.esm.rochester.edu/eroi/hook-and-hastings-organ.php and http://www.esm.rochester.edu/eroi/c-s.php.
In addition to normal 25-minute papers, the committee will entertain proposals for 45-minute panel discussions and lecture recitals. Conference performances will include improvisations as well as concerted works with obbligato organ parts by Bach and his contemporaries.
A one-page, double-spaced abstract (maximum 250 words) should be submitted, preferably as an e-mail attachment in Microsoft Word, by January 15, 2012, to:
Kerala Snyder
Chair, ABS 2012 Program Committee
Email: kerala.snyder (AT) rochester.edu
Mail: 204 Canner St., New Haven, CT 06511-2233, USA