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Recorded November 24th, 2025. An evening of celebration as we award the Research Ireland - Harrison Medal to Philip V. Bohlman. Following the presentation of the medal, Bohlman will deliver the 2025 Harrison Lecture, "On Goodness". About the Research Ireland - Harrison Medal In 2004 the Harrison Medal was inaugurated by the Society for Musicology in Ireland in honour of Frank Llewellyn Harrison (1905–1987), the Irish musicologist who made a seminal contribution to the study of medieval music (especially music in medieval Britain) and to the study of ethnomusicology. Harrison held positions in Canada and the United States before being appointed to a Lectureship in Music at Oxford in 1952; he was appointed Reader in the History of Music there in 1962. Harrison subsequently became Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of Amsterdam in 1970. A detailed account of his career and publications by Robin Elliott is available in EMIR, Vol. 1, pp. 469–471. In 2018 the award was renamed the Irish Research Council - Harrison Medal in recognition of the longstanding contribution towards the funding of the award by the Irish Research Council (IRC). After the IRC had been incorporated into Taighde Éireann / Research Ireland in 2024 the name was adapted to Research Ireland - Harrison Medal. The SMI gratefully acknowledges the support of both the IRC and Taighde Éireann / Research Ireland. The Medal is awarded by the President and Council of the SMI to recognize outstanding achievements and excellence in research in musicology. Learn more at www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub
Professor Philip V. Bohlman discusses how his childhood as a young musician in his town led him to become the first ethnomusicologist at UChicago and describes what it's like to study the Eurovision song competition, the auditory cityscape of Kolkata, and everything in between. He emphasizes the importance of learning and writing in more than one language and what one can learn from listening to different musics.
Early audiences found the third movement of Gustav Mahler’s First Symphony grotesque, macabre and unsettling. Inspired by an engraving entitled “The Huntsman’s Funeral,” Mahler juxtaposes death with humor, incorporating a popular children's melody—a brilliant touch that still delights and spooks audiences today. Guests include William Hudgins (Principal Clarinet, Boston Symphony Orchestra), Dominic Seldis (Principal Bass, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra), Marilyn McCoy (Columbia University), Philip V. Bohlman (University of Chicago), and Christian Glanz (University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna). James Lurie is the voice of Mahler and Laura Gragtmans is the voice of Natalie Bauer-Lechner.
In the second movement of his First Symphony, Gustav Mahler draws upon the dance music of his youth. As his mood becomes more exuberant, so too, does the music.Guests include Michael Tilson Thomas (San Francisco Symphony, New World Symphony), Kent Nagano (Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg State Opera and Philharmonic), Marilyn McCoy (Columbia University), Philip V. Bohlman (University of Chicago), and Christian Glanz (University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna). James Lurie is the voice of Mahler and Laura Gragtmans is the voice of Natalie Bauer-Lechner.
If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2 Sufism today has gained widespread interest mainly through its music and poetry, but also through its contrast with orthodox scriptural Islam. Sufism stands for an inclusive Islam focused on personal love of God and spiritual guidance within a wide range of devotional practices. Music and mystical poetry are the sonic embodiment of Sufism and its worldwide placeholder in the search for spiritual goals. Sufi, thus, can designate a broader spectrum of vernacular devotional and ritual identities. The core idea for this workshop allows us to approach this near-global vogue of a Sufi Imaginary through its music. “Islam and Sufism” also brings into conversation a range of ideascapes and practices, from the traditional South Asian spiritual lineages to a new generation of Muslim popular culture. Sufi music is founded in ritual and its constraints, but its practice is also open to creative agency. Reaching for the gift of the sublime enables embodied engagement on multiple levels—through rhythm, repetition of words, even ecstatic dance, to reach for the gift of the sublime, individually or collectively. Panel 1: The Sublime and Music: Islam and the West Regula Qureshi and Philip V. Bohlman in Conversation Discussant: Michael Sells Recitation and Discussion of Poetry Michael Sells, Love Lyrics of Ibn al-Farid and Ibn al-`Arabi Saleem Qureshi, Sublime Rebellion: Iqbal's Urdu and Farsi Verse Chair: Thibaut d'Hubert Colloquy 1 Deborah A. Kapchan, Witnessing the Sublime: Sufi Samaa in Secular France Moderator: Hakan Karateke Music and Sublime Across the Muslim World Bertie Kibreah, Sufi Tattva: The Sound and Space of Mystical Song in Bangladesh Shayna Silverstein, Performing Sacred Popular: Syrian Sufi Dance as National Heritage Michael O’Toole, Staging the Sublime: Music and Islam on Stage in Germany Lauren Osborne, Locating Experience and Emotion in the Recited Qur'an Moderator: Marcia K. Hermansen The Labor of Sublimity: A Conversation Kaley Mason, Robert L. Kendrick, Regula Qureshi Colloquy 2 Peter L. Manuel, Qawwali as the Anti-Sublime Moderator: Regula Qureshi
If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2 Sufism today has gained widespread interest mainly through its music and poetry, but also through its contrast with orthodox scriptural Islam. Sufism stands for an inclusive Islam focused on personal love of God and spiritual guidance within a wide range of devotional practices. Music and mystical poetry are the sonic embodiment of Sufism and its worldwide placeholder in the search for spiritual goals. Sufi, thus, can designate a broader spectrum of vernacular devotional and ritual identities. The core idea for this workshop allows us to approach this near-global vogue of a Sufi Imaginary through its music. “Islam and Sufism” also brings into conversation a range of ideascapes and practices, from the traditional South Asian spiritual lineages to a new generation of Muslim popular culture. Sufi music is founded in ritual and its constraints, but its practice is also open to creative agency. Reaching for the gift of the sublime enables embodied engagement on multiple levels—through rhythm, repetition of words, even ecstatic dance, to reach for the gift of the sublime, individually or collectively. Panel 1: The Sublime and Music: Islam and the West Regula Qureshi and Philip V. Bohlman in Conversation Discussant: Michael Sells Recitation and Discussion of Poetry Michael Sells, Love Lyrics of Ibn al-Farid and Ibn al-`Arabi Saleem Qureshi, Sublime Rebellion: Iqbal's Urdu and Farsi Verse Chair: Thibaut d'Hubert Colloquy 1 Deborah A. Kapchan, Witnessing the Sublime: Sufi Samaa in Secular France Moderator: Hakan Karateke Music and Sublime Across the Muslim World Bertie Kibreah, Sufi Tattva: The Sound and Space of Mystical Song in Bangladesh Shayna Silverstein, Performing Sacred Popular: Syrian Sufi Dance as National Heritage Michael O’Toole, Staging the Sublime: Music and Islam on Stage in Germany Lauren Osborne, Locating Experience and Emotion in the Recited Qur'an Moderator: Marcia K. Hermansen The Labor of Sublimity: A Conversation Kaley Mason, Robert L. Kendrick, Regula Qureshi Colloquy 2 Peter L. Manuel, Qawwali as the Anti-Sublime Moderator: Regula Qureshi
If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2 Sufism today has gained widespread interest mainly through its music and poetry, but also through its contrast with orthodox scriptural Islam. Sufism stands for an inclusive Islam focused on personal love of God and spiritual guidance within a wide range of devotional practices. Music and mystical poetry are the sonic embodiment of Sufism and its worldwide placeholder in the search for spiritual goals. Sufi, thus, can designate a broader spectrum of vernacular devotional and ritual identities. The core idea for this workshop allows us to approach this near-global vogue of a Sufi Imaginary through its music. “Islam and Sufism” also brings into conversation a range of ideascapes and practices, from the traditional South Asian spiritual lineages to a new generation of Muslim popular culture. Sufi music is founded in ritual and its constraints, but its practice is also open to creative agency. Reaching for the gift of the sublime enables embodied engagement on multiple levels—through rhythm, repetition of words, even ecstatic dance, to reach for the gift of the sublime, individually or collectively. Panel 1: The Sublime and Music: Islam and the West Regula Qureshi and Philip V. Bohlman in Conversation Discussant: Michael Sells Recitation and Discussion of Poetry Michael Sells, Love Lyrics of Ibn al-Farid and Ibn al-`Arabi Saleem Qureshi, Sublime Rebellion: Iqbal's Urdu and Farsi Verse Chair: Thibaut d'Hubert Colloquy 1 Deborah A. Kapchan, Witnessing the Sublime: Sufi Samaa in Secular France Moderator: Hakan Karateke Music and Sublime Across the Muslim World Bertie Kibreah, Sufi Tattva: The Sound and Space of Mystical Song in Bangladesh Shayna Silverstein, Performing Sacred Popular: Syrian Sufi Dance as National Heritage Michael O’Toole, Staging the Sublime: Music and Islam on Stage in Germany Lauren Osborne, Locating Experience and Emotion in the Recited Qur'an Moderator: Marcia K. Hermansen The Labor of Sublimity: A Conversation Kaley Mason, Robert L. Kendrick, Regula Qureshi Colloquy 2 Peter L. Manuel, Qawwali as the Anti-Sublime Moderator: Regula Qureshi
If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2 Sufism today has gained widespread interest mainly through its music and poetry, but also through its contrast with orthodox scriptural Islam. Sufism stands for an inclusive Islam focused on personal love of God and spiritual guidance within a wide range of devotional practices. Music and mystical poetry are the sonic embodiment of Sufism and its worldwide placeholder in the search for spiritual goals. Sufi, thus, can designate a broader spectrum of vernacular devotional and ritual identities. The core idea for this workshop allows us to approach this near-global vogue of a Sufi Imaginary through its music. “Islam and Sufism” also brings into conversation a range of ideascapes and practices, from the traditional South Asian spiritual lineages to a new generation of Muslim popular culture. Sufi music is founded in ritual and its constraints, but its practice is also open to creative agency. Reaching for the gift of the sublime enables embodied engagement on multiple levels—through rhythm, repetition of words, even ecstatic dance, to reach for the gift of the sublime, individually or collectively. Panel 1: The Sublime and Music: Islam and the West Regula Qureshi and Philip V. Bohlman in Conversation Discussant: Michael Sells Recitation and Discussion of Poetry Michael Sells, Love Lyrics of Ibn al-Farid and Ibn al-`Arabi Saleem Qureshi, Sublime Rebellion: Iqbal's Urdu and Farsi Verse Chair: Thibaut d'Hubert Colloquy 1 Deborah A. Kapchan, Witnessing the Sublime: Sufi Samaa in Secular France Moderator: Hakan Karateke Music and Sublime Across the Muslim World Bertie Kibreah, Sufi Tattva: The Sound and Space of Mystical Song in Bangladesh Shayna Silverstein, Performing Sacred Popular: Syrian Sufi Dance as National Heritage Michael O’Toole, Staging the Sublime: Music and Islam on Stage in Germany Lauren Osborne, Locating Experience and Emotion in the Recited Qur'an Moderator: Marcia K. Hermansen The Labor of Sublimity: A Conversation Kaley Mason, Robert L. Kendrick, Regula Qureshi Colloquy 2 Peter L. Manuel, Qawwali as the Anti-Sublime Moderator: Regula Qureshi
If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2 Sufism today has gained widespread interest mainly through its music and poetry, but also through its contrast with orthodox scriptural Islam. Sufism stands for an inclusive Islam focused on personal love of God and spiritual guidance within a wide range of devotional practices. Music and mystical poetry are the sonic embodiment of Sufism and its worldwide placeholder in the search for spiritual goals. Sufi, thus, can designate a broader spectrum of vernacular devotional and ritual identities. The core idea for this workshop allows us to approach this near-global vogue of a Sufi Imaginary through its music. “Islam and Sufism” also brings into conversation a range of ideascapes and practices, from the traditional South Asian spiritual lineages to a new generation of Muslim popular culture. Sufi music is founded in ritual and its constraints, but its practice is also open to creative agency. Reaching for the gift of the sublime enables embodied engagement on multiple levels—through rhythm, repetition of words, even ecstatic dance, to reach for the gift of the sublime, individually or collectively. Panel 1: The Sublime and Music: Islam and the West Regula Qureshi and Philip V. Bohlman in Conversation Discussant: Michael Sells Recitation and Discussion of Poetry Michael Sells, Love Lyrics of Ibn al-Farid and Ibn al-`Arabi Saleem Qureshi, Sublime Rebellion: Iqbal's Urdu and Farsi Verse Chair: Thibaut d'Hubert Colloquy 1 Deborah A. Kapchan, Witnessing the Sublime: Sufi Samaa in Secular France Moderator: Hakan Karateke Music and Sublime Across the Muslim World Bertie Kibreah, Sufi Tattva: The Sound and Space of Mystical Song in Bangladesh Shayna Silverstein, Performing Sacred Popular: Syrian Sufi Dance as National Heritage Michael O’Toole, Staging the Sublime: Music and Islam on Stage in Germany Lauren Osborne, Locating Experience and Emotion in the Recited Qur'an Moderator: Marcia K. Hermansen The Labor of Sublimity: A Conversation Kaley Mason, Robert L. Kendrick, Regula Qureshi Colloquy 2 Peter L. Manuel, Qawwali as the Anti-Sublime Moderator: Regula Qureshi
If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2 Sufism today has gained widespread interest mainly through its music and poetry, but also through its contrast with orthodox scriptural Islam. Sufism stands for an inclusive Islam focused on personal love of God and spiritual guidance within a wide range of devotional practices. Music and mystical poetry are the sonic embodiment of Sufism and its worldwide placeholder in the search for spiritual goals. Sufi, thus, can designate a broader spectrum of vernacular devotional and ritual identities. The core idea for this workshop allows us to approach this near-global vogue of a Sufi Imaginary through its music. “Islam and Sufism” also brings into conversation a range of ideascapes and practices, from the traditional South Asian spiritual lineages to a new generation of Muslim popular culture. Sufi music is founded in ritual and its constraints, but its practice is also open to creative agency. Reaching for the gift of the sublime enables embodied engagement on multiple levels—through rhythm, repetition of words, even ecstatic dance, to reach for the gift of the sublime, individually or collectively. Panel 1: The Sublime and Music: Islam and the West Regula Qureshi and Philip V. Bohlman in Conversation Discussant: Michael Sells Recitation and Discussion of Poetry Michael Sells, Love Lyrics of Ibn al-Farid and Ibn al-`Arabi Saleem Qureshi, Sublime Rebellion: Iqbal's Urdu and Farsi Verse Chair: Thibaut d'Hubert Colloquy 1 Deborah A. Kapchan, Witnessing the Sublime: Sufi Samaa in Secular France Moderator: Hakan Karateke Music and Sublime Across the Muslim World Bertie Kibreah, Sufi Tattva: The Sound and Space of Mystical Song in Bangladesh Shayna Silverstein, Performing Sacred Popular: Syrian Sufi Dance as National Heritage Michael O’Toole, Staging the Sublime: Music and Islam on Stage in Germany Lauren Osborne, Locating Experience and Emotion in the Recited Qur'an Moderator: Marcia K. Hermansen The Labor of Sublimity: A Conversation Kaley Mason, Robert L. Kendrick, Regula Qureshi Colloquy 2 Peter L. Manuel, Qawwali as the Anti-Sublime Moderator: Regula Qureshi
If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2 Sufism today has gained widespread interest mainly through its music and poetry, but also through its contrast with orthodox scriptural Islam. Sufism stands for an inclusive Islam focused on personal love of God and spiritual guidance within a wide range of devotional practices. Music and mystical poetry are the sonic embodiment of Sufism and its worldwide placeholder in the search for spiritual goals. Sufi, thus, can designate a broader spectrum of vernacular devotional and ritual identities. The core idea for this workshop allows us to approach this near-global vogue of a Sufi Imaginary through its music. “Islam and Sufism” also brings into conversation a range of ideascapes and practices, from the traditional South Asian spiritual lineages to a new generation of Muslim popular culture. Sufi music is founded in ritual and its constraints, but its practice is also open to creative agency. Reaching for the gift of the sublime enables embodied engagement on multiple levels—through rhythm, repetition of words, even ecstatic dance, to reach for the gift of the sublime, individually or collectively. Panel 1: The Sublime and Music: Islam and the West Regula Qureshi and Philip V. Bohlman in Conversation Discussant: Michael Sells Recitation and Discussion of Poetry Michael Sells, Love Lyrics of Ibn al-Farid and Ibn al-`Arabi Saleem Qureshi, Sublime Rebellion: Iqbal's Urdu and Farsi Verse Chair: Thibaut d'Hubert Colloquy 1 Deborah A. Kapchan, Witnessing the Sublime: Sufi Samaa in Secular France Moderator: Hakan Karateke Music and Sublime Across the Muslim World Bertie Kibreah, Sufi Tattva: The Sound and Space of Mystical Song in Bangladesh Shayna Silverstein, Performing Sacred Popular: Syrian Sufi Dance as National Heritage Michael O’Toole, Staging the Sublime: Music and Islam on Stage in Germany Lauren Osborne, Locating Experience and Emotion in the Recited Qur'an Moderator: Marcia K. Hermansen The Labor of Sublimity: A Conversation Kaley Mason, Robert L. Kendrick, Regula Qureshi Colloquy 2 Peter L. Manuel, Qawwali as the Anti-Sublime Moderator: Regula Qureshi
If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2 Sufism today has gained widespread interest mainly through its music and poetry, but also through its contrast with orthodox scriptural Islam. Sufism stands for an inclusive Islam focused on personal love of God and spiritual guidance within a wide range of devotional practices. Music and mystical poetry are the sonic embodiment of Sufism and its worldwide placeholder in the search for spiritual goals. Sufi, thus, can designate a broader spectrum of vernacular devotional and ritual identities. The core idea for this workshop allows us to approach this near-global vogue of a Sufi Imaginary through its music. “Islam and Sufism” also brings into conversation a range of ideascapes and practices, from the traditional South Asian spiritual lineages to a new generation of Muslim popular culture. Sufi music is founded in ritual and its constraints, but its practice is also open to creative agency. Reaching for the gift of the sublime enables embodied engagement on multiple levels—through rhythm, repetition of words, even ecstatic dance, to reach for the gift of the sublime, individually or collectively. Panel 1: The Sublime and Music: Islam and the West Regula Qureshi and Philip V. Bohlman in Conversation Discussant: Michael Sells Recitation and Discussion of Poetry Michael Sells, Love Lyrics of Ibn al-Farid and Ibn al-`Arabi Saleem Qureshi, Sublime Rebellion: Iqbal's Urdu and Farsi Verse Chair: Thibaut d'Hubert Colloquy 1 Deborah A. Kapchan, Witnessing the Sublime: Sufi Samaa in Secular France Moderator: Hakan Karateke Music and Sublime Across the Muslim World Bertie Kibreah, Sufi Tattva: The Sound and Space of Mystical Song in Bangladesh Shayna Silverstein, Performing Sacred Popular: Syrian Sufi Dance as National Heritage Michael O’Toole, Staging the Sublime: Music and Islam on Stage in Germany Lauren Osborne, Locating Experience and Emotion in the Recited Qur'an Moderator: Marcia K. Hermansen The Labor of Sublimity: A Conversation Kaley Mason, Robert L. Kendrick, Regula Qureshi Colloquy 2 Peter L. Manuel, Qawwali as the Anti-Sublime Moderator: Regula Qureshi