Dissertation-gate, Day #4

I skipped yesterday, so today is the fourth day of working on my dissertation as a full-time occupation.

As of today, I have in my possession eight books written in Russian on my topic.  I have spent the past few hours going through the books and using my knowledge (plus an online Russian-to-English dictionary) to decipher what some of these books are discussing.  I still have no clue as to what a few books are saying, such as the picture posted below.  The index does not list any specific choral works, and the Table of Contents reads "Глава 1 (Chapter one)... Глава 2 (Chapter two).... Глава 3 (Chapter three)..."  Not terribly helpful.  But, I'm starting to narrow down what scholarship I need translated in other books.  I am grateful to have enough knowledge to eliminate some scholarship, although there are a few chapters I need to understand a bit better.  This understanding will come from understanding the titles of chapters syntactically or from glancing through the chapter and picking out some key words.

Over the next week, I will make final determinations about what will need to be translated.  And then I will need to pay for a translator.  This dissertation is not cheap.  This gives me a greater incentive to really share this research once I am finished.

Dissertation-gate, Day #1

Today is the first "official" day of not being a student who takes classes.  I am ABD, a doctoral candidate, and... I arrived at the coffee shop this morning at 8:15 to begin work on my dissertation.  To be fair, I began my dissertation last summer, but now it's serious.  Last week I was finishing up the semester and I was released into the wild, with all the other ABD birds and with very little guidance.

I do not have many qualms about writing my dissertation, however.  I'm not at a loss for what to do.  So with that in mind, here is my to-do list:

- Finish taking notes on the resources I have in English
- Look up a handful of resources in the library that I am fairly certain are not helpful
- Updated my annotated bibliography as I go
- Prepare to go to Russia to research in archives
- Get the necessary Russian scholarship translated (I only have the skills to loosely understand what it is addressing, not to understanding the finer points of scholarship)
- Begin my proposal, creating a timeline, honing my methodology, etc.

Each of the above the has many small steps.  My ultimate goal is to have my dissertation proposal approved and a rough draft of my first chapter in by the end of the fall semester, with more being written but not submitted.

I also am going to pick a few pieces to study this summer.  I want to keep working on what I love.  I will likely choose Brahms for one piece, since I have a better idea of how I want to approach him now.  I will look at my other scores at home and also figure out what I want to study.  Perhaps Schütz or Bach.  And then I'm interested in studying Amy Beach's Mass in E flat.

Weeks of Inspiration

Even though I have not posted here, I have been blogging the past two months.  Except, my blogs are in Russian and under a different blog name.

I'd like to mention a few musical endeavors and inspirations from the past few weeks.  A little over a week ago, I had the opportunity to be in a performance of the Monteverdi Vespers.  This was a wonderful experience, and I shared the stage (albeit as a chorister) with some famous early music musicians, both singers and instrumentalists.  The experience of singing this work, knowing the history, understanding the style... it was amazing.  I was so unbelievably proud to be a contributor.  I was impressed with the other members of the choir and their commitment to text and style.

I had the opportunity to have conversations with the soloists.  One of the soloists is also a choral director- and we had inspired conversation about music and education.  Another soloist sings in a group I have recently spent more time listening to, which is called "A Room Full of Teeth."  (I highly recommend checking them out).  By the end of the week, I was incredibly inspired.

Then last night, I attended a concert of a group called Cantus.  I have a few friends who sing in the group, and I love being able to sit back, listen, and watch my friends do what they do.  I am proud, impressed, and so grateful that I can hear such wonderful music.

And last, I have been so inspired by the choir with which I am working.  They are attentive, and more over, they grow as musicians every week.  It is humbling and awe-inspiring to be involved in this growth.