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Summary:

"A silent clapboard church on a barren Arctic landscape is more than just a place of worship: it is a symbol that can evoke fraught reactions to the history of Christian colonization. In the Inuit homeland of Northern Labrador, however, that church is more likely to resonate with the voices of a well-rehearsed choir accompanied by an accomplished string orchestra or spirited brass bands. The Inuit making this music are stewards of a tradition of complex sacred music introduced by Moravian missionaries in the late 1700s - a tradition that, over time, these musicians transformed into a cultural expression genuinely their own. Called Upstairs is the story of this Labrador Inuit music practice. It is not principally a story of forced adoption. Rather, it chronicles a process of adaptation, mediation, and agency, exploring the transformation of a colonial artifact into an expression of Inuit aesthetic preference, spirituality, and community identity. Often overlaying the Moravian traditions with defining characteristics drawn from pre-contact expressive culture, Inuit musicians imbued this once-alien music with their own voices. Told through archival documents, oral histories of Inuit musicians, and the music itself, Called Upstairs tracks the emergence of this Labrador Moravian music tradition across two and a half centuries. Tom Gordon presents a chronicle of Inuit leadership and agency in the face of colonialism through a unique lens. In this time of reconciliation, this story offers a window into Inuit resilience and the power of a culture's creative expressions."-- [Provided by publisher]

Table of Contents:

• Called Upstairs: Moravian Inuit Music in Labrador
• Cover
• Half Title Page
• Series Editors
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface: Called Upstairs
• Acknowledgments
• Audio Examples and Musical Scores
• Chapter 1: Backstories
• Chapter 2: Hymns from a Feeling Heart
• Chapter 3: "The Seed of Music Takes Root"
• Chapter 4: Trumpets on the Roof
• Chapter 5: Taima ... Nala ...: Music and Leadership
• Chapter 6: Reading by Ear: Memory, Literacy, Aurality, and Transmission
• Chapter 7: The Inuit Voice in Moravian Music
• Glossary of Musical Terms
• Tables and Figures

• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index

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Author/Creator:

Gordon, Tom, 1946- , author

Languages:

English

Language Notes:

Item content: English

Main Work:

Called upstairs: Moravian Inuit music in Labrador [by Gordon, T.]

Other Related Resources:

Print version: Called upstairs [by Gordon, T.] (Montreal ; Kingston ; London ; Chicago : McGill-Queen's University Press, 2023 — ISBN 0228016770; ISBN 9780228016779)

Related Series:

McGill-Queen's indigenous and northern series; [volume] 105

Subjects:

Church music — Newfoundland and Labrador — Labrador — Moravian Church

Inuit — Newfoundland and Labrador — Labrador — Music — History and criticism

Missions — Newfoundland and Labrador — Labrador

General Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.
Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on September 05, 2023).

Physical Description:

1 online resource.

Call Numbers:

ML3172 .G673 2023eb

ISBNs:

9780228018353 (electronic book)
0228018358 (electronic book)
9780228016779 (hardcover) [Invalid]
0228016770 (hardcover) [Invalid]
9780228016786 (paperback) [Invalid]

OCLC Numbers:

1355505891

Other Control Numbers:

EBC30392495 (source: MiAaPQ)
[Unknown Type]: ybp19567067