A Photographic Exhibition by Carolyn Brown
Justus Sundermann Gallery
November 14 through January 3

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
Break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Sing praises to the Lord with the harp,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
With trumpets and the sound of the horn,
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.
from Psalm 98

“One of the more delightful and instructive elements in these religiously-themed ceilings is their portrayal of music and musicians. While the musicians themselves are usually depicted as angels or archangels, on occasion, saints or biblical figures with well-known musical connections are also shown as performers. Together with the invariably charming representation of angelic musicians, these portrayals can also provide us with valuable historical insight, not only into the period instruments themselves and how they were played, but also on the larger role played by music and musicians in the religious life and ritual of Purépecha villagers during colonial and post-colonial times. Period instruments portrayed on the ceilings reveal considerable variety and fall into two broad categories: string and wind instruments. Stringed instruments include the violin (viola da brachia) viola (viola da gamba) and bass viol, as well as the mandolin and harp. Wind instruments on display comprise the shawm (chirimía),  horn, trumpet, trombone (sackbut) and bassoon. Organs are also shown, ranging from modest table models to ornate baroque pipe organs. Portrayals of musicians are usually shown in proximity to the raised choirs of the church or chapel, sometimes above or on adjacent panels but in some cases beneath, on a painted sotocoro, or under choir. Although not always so placed, strings are generally shown on the left, or north side of the church while the brass and woodwinds appear on the right (south)—locations that no doubt reflect the traditional musical or choral practices of the time. The principal ceiling murals portraying angelic musicians and their instruments are found at Cocucho, Naranja and Nurio, with isolated examples at Pomacuarán and Tupátaro.” – from an exhibition essay by Richard Perry

See more of Carolyn Brown’s photography at carolynbrownphotographer.com.

Event flyer here.