The aural world of Christian heritage at the Catharijneconvent: Gospel. Muzikale reis van kracht en hoop (Gospel. Musical journey of strength and hope) exhibition. María Luisa Guevara Tirado. Student number: 7566719

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the musealization of gospel music at the Catharijneconvent, Utrecht, The Netherlands, with the temporary exhibition Gospel. Muzikale reis van kracht en hoop (Gospel. Musical journey of strength and hope), held between the 30th of September 2022 and the 10th of April 2023. Music has a place in museums now, as demonstrated by popular music exhibitions and sound art. Yet, the debate continues. Should sound be in a museum? Multi-sensoriality, inclusivity, and participation have changed how museums operate and present content to the public. In 2003, UNESCO recognized music as Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). Music and musical instruments are semantic fields with status and meaning. Songs are cultural artefacts; they reflect the value and beliefs of the culture that produced them. Thus, songs preserve, transmit cultural heritage, and represent societal changes related to politics and economics. The Catharijneconvent, the national museum for art and Christianity in The Netherlands, became the first museum in the country to make an exhibition on gospel music. Why now? Why here? What is the reason behind this decision? This study aims to demonstrate that the Catharijneconvent's approach to incorporating music as a curatorial theme renewed Christian heritage, providing an exploration of an aural world via songs. The data collection at the exhibition involved gathering information through qualitative research. The theoretical framework involved: art history, musicology, sociology, popular music studies, museum studies, and interviews with the different members of the exhibition team, the curator Rianneke van der Houwen, Willem Driebergen, the audiovisual advisor and research assistant, the designer Wiegert Ambagts from the design studio Namelok, based in Rotterdam; the sound designer and Professor Sara Lenzi from the University of Delft; the American curator Tyree-Boyd-Pates, who was responsible for the exhibition How Sweet: Gospel in Los Angeles at the California African American Museum (CAAM). Gospel. Muzikale reis was subjected to an extensive analysis, resulting in a theorization. As more non-musical museums adopt popular music exhibitions, caring for rethinking their ocular-centric displays and integrating listening practices beyond using audio guides, it is clear that music as a curatorial theme has a potential yet to be explored. Therefore, the study case of Gospel. Muzikale reis van kracht en hoop presented an opportunity to evaluate the importance of cultural artefacts, such as songs, and their impact as a strategy to make sense of the aural world of Evangelism, renewing the art historical discourse.