Priestcraft. Anatomising the Anti-Clericalism of Early Modern Europe.

This paper aims to take the measure of the strand of early modern anti-clericalism that was conveyed by the term “priestcraft.” Priestcraft amounted to the claim that priests had illegitimately usurped civil power and accumulated material wealth by systematically deceiving the laity and its secular rulers. Religion as it was practised and avowed by believers in early modern Europe was left tainted by this charge since manifold aspects of religious practice and belief fell under the pall of the suspicion that they were merely part of the ruse perpetrated through the centuries by greedy and power-hungry priests. While the English language was particularly effective in condensing this claim into the term in question, mistrust of the clergy informed numerous discourses unfolding in the diverse confessional and intellectual contexts of early modern Europe. The present article seeks to draw attention to the thematic richness of priestcraft as an object of historical inquiry by identifying the multiple ways in which this trope made its presence felt in the early modern world

Examining the utility of using multiple, co–occurring tree species to increase climate sensitivity in dendrochronology

Dendrochronological studies have traditionally centered around the analysis of one tree species from either one location or from multiple locations. Recently, there has been an emergence of multiple species analysis from one location or more that seeks to establish a chronology that crosses the species boundary, as well as the hardwood and softwood divide. The goal of this research is to determine the dendroclimatic benefit of using of multiple, co–occurring tree species collected from a single site. This paper examines the correlation of climactic variables to multiple species of trees sampled from a 0.84 square kilometer mixed-growth forest in the Uwharrie Mountain foothills known as the Margaret J. Nichols Piedmont Longleaf Pine Preserve (hereafter Nichols Tract). Two species of softwood (Pinus palustris and Pinus echinata) were dendrochronologically sampled along with one species of hardwood (Quercus stellata). Using a sample size of n =90 during the period 1935–2016, I evaluate the compatibility of these three species in analyzing climate trends to determine if there is an increase in climatic sensitivity when combining ring–width data from all species. I also address if climatic sensitivity is temporally dependent and why

The Impractical Man

A collection of poems written during two years of study in the MFA writing program at UNC Greensboro. Poems concern mechanisms, vanishings, and appearances

Jouez le Fortepiano!: An Interview with Malcolm Bilson

In an interview, fortepianist Malcolm Bilson discusses performing on early pianos, recording Mozart's concertos on period instruments in the 1970s, his experiences studying abroad, his recent video project "Knowing the Score: How to Read Urtext Editions, and How Can This Lead to More Expressive, Even Passionate Playing?," musical traditions, and other subjects

Detecting the presence of an urban heat island at three major North Carolina airports; and locating climatologically appropriate sites for a Piedmont Triad weather station

Given the urbanization that has taken place adjacent to PTIA it is likely that the Piedmont Triad International Airport's (PTIA) KGSO Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) weather station has been impacted by an urban heat island (UHI) effect. This local-scale phenomenon has influenced and will continue to influence meteorological observations at the PTIA weather station. This research will construct a raster data model to locate sites without contamination of an UHI. The new weather station site will be a suitable alternative to PTIA. To determine if an UHI is impacting PTIA, the average monthly minimum and maximum temperatures were analyzed using three separate statistical procedures. First, a deviation test was used to find any decoupling of average monthly minimum from average monthly maximum temperatures. Second, a Student's t-Test checked for significant difference for any decouplings found using the deviation statistic. Lastly, a correlation statistic is applied to test if a positive correlation exists between average monthly minimum temperatures with a running total of commercial/industrial land-use in close proximity to each airport. The above procedures determined that KGSO has been influenced by an urban heat island effect. The second part of this study employed a raster data model to locate `ideal' sites for KGSO, using criteria set by the World Meteorological Organization (Appendix F). In particular factors analyzed were land-use, elevation, slope, hallows, water, and impervious surface. The raster date model can be used to find ideal alternatives for other heat island influenced weather stations

"Interpreting Mozart: The Performance Practice of his Piano Pieces and Other Compositions" by Eva Badura-Skoda and Paul Badura-Skoda

This article is a review and critique of Eva and Paul Badura-Skoda's 2009 book “Interpreting Mozart: The Performance Practice of his Piano Pieces and Other Compositions”

Editorial

Bartolomeo Cristofori's production of a cembalo with a viable hammer action, first documented in 1700, has always been recognized as an epochal breakthrough for Western music. Commencing an article discussing three grand pianos in the Florentine tradition, John Koster observed astutely that ‘arguably, no new invention in the history of music has had a greater or more lasting influence. Within a few decades of its appearance, Cristofori's invention, the piano, was known and imitated throughout most of Europe’ (see ‘Three Grand Pianos in the Florentine Tradition’, Revue française d'organologie et d'iconographie musicale 4/2 (1999), 95)

Somewheres Else

This thesis is a lot about fathers and sons – in Philadelphia mostly, but sometimes on the Pacific

An awkward specimen: deconstructing the body and the mental spaces in which it inhabits

The written portion of the thesis is an analysis of the conceptual and aesthetic concerns of a series of artworks exploring the effects and relationships of medical and technological interventions on the body. My M.F.A. thesis installation includes video, sound, interactive sculpture, and wearable performative prosthesis. A repulsive playfulness is the underlying theme of the artwork. By creating these uncomfortable experiences, I hope to make the viewer more aware of their own body