{"id":385,"date":"2016-11-04T00:52:29","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T05:52:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/musicandreligion\/?p=385"},"modified":"2016-11-06T21:13:18","modified_gmt":"2016-11-07T03:13:18","slug":"its-actually-friday-and-i-still-dont-really-have-a-thesis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/musicandreligion\/2016\/11\/04\/its-actually-friday-and-i-still-dont-really-have-a-thesis\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s actually Friday and I still don’t really have a thesis."},"content":{"rendered":"

This week has been overwhelming. I picked a direction for my paper (studying Bach’s Nun Komm der Heiden Heiland<\/em>) and expected starting research to be so much easier with a more focused, specific topic. WRONG! In the past, I have picked a direction for a paper, begun research, and then changed that direction and formed a thesis based on my findings. This time, however, I am struggling to do successful preliminary research without coming up with a thesis first. There is not a huge amount of scholarship on specific Bach cantatas, and so I have been wondering which elements I should focus on. I could look at the cantata as a genre through\u00a0Nun Komm<\/em>, I could focus on Bach and his relationship with this text\/motivation for setting it\/theological implications through the setting, or I could connect it more to Luther and his adaptation of the Latin\u00a0Veni redemptor gentium.\u00a0<\/em>I have no idea at this point what will be most fruitful, interesting, and relatable to the class. I also wonder if there is some really really really cool lens with which to study the piece that I am just way too tired to think of.<\/p>\n

I plan on doing a small amount of research in each of these directions to see what is least overwhelming and most possible\/interesting. However, based on my findings about the specific piece, it looks as though most of my argument using Bach’s setting of\u00a0Nun Komm<\/em> itself will be my own analysis informed by more contextual and general research.<\/p>\n

****EDIT: I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before, but another option is comparing\/contrasting Bach’s two settings of Nun Komm der Heiden Heiland and looking at how they evolved differently from Luther’s chorale\/the original chant. So I’m going that direction for awhile. Yay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week has been overwhelming. I picked a direction for my paper (studying Bach’s Nun Komm der Heiden Heiland) and expected starting research to be so much easier with a more focused, specific topic. WRONG! In the past, I have … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1895,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/musicandreligion\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":[],"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/musicandreligion\/feed\/podcast\/st-olaf-podcasts-music-and-religion","embedCode":"

It’s actually Friday and I still don’t really have a thesis.<\/a><\/blockquote>