Dr. Robert Grenier, associate professor of music at South Carolina State University, was recently informed that his article, "Werner Jaegerhuber's Messe sur les airs Vodouesques: The Inculturation of Vodou (Voodoo) in a Catholic Mass," will be included in the historical collection of the Vatican Library.

In 2007, Grenier submitted his article to the Black Music Research Journal, a bi-annual publication that features articles about the philosophy, aesthetics, history and analysis of black music. In 2008, Grenier was informed that his article would be published.

Upon receiving published copies of the article in May 2009, Grenier submitted copies to the Vatican Library and was informed later that his article would be included in the library's collection.

"You can imagine my surprise upon receiving the letter postmarked Vatican City," Grenier said. "The letter, written on official letterhead and featuring the coat of arms of the Pope, informed me of the reception of my article. It was signed by Cardinal Raffaele Farina, chief archivist and librarian at the Vatican Library."

Grenier's article, which took a number of years to complete due to his extensive research and the necessity of reconstructing the musical score of the Mass from the surviving manuscripts, describes how Werner Jaegerhuber, a Haitian-born composer of German extraction, selected elements of Haitian vodou, or voodoo, and blended them with music inspired by Gregorian chant to achieve an unprecedented coupling of two opposing faith traditions. This odd pairing was inspired by the fact that the Mass was commissioned to celebrate the sesquicentennial of the founding of Haiti, the first black republic, in 1804.

In addition to his research and scholarly writing, Grenier spends a considerable amount of time composing music. Several of his compositions are currently being performed.

This fall, Ronald Davis, professor of tuba and euphonium at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, performed Grenier's "Voodoo: Fantasy on Melodies from Haiti" for tuba and piano at USC and the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga. Davis will also perform this composition during the May 2010 International Tuba/Euphonium Conference at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz.

In February 2010, James Ackley, associate professor of trumpet at USC, will premier Grenier's "Trumpet Sonata" in three movements as the final piece of his faculty recital. And Joseph Celmer, tuba player and artist scholar in residence at S.C. State, will perform Grenier's "Haydn," the fourth movement from his "Tube Suite," during a Northeast concert tour of six universities, also in February 2010.

Further, Eddie Ellis, director of bands at S.C. State, has commissioned an arrangement for wind ensemble of Grenier's "The Principalities," the seventh movement from "The Book of Angels," which is a suite of nine compositions for organ, each dedicated to one of the nine choirs of angels.

For more information, call 803-536-8595 or e-mail rgrenier@scsu.edu.

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