Spiritualism, Music, and Community in Lily Dale, NY (1848-1920)
Title Page Resonant Spirits: Spiritualism, Music, and Community in Lily Dale, NY (1848-1920) by Codee Ann Spinner B. M., Music Education, SUNY Fredonia, 2015 M. A., Musicology, University of Pittsburgh, 2017 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2021 Committee Page UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH DIETRICH SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES This dissertation was presented by Codee Ann Spinner It was defended on March 29, 2021 and approved by Deane L. Root, Professor, Emeritus, Music Michael Heller, Associate Professor, Music Sarah Eyerly, Associate Professor, Florida State University Dissertation Director: Olivia Bloechl, Professor, Music ii Copyright © by Codee Ann Spinner 2021 iii Abstract Resonant Spirits: Spiritualism, Music, and Community in Lily Dale, NY (1848-1920) Codee Ann Spinner, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2021 This project is a historical study of sound and music in a Spiritualist community, Lily Dale, a place with both intellectual and personal significance. While studies of Spiritualism have emphasized the importance of sensorial experience, none has focused on the role of sound, music, and listening. “Resonant Spirits: Spiritualism, Music, and Community in Lily Dale, NY (1840- 1920)” offers a corrective to the scholarship by studying sound’s influence and reflection of Spiritualism—a religion based on belief in spirit communication—and its accompanying epistemologies. Using archival materials, periodicals, and songbooks, I reconstruct historical Spiritualist soundscapes experienced at Lily Dale and elsewhere. materials show that Spiritualists used sound as an important tool for ritually conversing with, identifying, and authenticating spirits.
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