Spontaneous Singing Research Articles

The Estonian Language and Its Influence on Music: A Cognitive Sciences Approach

Musicology may seem a specific small sector of humanitarian scholarship to the layman, but it hides variety within from highly theoretical subjects such as music theory to the fieldwork with indigenous repertoires and their performance, as found in ethnomusicology. There is a shift in contemporary musicology, its focus moving more towards studies of musical performances and the use of empirical study designs to complement the analysis of musical scores. These interdisciplinary empirical studies cross the border of humanitarian scholarship and apply the methods of the natural sciences, for example spectrogram analysis of singing and the measurement of the temporal structure of recorded music. The cognitive sciences of music (CSM) can be looked at as an umbrella term for branches of musicology that use empirical research methods and draw their research questions from music related individual and group processes. One of the major topics of CSM relates to research in linguistics. Music and language, as well as speech, are closely linked as the human voice is a natural part of vocal music and is considered a quintessential element in musical thinking, vocal and instrumental alike. The music–language–speech relationship intrigues Estonian musicologists as research questions focusing on related topics arise in different fields of musicology, including natural settings and functional songs (musical development, spontaneous singing, runosong, ecclesiastical singing) to the vocal art music performed by professional singers (some chronological examples: Ross & Lehiste 2001; Raju 2015; Lippus & Ross 2017; Jõks 2021; Vurma et al. 2022). The purpose of this referative overview article is to introduce a selection of previous research and discuss the results. The endeavour of the authors is to find an abstract common denominator of selected CSM research projects to establish the most estimable useful knowledge that Estonian CSM has to offer to the international scholarly community, as well as to follow-up research in Estonia. Although we can see the results of that support, and we can see the universal perception and cognitive processes of language and music in Estonian research, there are also several interesting prosodic-musical differences relating to the fact that Estonian belongs to the Uralic language family, more specifically Western Finnish language group. Indo-Germanic (mainly German, Russian, Latin, Italian, and English) language related prosody and singing culture does not necessarily support the natural language usage and therefore represses emotional and spontaneous involvement in singing. It seems that in the process in which Estonian scholars deal with their distinctive mother tongue, indigenous musical repertoires, and idiomatic singing, intuition – more precisely a scholarly intuition –, might play an important role.

VOCALIZATION OF BLACK-HOODED ORIOLE (<i>ORIOLUS XANTHORNUS</i>, ORIOLIDAE, PASSERIFORMES, AVES): FEMALE SINGING AND DUETTING

Singing is known to play significant roles in songbird communication. For a long time, singing was believed to be a male attribute, whereas rare episodes of female singing were seen as deviations. However, there has been more and more research on female vocals in recent times, suggesting this in no way to be a rare event. In this study, we investigated the vocalization of the Black-hooded oriole (Oriolus xanthornus) in the Nam Cat Tien National Park, southern Vietnam. We identified two singing variants significantly differing in both maximum frequency and frequency range, these parameters being higher in variant 2. Variant 1 appeared to be more often, being performed in various situations: spontaneous singing, territorial interactions, and duets. Variant 2 occurred only in duets or in territorial interactions where the bird focal pair also performed in duets. No syntax variation was found between the different singing variants. In addition, no variation was revealed in the syntax of variant 1 in the different situations (spontaneous singing and duets). In one observation, we reliably discovered that the male used variant 1, vs the female that used variant 2. Variant 1 is likely to usually be used by males, vs variant 2 usually being used by females. We also identified two types of calls for this species.

Singing and Speaking Ability in Parkinson's Disease and Spinocerebellar Ataxia.

This study examined spontaneous, spoken-to-a-model, and two sung modes in speakers with Parkinson's disease (PD), speakers with cerebellar disease (CD), and healthy controls. Vocal performance was measured by intelligibility scores and listeners' perceptual ratings. Participants included speakers with hypokinetic dysarthria secondary to PD, those with ataxic dysarthria secondary to CD, and healthy speakers. Participants produced utterances in four vocal modes: spontaneous speech, spoken-to-a-model, sung-to-a-model, and spontaneous singing. For spoken-to-a-model and sung-to-a-model modes, written material was provided the model. For spontaneous singing, participants sang songs that they endorsed as familiar. In Experiment I, listeners orthographically transcribed the audio samples of the first three vocal modes. In Experiment IIa, raters evaluated the accuracy of the pitch and rhythm of the spontaneous singing of familiar songs. Finally, familiar songs and sung-to-a-model utterances were rated on a competency scale by a second group of raters (Experiment IIb). Results showed increases in intelligibility during the spoken-to-a-model mode compared with the spontaneous mode in both PD and CD groups. Singing enhanced the vocal output of speakers with PD more than in speakers with CD, as measured by percent intelligibility. PD participants' pitch and rhythm accuracy and competency in singing familiar songs was rated more favorably than those produced by CD participants. The findings reveal a vocal task effect for spoken utterances in both groups. Sung exemplars, more impaired in CD, suggest a significant involvement of the cerebellum in singing. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21809544.

Effect of Darkness on Intrinsic Motivation for Undirected Singing in Bengalese Finch (Lonchura striata Domestica): A Comparative Study With Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata).

The zebra finch (ZF) and the Bengalese finch (BF) are animal models that have been commonly used for neurobiological studies on vocal learning. Although they largely share the brain structure for vocal learning and production, BFs produce more complex and variable songs than ZFs, providing a great opportunity for comparative studies to understand how animals learn and control complex motor behaviors. Here, we performed a comparative study between the two species by focusing on intrinsic motivation for non-courtship singing (“undirected singing”), which is critical for the development and maintenance of song structure. A previous study has demonstrated that ZFs dramatically increase intrinsic motivation for undirected singing when singing is temporarily suppressed by a dark environment. We found that the same procedure in BFs induced the enhancement of intrinsic singing motivation to much smaller degrees than that in ZFs. Moreover, unlike ZFs that rarely sing in dark conditions, substantial portion of BFs exhibited frequent singing in darkness, implying that such “dark singing” may attenuate the enhancement of intrinsic singing motivation during dark periods. In addition, measurements of blood corticosterone levels in dark and light conditions provided evidence that although BFs have lower stress levels than ZFs in dark conditions, such lower stress levels in BFs are not the major factor responsible for their frequent dark singing. Our findings highlight behavioral and physiological differences in spontaneous singing behaviors of BFs and ZFs and provide new insights into the interactions between singing motivation, ambient light, and environmental stress.

Singing at 0.1 Hz as a Resonance Frequency Intervention to Reduce Cardiovascular Stress Reactivity?

Slow breathing at 6 breaths per min (corresponding to ~ 0.1 Hz) has been found to benefit psychological and physical health. In this study, we aimed to examine if paced singing at 0.1 Hz has beneficial acute effects on physiological function as compared to slow breathing. Participants were randomized to one of four experimental interventions prior to performing a mental stress task: paced breathing at 0.1 Hz (n = 26), paced singing at 0.1 Hz (n = 26), spontaneous breathing (n = 24), or spontaneous singing (n = 25). Heart rate, heart rate variability in the low (LF-HRV) and high frequency (HF-HRV) domain, blood pressure and affective wellbeing were assessed. As expected, both paced breathing and paced singing resulted in elevated LF-HRV. Moreover, both singing groups evidenced increases in heart rate, blood pressure and positive affect, thus indicating elevated sympathetic activation. Breathing and singing at 0.1 Hz had no robust effect on cardiovascular stress reactivity. Findings suggest that paced singing could constitute a promising alternative to slow paced breathing as it increases cardiovascular coherence, although more studies are needed to elucidate whether slow breathing and/or singing could ameliorate acute stress responses.

Singing in semiotic assemblages. Pre-schoolers' use of songs in interaction

This paper analyzes toddlers' spontaneous singing of songs in non-formalized interactions in pre-school from a language socialization perspective. Songs are highly intertextual resources which are interrelated with specific sociocultural contexts and/or communities. My analysis of instances selected from audio recordings and field notes from 4.5 months of ethnographic fieldwork in a pre-school in the Netherlands shows that spontaneous singing can take on interactional functions and reflects socialized knowledge. Closely investigating song-choice and particular times when children chose to engage in singing, it becomes clear that the practice gains meaning as part of co-created assemblages in which material objects, bodies and place stand in inter-relation with the deployed musical and other linguistic resources. The way children draw on songs as a resource resonates with the sociocultural environment of the pre-school, where singing comprises a meaningful social practice in formalized interaction between teachers and children.

Neuroanatomical correlates of speech and singing production in chronic post-stroke aphasia.

A classical observation in neurology is that aphasic stroke patients with impairments in speech production can nonetheless sing the same utterances. This preserved ability suggests a distinctive neural architecture for singing that could contribute to speech recovery. However, to date, these structural correlates remain unknown. Here, we combined a multivariate lesion–symptom mapping and voxel-based morphometry approach to analyse the relationship between lesion patterns and grey matter volume and production rate in speech and singing tasks. Lesion patterns for spontaneous speech and cued repetition extended into frontal, temporal and parietal areas typically reported within the speech production network. Impairment in spontaneous singing was associated with damage to the left anterior–posterior superior and middle temporal gyri. Preservation of grey matter volume in the same regions where damage led to poor speech and singing production supported better performance in these tasks. When dividing the patients into fluent and dysfluent singers based on the singing performance from demographically matched controls, we found that the preservation of the left middle temporal gyrus was related to better spontaneous singing. These findings provide insights into the structural correlates of singing in chronic aphasia and may serve as biomarkers to predict treatment response in clinical trials using singing-based interventions for speech rehabilitation.

Vocal performance and the usage of song types in Pale-legged leaf-warbler Phylloscopus tenellipes: a contradictory study

Performance of vocal signals, such as birdsong, may be a subject to trade-offs among acoustic traits that limit the signal outcomes. Trilled songs in which syllables are repeated in rapid succession present males with a performance challenge resulting in a trade-off between trill rate (rate of repetition) and frequency bandwidth (range of frequency). Individuals of a species might differ in ability to produce high-performance songs that are close to a performance limit. It was suggested that high-performance songs might honestly reveal a high-quality singer, and both males and females might use those songs to detect high-quality singers. To test further this performance hypothesis, I asked whether the usage of song types depended on their performance in the Pale-legged leaf-warbler (Phylloscopus tenellipes), a species with individual repertoires of up to 11 trilled song types. I analyzed 125 song types (n = 25 males) taken from both spontaneous singing and singing elicited by conspecific playback. Songs showed the same performance trade-off between trill rate and frequency bandwidth as found in other passerines. Individuals did not differ relative to one another in their average vocal performance. Males did not preferentially use either high- or low-performance song types in response to playback-simulated territorial intrusion. They also did not modulate the performance of the same song type to signal aggression. Besides, song performance did not differ between predominant song types and all other song types. Since the predominant song type of a given male usually the only one that used in spontaneous singing, a receiver presumably cannot obtain information about the male’s performance ability from his spontaneous singing. Overall, my results did not confirm the role of vocal performance in male–male interaction.

Young children, solitude and singing: self-directed singing and personal agency in three- and four-year-old children at home

ABSTRACT This article uses explores how young children use self-directed spontaneous singing at home as a tool of personal agency. Although researchers are increasingly interested in spontaneous singing that takes place outside formal education and care settings, there remains little research into young children’s self-directed singing at home. With improvements in recording technology, it is now possible to continuously record children’s singing. Listening to and analysing singing that takes place when children are alone – and which would otherwise go unnoticed by adults – is a new development in the field of music and children studies. Fifteen children aged from 3:0 to 4:10 years were recorded at home using a continuous recording device and self-directed spontaneous singing was analysed using an interpretive framework of musical agency. The children used self-directed singing as a tool of personal agency to structure their experiences and to manage the self.

Spontaneous singing in early childhood: An examination of young children’s singing at home

Spontaneous singing is widely acknowledged as an important part of young children’s everyday musical experience. However, its fleeting and often private nature makes it difficult to study. Research into young children’s singing at home frequently relies on data gathered through parental reporting, and studies are often limited to small sample sizes. In this article, I explore the nature, extent and contexts of spontaneous singing among 15 three- and four-year-old children at home. Continuous audio recording was used to collect naturalistic data during the children’s normal everyday routines. This innovative method resulted in data that could be analysed quantitatively to provide a comprehensive overview of spontaneous singing in young children’s everyday home lives that has so far been missing from the literature. Analysis showed that all the children sang spontaneously. The singing behaviours they displayed were similar to those described in the literature, but contrary to some of the literature, the most prevalent singing behaviours were improvisatory. Spontaneous singing occurred during many everyday activities; however, the strongest influence on singing was found to be the social context in which it took place. The children used different ways of singing when interacting socially or when playing on their own, with most singing occurring when children were on their own, potentially unnoticed by adults.

COVID-19 and spontaneous singing to decrease loneliness, improve cohesion, and mental well-being: An Italian experience.

Since March 2020, Italy has been in lockdown due to COVID-19, and individuals have missed all kinds of networking opportunities. Already in the 1st weeks of March, Italian cities' silence was broken by singing. The use of singing as a coping strategy as well as to improve the sense of cohesion is evident. Greater attention should be paid to the development of social cohesion and to social support in terms of social networks and the development of social capital. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

幼児の自発的な歌についての一考察 : 延長保育での遊び・生活に着目して

幼児の自発的な歌についての一考察 : 延長保育での遊び・生活に着目して

Opening space at school for creative activity based on music

The aim of the article is to analyse the ways of using creative music-based activities in the educational process. The authors emphasize the marginal role that art plays in contemporary school, including music. At the same time, they emphasize the need to change this state of affairs, convincing about the huge, unused potential of using music-based activities to build relationships, improve mood, develop creativity and emotional and social competence. The use of musical activities on educational grounds may go beyond the typical activities known from music lessons. Building space for experiencing creative forms of contact with art, expression, spontaneous singing or improvisation, enabling multi-sensory art experience, can result in measurable benefits for both students and the teacher, being the answer to the challenges of modern education. An additional benefit of conducting such classes is the opportunity to observe the functioning of students, ways of coping with social situations, and assumed roles in the group. The article presents practical examples of the implementation of musical activities under the “ZA PROGIEM – wyprawy odkrywców project. The reactions of children participating in these activities testify to their great commitment, they also show that properly selected musical activities can have a positive impact on the child's behaviour in a very short time. Conclusions from the implementation of the activities under the project indicate that music-based – or more broadly art-based – activities, present so far, in the presented form, in pedagogy to a very limited extent, may prove to be an effective tool to support teachers’ work and student development.

Raise your voice

Children's musical experience begins very early in their life, from hearing their mother's singing in the womb to spontaneous singing as they play. This is the first in a series of articles providing practical inspiration to develop their musicality.

Song Does Not Function as a Signal of Direct Aggression in Two Leaf-Warbler Species

In many songbirds, males vary aspects of their singing behaviour when engaged in territorial interactions. Song rate, song type switching rate, song matching, song overlapping, and the use of specific song or call types have all been proposed to be aggressive signals. It is not clear why such variability in aggressive signaling mechanisms exists among different species. We used a comparative approach to study how two Phylloscopus warbler species respond to playback-simulated territorial intrusion. We examined whether the spontaneous songs of Large-billed Phylloscopus magnirostris and Sulphur-breasted P. ricketii leaf-warblers differed from songs produced in response to playback. Song bouts were analysed by measuring 10–12 parameters, but we found no differences between spontaneous songs and playback responses in either species. All males clearly responded to playback by approaching the loudspeaker and flying around it. Large-billed Leaf-warblers produced ‘crackling’ sounds in response to playback more frequently than during spontaneous singing, whereas the usually highly vocal Sulphur-breasted Leaf-warblers possibly (and surprisingly) did not use vocalizations (either songs or calls) to signal direct aggression. A comparison with other Phylloscopus species revealed that even closely related species (i.e. from a single genus) might use different strategies when responding to simulated territorial intrusion. The aggressive signalling strategy is therefore a labile trait that can potentially be exposed to fast evolutionary change.

Singing of Claudia’s Leaf-warbler (Phylloscopus claudiae) in aggressive contexts: role of song rate, song type diversity and song type transitional pattern

In many songbirds, males vary certain aspects of their singing behavior when engaged in territorial interactions. Song rate, song type switching rate, song matching, song overlapping, and the usage of specific song types were proposed to be aggressive signals. It is well known that transitions between different song types in a song sequence are non-random in many species, but the signaling significance of non-random vocal streams is poorly understood. We asked whether singing plays a role in male–male interactions in Claudia’s Leaf-warbler. Along with more traditional metrics (i.e., song length, song rate, song type switching rate and song type diversity), we used (1) song sequence linearity (SLIN) and consistency (SCONS) indexes, and (2) applied an information theory approach by means of a first-order relative entropy (RE1) calculation to analyze the role of song type transitional patterns in male–male interactions. The study was conducted in April–June 2016 in Hupingshan National Nature Reserve, Hunan province, China. We simulated territorial intrusion by broadcasting Claudia’s Leaf-warbler songs in territories. Experiments involved 14 different males. A comparison of spontaneous singing with that elicited by playback showed that song rate and song type diversity increased, and that entropy decreased. By contrast, SLIN and SCONS, though significantly correlated with RE1, did not differ between spontaneous singing and singing in response to playback. The decrease of entropy means that the transitions between different song types in a song sequence were determined more by specific factors and predictable and thus more non-random. However, these results were weak, as the decrease of RE1 did not coincide with the expected increase of SLIN, SCONS and S. Our results are thus partly consistent with the idea that non-random vocal structures, along with other song parameters, could play a role in male–male competition.

Soft songs in male ortolan buntings are used in an aggressive context but are not an aggressive signal

AbstractMany bird species produce low‐amplitude acoustic signals that have been poorly studied in comparison with loud, broadcast songs used for mate attraction and repelling rivals. In some birds, these soft signals were found to be emitted in an antagonistic context and were the most reliable predictor of a subsequent physical attack. The function of this signal is poorly understood, and several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the mechanisms and possible functions of such low‐amplitude signals. The subject of this study is the ortolan bunting, a small passerine species that produces soft songs during territorial defence. In this study, we aim to study whether the soft songs of the ortolan bunting are a signal of increased aggressiveness by testing if they meet the context, prediction and response criteria of aggressive signals. We simulated stranger male intrusion into a focal male territory with three different playback experiments. We found no significant differences in the male responses to the taxidermic model regardless of whether they were or were not producing soft songs in response. The males responded more strongly to loud songs than to soft songs during the simulated intrusions, and the males did not treat soft songs as a predictor of conflict escalation. Although soft songs clearly appeared during territorial encounters and were not present during spontaneous singing before the intrusions, our results did not support the hypothesis that soft songs indicate aggressive character. We suggest that soft songs in the ortolan bunting are intentionally used by birds to modify their intentions or target‐specific individuals within a close range.

Social context differentially modulates activity of two interneuron populations in an avian basal ganglia nucleus.

Basal ganglia circuits are critical for the modulation of motor performance across behavioral states. In zebra finches, a cortical-basal ganglia circuit dedicated to singing is necessary for males to adjust their song performance and transition between spontaneous singing, when they are alone ("undirected" song), and a performance state, when they sing to a female ("female-directed" song). However, we know little about the role of different basal ganglia cell types in this behavioral transition or the degree to which behavioral context modulates the activity of different neuron classes. To investigate whether interneurons in the songbird basal ganglia encode information about behavioral state, I recorded from two interneuron types, fast-spiking interneurons (FSI) and external pallidal (GPe) neurons, in the songbird basal ganglia nucleus area X during both female-directed and undirected singing. Both cell types exhibited higher firing rates, more frequent bursting, and greater trial-by-trial variability in firing when male zebra finches produced undirected songs compared with when they produced female-directed songs. However, the magnitude and direction of changes to the firing rate, bursting, and variability of spiking between when birds sat silently and when they sang undirected and female-directed song varied between FSI and GPe neurons. These data indicate that social modulation of activity important for eliciting changes in behavioral state is present in multiple cell types within area X and suggests that social interactions may adjust circuit dynamics during singing at multiple points within the circuit.

Crib song: Insights into functions of toddlers’ private spontaneous singing

The aim of this study was to investigate, describe and understand the developmental function (musical and social/emotional) of nine toddlers’ private spontaneous songs. Between the initial interviews with the eight families and follow-up interviews 5 to 6 weeks later, parents observed their child at home twice a week for 4 consecutive weeks. When the child was alone at bedtime, the parents stood outside the bedroom door and completed a written Parent’s Observation and Reflection Form (PORF) describing and contextualizing what they heard on a minute-by-minute basis for the first 15 minutes of each session. Additionally, the parents collected audio recordings of the eight sessions using a smartphone that they placed inside the child’s room. Data sources included transcripts from family interviews, field notes, PORFs, and audio recordings. Findings suggest that many of the toddlers used solitary spontaneous singing at bedtime as a way to demonstrate and practice musical skill, reflect, experiment, self-soothe, and understand their own worlds. Spontaneous singing functioned to support these adaptive strategies during this intense developmental period. Further research is needed to understand the conditions and varieties of toddlers’ private spontaneous crib song.

Editor’s Farewell Note

Looking back at my four years as editor of Advances in the History of Rhetoric, I am thankful to all the authors, reviewers, and special issue editors whose hard work we see represented in volumes 15 through 18. I am also proud of the diversity and high quality of scholarship included in these volumes. I think that the journal’s contents prove that the history of rhetoric as a field has evolved beyond its original preoccupation with ancient and medieval rhetoric into a robust scholarly enterprise that illuminates rhetorical theory, practice, and pedagogy in all historical periods. What binds this diverse set of studies together is the historical lens, a perspective that is sensitive to discontinuities and disruptions, to power struggles, and to the performative complexity of rhetoric as an embodied practice.This is not to say that we all abide by a fixed methodology. On the contrary, historians of rhetoric do not take their approach for granted but instead continue to debate how their scholarly habituation and lived experiences influence their theories and methods of historical research. Witness, for example, Practicing Histories: On the Doing of History and the Making of Historians in Rhetoric, a special issue guest edited by Christa J. Olson (volume 15, number 1, 2012). As Olson remarks in her introduction, “historiographers take aim at points of disconnection” (3) and stitch together places and moments that may not appear related.That this sort of opportune stitching together can generate powerful insights is apparent in the journal’s special issues, most of which began as American Society for the History of Rhetoric (ASHR) symposia. Rhetoric and Its Masses (guest edited by Dave Tell) and Rhetoric and Freedom (guest edited by Susan C. Jarratt) offer not only broad-ranging explorations of their respective topics but also demonstrate the value of historical inquiry into some of the most abiding issues in rhetorical studies. ASHR symposia and special issues that grow out of them allow us to bring together the work of established and young scholars alike, and as such they illustrate the value of ASHR and its journal as sites of scholarly training of historians of rhetoric.In addition to themed special issues, I would like to highlight some of the exciting trends that I believe are gaining prominence in the history of rhetoric. One such trend is the exploration of spatial and visual practices in different historical periods. For example, Diana Eidson’s study of the Celsus Library at Ephesus probes the power of spatial rhetoric to address its historical audiences, both elite and nonelite. Or take Julia Marie Smith’s article on The Book of Margery Kempe, in which she examines the contributions of multiple hands to this medieval manuscript’s central narrative. Not incidentally, both authors use images to support their arguments. Although Advances can accommodate only black-and-white illustrations in print, the journal’s online version allows one to view their color versions.Another trend is the investigation of the relationship between rhetoric and religion in diverse historical and cultural contexts. In the past three years, the journal published studies of theological influences on rhetorical theories and pedagogical doctrines of such figures as Augustine, Austin Phelps, and William Enfield; analyses of the argumentative strategies used by medieval rabbis and Jaina mystics; and essays on the use of religious appeals deployed by nineteenth-century African American speakers. Besides being “sermonic” to begin with (Johannesen, Strickland, and Eubanks 1970), rhetoric often derives much of its poignancy from a connection to religious rituals and imaginaries. Examples of this connection are ubiquitous in contemporary culture; consider President Barack Obama’s spontaneous singing of “Amazing Grace” during his eulogy for the slain parishioners of a Black church in Charleston, South Carolina, or Pope Francis’s recent encyclical on climate change. Historians of rhetoric are particularly well positioned to shine the light on such interventions.I do not mean to suggest, of course, that classical and medieval rhetoric have been exhausted as areas of inquiry; quite the opposite. If recent publications are any indication, we still have much to learn from reinterpreting Plato and Aristotle as well as from revisiting the Middle Ages. As someone who is personally invested in regarding afresh rhetoric’s ancient heritage, I wholeheartedly agree with Olson’s (2012) claim: “we look again at old ideas and find ourselves with new questions” (7).This is why I am thrilled to welcome Art Walzer, a renowned scholar of Greek and Roman rhetoric and a beloved mentor to many historians of rhetoric, as the journal’s incoming editor in chief. I am confident that under Art’s guidance the journal will continue to deepen our understanding of traditional sites of historical inquiry as well as grow in promising new directions.Ekaterina V. HaskinsRensselaer Polytechnic Institute