Vol 1: Introduction

For April through June 2022, I have the immense privilege of being a Visiting Scholar at the University of Cambridge (UK), where I am continuing my doctoral research into the unaccompanied violin works of Friedrich Wilhelm Rust.

This time has already proven to be remarkable, not only for the exceptional people and library resources of Cambridge and London, but for the time and space to really sink my teeth into playing, writing about, and continuing to contextualize this music.

So, while I’m here, I’m going to be posting some small research updates, about once a week or so. My aim is to showcase some of the stories, documents, and people that continue to draw my interest to Rust and his music over and over. Many researchers have their “pet” composer who they feel has been unjustly overlooked, but I promise that I am not here to argue that Rust’s violin works are stunning forgotten masterpieces that are ready to conquer the world’s stages. Instead, the story here is one of connections, context, and a little bit of detective work. I hope you’ll follow along.

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My time as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Cambridge is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, with additional research funding from the Mitacs Globalink Research Award. The upcoming European component of my research is supported by the American Bach Society's William H. Scheide Research Grant.