Catherine Saucier

Kudos to Catherine Saucier, associate professor of music history and musicology, for receiving glowing reviews in significant research journals for her monograph "Paradise of Priests."

The book examines the music of religious worship in Liège, in modern-day Belgium. In medieval times, the city was known as a priestly paradise, since it was the seat of a vast diocese in northwestern Europe and a city with an exceptional number of churches, clergymen and church musicians. Surprisingly, the city accommodated as many masses each day as did Rome.

"The intersection of civic and religious cultures fascinates me, specifically how sacred rituals and music promote local identity," says Saucier. "A wealth of surviving historical records, choir books, and artwork document how the medieval city of Liège came to be venerated as a saint. I was eager to explore these interdisciplinary connections and it was amazing to discover how music was such an integral part of this phenomenon."

Barbara Haggh-Huglo, an internationally-recognized expert in medieval music of the Low Countries (Belgium and the Netherlands), reviewed Saucier's book in the journal Plainsong and Medieval Music, stating, "This meticulously argued book is pathbreaking on several counts." Saucier says it was an honor that Haggh-Huglo reviewed her book in such detail.

Other journals that reviewed the book include Music and Letters, Early Music, Catholic Historical Review and The Journal of the Dolmetsch Foundation.

To find out more about the book and to read several of the reviews, go to the publisher's website: urpress.com