Dr. Gregory Johnston

Biography

Gregory Johnston is a Professor Emeritus of Musicology at the University of Toronto. His research interests encompass music from the late Renaissance to the Baroque periods, with a particular focus on sacred music in Protestant Germany. In addition to this, he studies music performance and its historical perception, the social contexts of ceremonial practices, occasional music, and the social roles of civic and court musicians in early modern Europe. His work has been published in prominent journals such as Journal of Musicology, Early Music, and New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Notable publications include the Heinrich Schütz Reader: Letters and Documents Translation and critical editions of works by composers like Wolfgang Carl Briegel. Johnston's current projects involve a monographic study of Heinrich Schütz’s Musicalische Exequien in the context of funerary practices of the German Baroque and inquiries into the financial relationships of court musicians during the seventeenth century. He has received fellowships and grants from institutions such as the Herzog August Bibliothek and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Previously, he taught at the University of Victoria and the University of British Columbia and has held leadership positions in organizations related to musicology.

Research Interests