The Society for Seventeenth-Century Music

The Society for Seventeenth-Century Music

By-Laws

STATEMENT OF MISSION

The Society for Seventeenth-Century Music was established in Chicago, Illinois, November 7, 1991, for the purpose of promoting the study and performance of music and related arts of the seventeenth century. The Society for Seventeenth-Century Music will pursue its objectives 1) by sponsoring conferences, festivals, workshops, seminars, study sessions, and other activities which from time to time may be appropriate, 2) through publication, 3) by facilitating communication among individual scholars and performers, and 4) by encouraging communication among existing and future organizations devoted to the study and performance of specific aspects of seventeenth-century music and related arts.

STATEMENT ON DIVERSITY

The Society for Seventeenth-Century Music is committed to the principles of inclusion and access, and it rejects discrimination against anyone on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or field of scholarship.

ARTICLE ONE The Society

1. The name of the Society shall be “The Society for Seventeenth-Century Music.”

2. The legal address of the Society will be the business address of the Treasurer.

ARTICLE TWO Membership

1. Membership in the Society for Seventeenth-Century Music is obtained by payment of annual dues to the Treasurer of the Society.

2. The schedule of dues shall be set by the Governing Board and approved by the membership of the Society. Dues shall be collected for the purpose of publishing and mailing the Newsletter, mailing of communications to members, payment of expenses supporting the activities of the Society, and other expenses deemed appropriate by the Governing Board of the Society and in accordance with Article Four of the Articles of Association of the Society for Seventeenth-Century Music.

3 A. There shall be four categories of membership in the Society: Institutional, Individual, Student, and Honorary.

B. Honorary members shall be elected by unanimous vote of the Governing Board. They shall be scholars and performers who have made outstanding contributions to the study and presentation of seventeenth-century music and shall be exempt from paying membership dues.

Any member of the Society in good standing may recommend a candidate for honorary membership to the Nominating Committee, who will determine suitable candidates and assemble dossiers to be forwarded to the Governing Board for consideration.

ARTICLE THREE Meetings

1. The annual business meeting of the Society for Seventeenth-Century Music shall be held either in conjunction with the annual conference of the Society, or at a time and place designated by the President of the Society. Written notice of the annual meeting, or of any special meeting, shall be sent to the members a minimum of thirty (30) days in advance of the meeting.

2. Unless otherwise specified in these By-Laws, a motion shall be considered passed with a majority vote of those members present at any regular or special meeting.

ARTICLE FOUR Governing Board

IV.1. The Society for Seventeenth-Century Music shall be managed by a Governing Board consisting of five officers: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Member-at-Large, plus a President-elect in alternate years and a representative from each constituent specialty group within the Society recognized by the Governing Board. The officers shall be elected by the membership of the Society (see Article Six). The American Heinrich Schütz Society shall be recognized as a charter specialty group with a representative on the Governing Board. Any other specialty group that may wish to form itself within the Society may petition for representation on the Governing Board. In response to such a petition, the Governing Board shall determine if the specialty group is sufficiently well defined and well represented among the membership of the Society to warrant adding its representative to the Governing Board.

IV.2.A The term of office for the Society’s officers shall be defined as follows:

IV.2.A. (1) The President shall serve a term of three (3) years, comprising one (1) year as President-elect and two (2) years as President.

IV.2.A. (2) The Vice-President shall serve a term of two (2) years, coinciding with the President’s two years as President.

IV.2.A. (3) The Member-at-Large shall serve a term of two (2) years, overlapping the terms of two Presidents.

IV.2.A. (4) The Secretary, Treasurer, and American Heinrich Schütz Society Representative shall serve overlapping terms of three (3) years each.

IV.2.B. In the event of an unexpected vacancy, the remaining officers shall share the duties of the vacant office until a special election can be held to fill the vacancy. Such special election shall be called by the highest ranking officer remaining, in the order given in paragraph 1, above.

IV.3. The duties of the officers shall be defined as follows:

IV.3.A. The President shall supervise all activities of the Society; execute all instruments on its behalf; execute bank drafts or write checks on the Society’s funds in absence of the Treasurer; maintain close liaison with the other officers of the Society; maintain close liaison with the chair of the Program Committee and the local organizer for the annual conference; call the annual meeting and such other meetings of the membership that are deemed necessary; preside at meetings of the Society; and perform such other duties that are usually inherent in such office. The President, in consultation with the other members of the Governing Board, shall appoint individuals to positions and committees to carry out duties deemed necessary to further the mission of the Society. Such positions and committees may include, but are not limited to, the local organizer for annual conferences, the Program Committee for annual conferences, the Nominating Committee, the Travel Awards Committee, the Editor of the newsletter 17th-Century Music, the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Seventeenth-Century Music, and the Editor-in-Chief of the Web Library of Seventeenth-Century Music. The President shall be a non-voting ex officio member of all committees.

IV.3.B. The Vice President shall act as President in the absence of the President and perform such other acts as the President may from time to time direct, such as serving as Chair of the Travel Awards Committee.

IV.3.C. The Secretary shall keep minutes of annual meetings and any special meetings and prepare such minutes for publication in the Newsletter. The Secretary shall also be responsible for mailings to members; for disseminating information about the Society; and for preparation and distribution of materials aimed at attracting new members.

IV.3.D. The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining the financial records and membership rolls of the Society; for receiving and being accountable for all funds belonging to the Society; for receiving and being accountable for all dues of specialty groups within the Society; for paying all authorized invoices of expenditures incurred by the Society; for registering all electronic domain names and organizational memberships of the Society; for rendering annual financial reports to the membership; for responding to inquiries regarding subscriptions to the newsletter; for filing statements of income with the IRS; and for performing such other acts as the President may from time to time direct. The Treasurer shall present a report of the past year’s income and expenditures at the annual business meeting of the Society.

IV.3.E. The Member-at-Large shall perform such duties as the President may from time to time direct, such as serving as the Society’s Archivist and Historian.

IV.4. The Nominating Committee and the Program Committee are annual committees, appointed shortly after the beginning of each year. No one shall serve on either committee for two consecutive years, except for the Chair, who may have been a member of the committee during the preceding year.

IV.5 Diversity and Inclusion Committee

IV.5.A. The Diversity and Inclusion Committee is charged with encouraging diverse, inclusive, and equitable outcomes for official activities of the Society for Seventeenth-Century Music. Its aim is to provide support for SSCM members from underrepresented groups (including BIPOC, LGBTQ+ or those with disabilities). It also aims to support efforts to broaden the research methods of our field to include scholarship on underrepresented topics, especially those related to marginalized identities and global perspectives. It seeks to enhance networks of support and pipelines of diversity to further these goals.

IV.5.B The Diversity and Inclusion Committee will be led by a Chair and a Co-Chair. The Vice President of the Society for Seventeenth-Century Music will serve as Chair; the Co-Chair will be selected by the President and Vice President of the Society from experienced members of the committee, for a two-year term. The Chair will bring new initiatives to the Governing Board for approval.

ARTICLE FIVE Official Publications

1. The official publications of the Society shall include the electronic Journal of Seventeenth-Century Music, the printed newsletter 17th-Century Music, and the electronic Web Library of Seventeenth-Century Music.

2. The Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Seventeenth-Century Music, the Editor of the newsletter, and the Editor-in-Chief of the Web Library of Seventeenth-Century Music shall be appointed or removed by the President in consultation with the other members of the Governing Board, and shall serve until replaced.

3. The Editor-in-Chief of the Journal shall appoint or remove, subject to the approval of the Governing Board, a Review Editor and other assisting editors, who shall serve until replaced.

4. The Editor-in-Chief of the Web Library of Seventeenth-Century Music may appoint or remove, subject to the approval of the Governing Board, one or more General Editors of Special Projects, Associate Editors, and technical assistants, who shall serve until replaced.

5. The Editorial Board of the Journal shall consist of approximately twelve members appointed by the Editor-in-Chief, subject to the approval of the Governing Board, for terms not to exceed three years. A member of the Editorial Board shall be eligible for reappointment. The President of the Society shall be a member of the Editorial Board ex officio. The Editorial Board shall serve the Editor-in-Chief in an advisory capacity for the formulation of editorial policy, and the individual members of the Editorial Board shall be available for the evaluation of manuscripts submitted for publication in the Journal, or other such duties as the Editor-in-Chief requests.

6. The Editorial Board of the Web Library shall consist of approximately twelve members appointed by the Editor-in-Chief, subject to the approval of the Governing Board, for terms not to exceed three years. A member of the Editorial Board shall be eligible for reappointment. The President of the Society shall be a member of the Editorial Board ex officio. The Editorial Board shall serve the Editor-in-Chief in an advisory capacity for the formulation of editorial policy, and the individual members of the Editorial Board shall be available for the evaluation of editions submitted for publication in the Web Library, or other such duties as the Editor-in-Chief requests.

7. The Editor-in-Chief of the Journal and the Editor-in-Chief of the Web Library shall have autonomous authority regarding editorial content and normal publishing operations. Financial and policy matters shall require consultation with the Governing Board and approval of the President. The Editor of the newsletter shall have similar autonomy, consonant with the newsletter’s role as the voice of the Society and its membership.

ARTICLE SIX Elections

1. The officers of the Society shall be elected by the membership. Candidates for office shall be nominated by a Nominating Committee appointed by the President in consultation with the other members of the Governing Board. The Chair of the Nominating Committee shall submit a double slate of candidates to the Governing Board, and the Secretary shall post the list of candidates on the Society’s web page by July 25 of the year preceding the beginning of their terms. The election shall close no later than six weeks before the autumn meeting of the Governing Board, and votes shall be counted by a neutral party. The new officers shall take office at the close of the Business Meeting during the annual spring conference; in the event that no spring conference is held, the new officers shall be installed by April 30.

ARTICLE SEVEN Amendments and Limitations

1. These By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present at any regular or special meeting of the Society.

2. Any amendment to the By-Laws considered substantive by the Governing Board of the Society shall be submitted to the entire membership of the Society for final approval. A majority vote of those responding shall constitute final approval.

Revised, November 1996

Amended, 21 April 2001

Amended, 5 April 2002

Amended, 14 November 2003

Amended, 13 November 2006

Amended, 5 March 2010

Amended, 9 April 2011

Amended, 20 April 2012

Amended, 21 April 2017

Amended, 21 November 2020

Amended, 17 April 2021

Amended, 4 November 2023