Sebastian Pietsch is a liturgical scholar at the Faculty of Theology in Paderborn, Germany. He studied Catholic theology and music at the universities of Münster (B.A.) and Freiburg (M.Ed.). His research focuses on the relationship between liturgy and music, particularly the significance and role of music in liturgy as a medium for the encounter between God and man. In his doctoral dissertation (Dr. theol), he focuses on the potential of Johann Sebastian Bach’s sacred cantatas in contemporary Catholic worship. At the ISM, Sebastian Pietsch will analyse important sermons from the Baroque era to gain new insights into the cantata libretti and their specific theology. In addition to the sources in the Beinecke Library, he also looks forward to exchanging ideas with the professors, researchers and students at Yale, and getting to know the ISM system, as there isn’t an institute in Germany that combines liturgical studies and music in this way.
