About

“. . . We at Brothertown Forward are amazed at the amount of research Gabriel has done on Brothertown hymnody and are grateful to him for sharing this information with us recently via an online presentation. This research and information makes a lot of difference for our non-federally recognized Tribe. It is not something we could have paid to have researched even if we had known or understood the importance of his findings. . .”
— from personal correspondence, Mark Baldwin, Megan Fulopp, Amy Medford, and Paul Werth to Arlene J. Kastelle [Gabriel’s Mom :-)], May 9, 2017, letter accompanying birthday gift.

“. . . Mr. Kastelle has done an impressive amount of independent research on Brothertown, our founders and our ancestral tribal histories. This research, together with his musical degrees and long time involvement in shape note singing make Mr. Kastelle uniquely qualified to recognize, understand, and address the many intricacies involved in the presenting and “re-remembering” of this important part of Brothertown culture. We must also add that Gabriel Kastelle’s enormous respect and deep reverence for our Brothertown founders, history and the travails of our people make his presentation all that much more compelling. . .”
— from Brothertown Forward’s “Brothertown Hymnody Update and Link,” 13 April 2017; https://brothertownforward.wordpress.com/2017/04/13/brothertown-hymnody-update-and-link/ , accessed 6/25/17.

“Nice paper. In the future, avoid colloquialisms.”
— Prof. Mark Slobin, Wesleyan U., comments on Gabriel Kastelle 2012 unpublished paper “Brothertown Indian Singing Legacy. . .”