n.
- The scientific study of music, especially traditional or non-Western music, as an aspect of culture.
- The comparative study of music of different cultures.
ethnomusicologist eth'no·mu'si·col'o·gist n.
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ethnomusicology
American Heritage Dictionary:
eth·no·mu·si·col·o·gy |
n.
ethnomusicologist eth'no·mu'si·col'o·gist n.
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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:
ethnomusicology |
For more information on ethnomusicology, visit Britannica.com.
Oxford Grove Music Encyclopedia:
Ethnomusicology |
A branch of Musicology in which emphasis is given to the study of music in its cultural context; the anthropology of music. It had its origins during the late 19th century in Europe and the USA with the work of Carl Stumpf, Erich M. von Hornbostel, Curt Sachs, Alexander J. Ellis, Jesse Walter Fewkes, Franz Boas and others. Early studies dealt largely with the psychology of music, the reconstruction of world music history, the distribution of musical styles and instruments and, in the USA, with the analysis of American Indian music. Modern research combines anthropological techniques of fieldwork and ethnography with a variety of humanistic approaches, especially from musicology and aesthetics.
The Austin Symphony's Music Glossary:
Ethnomusicology |
The study of varioustypes of music in relation to their geographic, racial, and cultural context.
Random House Word Menu:
categories related to 'ethnomusicology' |
- Branches and Disciplines - ethnomusicology: study of relationship between primitive or folk music and culture to which it belongs
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
Ethnomusicology |
This article is about the area of study. For the society and academic journal, see Society for Ethnomusicology.
Ethnomusicology is defined as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts."[1]
Coined by the musician Jaap Kunst from the Greek words ἔθνος ethnos (nation) and μουσική mousike (music), it is often considered the anthropology or ethnography of music. Jeff Todd Titon has called it the study of "people making music."[2] Although it is often thought of as a study of non-Western musics, ethnomusicology also includes the study of Western music from an anthropological or sociological perspective. Bruno Nettl (1983) believes it is a product of Western thinking, proclaiming "ethnomusicology as western culture knows it is actually a western phenomenon."[3] Nettl believes that there are limits to the extraction of meaning from a culture's music because of a Western observer's perceptual distance from the culture; however, the growing prevalence of scholars who study their own musical traditions, and an increasing range of different theoretical frameworks and research methodologies has done much to address criticisms such as Nettl's.
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Contents
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History
While musicology's traditional subject has been the history and literature of Western art music, ethnomusicologists study all music as a human social and cultural phenomenon. The primary precursor to ethnomusicology, comparative musicology, emerged in the late 19th century and early 20th century through the practice of people such as Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kodály, Alan Lomax, Constantin Brǎiloiu, Vinko Zganec, Franjo Kuhač, Carl Stumpf, Erich von Hornbostel, Curt Sachs, Hugh Tracey, and Alexander J. Ellis.[4] Comparative musicology and early ethnomusicology tended to focus on non-Western music that was transmitted through oral traditions. But, in more recent years, the field has expanded to embrace all musical styles from all parts of the world.
The International Council for Traditional Music (founded 1947) and the Society for Ethnomusicology (founded 1958) are the primary international academic organizations for the discipline of ethnomusicology.
Theories and methods
Ethnomusicologists often apply theories and methods from cultural anthropology, cultural studies and sociology as well as other disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. Though some ethnomusicologists primarily conduct historical studies, the majority are involved in long-term participant observation. Therefore, ethnomusicological work can be characterized as featuring a substantial, intensive ethnographic component.
Some ethnomusicological works are created not necessarily by 'ethnomusicologists' proper, but instead by anthropologists examining music as an aspect of a culture. A well-known example of such work is Colin Turnbull's study of the Mbuti pygmies. Another is Jaime de Angulo, a linguist who intensively studied the music of the natives of Northern California.[5] Additionally, Anthony Seeger, Distinguished Professor of Ethnomusicology and the Director of the Ethnomusicology Archive at the University of California, Los Angeles, studied the music and society of the Suya people in Mato Grosso, Brazil.[6]
Academic programs
Main article: List of universities with ethnomusicology programmes
Many universities in North America and Europe offer ethnomusicology classes and act as centers for ethnomusicological research. The linked list includes graduate and undergraduate degree-granting programs.[7]
See also
- World music
- Musicology
- Sociomusicology
- Ethnochoreology
- Bruno Nettl
- Smithsonian Folkways
- Fumio Koizumi Prize for ethnomusicology
References
- ^ Pegg, Carole: 'Ethnomusicology', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed February 3, 2008), <http://www.grovemusic.com>
- ^ Titon, Jeff Todd: Worlds of Music, 2nd ed. New York: Schirmer Books, 1992, p. xxi.
- ^ Bruno Nettl 1983:25 - The Study of Ethnomusicology. Urbana, Chicago, and London: University of Illinois Press.
- ^ Ellis, Alexander: On the Musical Scales of Various Nations HTML transcription of the 1885 article in the Journal of the Society of Arts (Accessed September 2008)
- ^ Jaime de Angulo
- ^ Anthony Seeger, Professor, Ethnomusicology UCLA
- ^ SEM: Guide to Programs
External links
- Ethnomusicology Review (EMR) Academic ethnomusicology journal.
- International Council for Traditional Music
- International Library of African Music (ILAM)
- Links: Ethnomusicology, Folk Music, and World Music (University of Washington)
- Outreach Ethnomusicology Ethnomusicology Fieldwork Research Resource
- SIL publications on Ethnomusicology listed by country
- Society for Ethnomusicology
- University of Washington Digital Collections – Ethnomusicology Musical Instrument Collection Images of musical instruments from around the world.
- The World and Traditional Music Section at the British Library Sound Archive
- Yale Music Library Research Guide for Ethnomusicology
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 | American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Oxford Grove Music Encyclopedia. The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Copyright © 1994 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| The Austin Symphony's Music Glossary. © 2003 The Austin Symphony. All Rights Reserved. Read more |
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