The study of ethnomusicology: thirty-three discussions

577 Pages·2015·2.345 MB·English

by  Nettl, Bruno

THIRD EDITION
The Study of
Ethnomusicology
Thirty-Three
Discussions
Bruno Nettl
The Study of Ethnomusicology
third edition

The Study of
Ethnomusicology
Thirty-Three Discussions
third edition
Bruno nettl
UnivErSiTy of illinoiS PrESS
Urbana, Chicago, and Springfield
© 2015 by the Board of Trustees
of the University of Illinois
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 c p 5 4 3 2 1
∞ This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Nettl, Bruno
The study of ethnomusicology : thirty-three
discussions / Bruno Nettl. — Third edition.
Pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-252-03928-7 (cloth : alk. paper) —
ISBN 978-0-252-08082-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) —
ISBN 978-0-252-09733-1 (e-book)
1. Ethnomusicology. I. Title.
ML3798.N47 2015
780.89—dc23 2014043248
edition supported by a grant from
Figure Foundation
crosswords of music true illumination
For Wanda
(the lady of my life)
Contents
Preface xi
part i: Contemplating the Musics of the World
1. A Harmless Drudge: Reaching for the Dictionary 3
2. Combining Tones: On the Concept of Music 19
3. Is Music the Universal Language of Mankind?
Commonalities and the Origins of Music 31
part ii: As Sounds and Structures
4. Inspiration and Perspiration: Creative Processes 49
5. A Nonuniversal Language: On the Musics of the World 63
6. The Fundamental Skill: Notation and Transcription 72
7. Contemplating Musical Repertories: A Sampling of
Descriptive and Analytical Approaches 89
8. The Most Indefatigable Tourists of the World:
Units of Musical Thought 108
9. Apples, Oranges, and a Model T: Comparison
and Comparative Study 122
part iii: in the field
10. Come Back and See Me Next Tuesday:
Essentials of the Fieldwork Tradition 141
11. You Will Never Understand This Music:
Insiders and Outsiders 157
12. Citadels of the Profession: Archives, Preservation,
and the Study of Recordings 169
13. No One Plays It Like Me: Ordinary and
Exceptional Musicians 188
14. You Call That Fieldwork? Redefining the “Field” 199
15. Who Owns This Music? The Host’s Perspective 211
part iv: in Human Culture
16. Music and “That Complex Whole”:
Studying Music in or as Culture 231
17. Writing the Meat-and-Potatoes Book:
Musical Ethnography 248
18. “If Music Be the Food of Love . . .”: Uses and Functions 260
19. The River of Heraclitus: On People Changing Their Music 272
20. Traditions: Recorded, Printed, Written, Oral, Virtual 294
21. The Basic Unit of All Culture and Civilization:
Signs, Symbols, and Meaning 302
22. The Whys of World Music: Determinants of Musical Style 319
part v: in All of its varieties
23. The “Where” of World Music:
Interpreting Geographic Distribution 331
24. Never Heard a Horse Sing: Taxonomies and Boundaries 345
25. The Creatures of Jubal: Instruments 364
26. How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall? Teaching and Learning 376
27. I’m a Stranger Here Myself: Women’s Music,
Women in Music 390
28. Diversity and Difference: A Variety of Minorities 405
part vi: from a Broad Perspective
29. Are You Doing Anyone Any Good? Thoughts on Applied
Ethnomusicology 423
30. Musing about an Interdiscipline: Musicology, Anthropology,
and the Study of Dance 439
31. Second Thoughts: Some Personal Disclosures 454
32. On the Shape of the Story: Perspectives on the History
of Ideas and Practices 464
33. A Snapshot of the New Century: Notes on
Ethnomusicology Today 481
References 491
Index 535