History of Ethnomusicology Part 2

Early ethnomusicology comprised more of musicology and less of ethnography. Things started to change during the early 20th century when a shift towards favoring fieldwork took place, replacing the arm-chair approach that had plagued cultural studies in the 19th century, especially in anthropology. Inspired by anthropology, ethnographic fieldwork took precedence among ethnomusicologists as well who desired to chronicle the culture along with the music, and the people. The focus during the first half of the 20th century was non-Western music, so called “exotic” music of “exotic” cultures. The peak of colonialist access throughout the world facilitated such research greatly. Western academicians were keen to explore these unchartered territories of music and many of them made these their life’s work. The “exotic” nature of ethnomusicological research started to undergo a change during the latter half of the 20th century as researchers realized that Western, mainstream music also holds ethnomusicological potential. Even anthropology underwent a similar change during a similar period of time. Today, ethnomusicology balances both the worlds: the non-mainstream, as well as the mainstream.

The term “ethnomusicology” was possibly first proposed, in its modern sense, by Ukrainian folklorist and musicologist Klyment Kvitka in 1928. His influence throughout eastern Europe may have also had an impact on his Polish counterparts as the term underwent a revival under Polish musicologist Lucjan Kamienski, who used the term in the 1930s. However, this European neologism went under the radar. After the end of the Second World War, Dutch musicologist and folklorist Jaap Kunst first used the term “ethno-musicology” and defined it in 1950. The use of the term by Kunst received a great deal of attention and he is widely regarded as to have coined the term. But recent insights have provided evidence in favor of the aforementioned preceding Polish and Ukrainian researchers.

This was the century when ethnomusicology received a new boost with the advent of technological and scientific advancements. Phonographs and other recording devices were employed more and more as ethnomusicologists wished to preserve what they heard during fieldwork. Simultaneously, visual recording devices also moved from their primordial forms into more advanced devices used during fieldwork, recording the intricate details of music and performance. These new tools opened new horizons for an ethnomusicological approach towards understanding various forms of music from cultures across the world.

Notable ethnomusicologists include: Bela Bartok, a Hungarian composer considered to be one of the founding fathers of ethnomusicology; Jaap Kunst, a Dutch ethnomusicologist known for his research on gamelan music; Alan Merriam, an American ethnomusicologist considered to be the pioneer of synthesizing cultural anthropology and ethnomusicology; and Bruno Nettl, a Czech-American ethnomusicologist and musicologist noted for his research on Native American music.