Customer Reviews

The Study of Ethnomusicology: Twenty-nine Issues and Concepts

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This book is an overview and introduction to the field of ethnomusicology. In the introduction, Nettl mentions that the book could be used as an introduction to ethnomusicology for graduate students. However, the text is quite accessible and the terminology and concepts are easily comprehensible to the general reader. The book consists of essays by Nettl on numerous topics that cover the field of ethnomusicology. Many of the essays have catchy titles that address commonly-held beliefs about ethnomusicology directly, such as "The Non-Universal Language", or "Music Hath Charms". The book is very well referenced, and it provides a succinct introduction to the ethnomusicology literature. If you want to know what ethnomusicologists do (or think about), this book will be quite useful.

As a linguist, I was struck when reading this book by how relevant much of linguistic theory and research could be for the field of ethnomusicology. The methods of historical linguistics could be quite useful for researchers studying the spread of instruments or musical forms. Formal theories of syntax and phonology could also be applied to intervals in scales and rhythms. Nettl considers many of these possibilities, and reviews published research in these areas. One important area that could receive even more focus is the association of form and meaning, a concept that is at the foundation of linguistic research, but doesn't seem to be a central issue for ethnomusicologists, at least as discussed in these essays.

This a basic book in the field of ethnomusicology. It summarizes the transition between one type of ethnomusicology and other. For me, Bruno Netl is the ethnomusicology itself. With all its prejudices, brilliant phrases, regrets, changes and USA-centred approach. It is an important book to see the "evolution"·of the discipline.

This is one of the most important works of Nettle. He discuss the interesting issues which sculpture the ethnomusicology in his time.

The Study of Ethnomusicology is very usefull book to a person who's mother tongue is not English.The way Mr. Nettl uses English in his book is very colourfull and understandable,and it is NOT boring!To describe my experieces of this book shortly is; a stranger became a friend. The Study of Ethnomusicology is not only for ethnomusic researchers, but for all kind of music studies. Why 8? Well, nobodys perfict.