The Anthropology of Music

By Alan P. Merriam and Valerie Merriam

Book Overview

In this highly praised and seminal work, Alan Merriam demonstrates that music is a social behavior-one worthy and available to study through the methods of anthropology. In it, he convincingly argues that ethnomusicology, by definition, cannot separate the sound-analysis of music from its cultural context of people thinking, acting, and creating.

The study begins with a review of the various approaches in ethnomusicology. He then suggests a useful and simple research model: ideas about music lead to behavior related to music and this behavior results in musical sound. He explains many aspects and outcomes of this model, and the methods and techniques he suggests are useful to anyone doing field work. Further chapters provide a cross-cultural round-up of concepts about music, physical and verbal behavior related to music, the role of the musician, and the learning and composing of music.

The Anthropology of Music illuminates much of interest to musicologists but to social scientists in general as well.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810106078
• ISBN13: 9780810106079
• Release Date: December 1964
• Publisher: Northwestern University Press
• Length: 376 Pages
• Weight: 1.12 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

For music and Anthro lovers

This book is awesome if you are enjoy music and culture. It is a review of the basic functions of music and many other facets of how music is used in society. If you are curious about music and culture, this book is essential.

milestone

This book is a milestone in the history of ethnomusicology. The author enlarges the field of ethnomusicology to discusse the meaning of music within a culture entity.