Constructing Musicology

Musicology has undergone a paradigm shift due to wider repertoires and theory's impact, exploring critical interpretation, bourgeois tradition, post-structuralism, semiotics, gender construction, psychoanalytical theory, culture industry critiques, identity and image negotiation, and modernity in music. The author aims to show the forces at work, demonstrate that traditions are socially constructed, and suggest that established beliefs can be transformed in a theoretically flexible environment.

Format: Hardback
Publication date: 01 January 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This title, originally published in 2001, has gained widespread recognition for its insightful exploration of the paradigm shift that has occurred in musicology. This shift can be attributed to two interconnected factors: the expansion of the repertoires studied and the significant impact of theory on research in the humanities and social sciences. This analysis delves into both of these currents, examining and elucidating the theoretical issues raised by various musical traditions. The topics covered include Joseph Kerman's advocacy for a transition from fact-finding to critical interpretation, Adorno's and Dahlhaus's critique of the bourgeois tradition, the influence of post-structuralism on musicology, the semiotics of music, the construction of gender in music, the relevance of psychoanalytical theory to musical understanding, classic critiques of the culture industry, the negotiation of identity and image in songs, debates in ethnomusicology, and the concept of modernity in music. The author's overarching objective is to shed light on the forces at play in contemporary musicology, demonstrate the social construction of traditions, and suggest that established beliefs can be transformed within a theoretically malleable framework.

ISBN-13: 9781138633919