Methodology of Music Research – serie

Although all research makes use of specific research methods, much music scholarship is being published without any reference to, or reflection on, the premises of the methods employed. In other words, published articles and books are often lacking a discussion of the scope and limitations of the research methods. Furthermore, music theory, musicology, ethnomusicology, music psychology, etc., are not independent disciplines, nor is research in those areas an activity to be defined once and for all. These areas have strong methodological relationships to each other as well as to areas outside the field of music. This book discusses some of the methodological premises, on which music research in the areas of music theory, (ethno-) musicology, and music psychology is based, and focuses on selected interdisciplinary approaches. It also discusses teaching approaches to music theory.

This book consists primarily of papers presented at the international symposium Approaches to Music Research: Between Practice and Epistemology, held in Ljubljana (Slovenia) in May 2008. Scholars from various music research areas offered heterogeneous views of one central issue: the relations between music-research ideals and practices. The intention was to offer a reflection concerning disciplinary intersections as ideal-typical formations in which different contemporary musicological practices meet each other, either positively or in more negative terms. The topoi of the symposium discussed elemental, difficult-to-answer questions about the position that musicology holds within the humanities and sciences. The symposium especially encouraged case studies of basic epistemological reflections with an emphasis on the practice of music research from any field.

This collection of essays explores a wide range of topics current in the field of music theory, including analytical methodologies for pretonal, tonal, and post-tonal music, assessment of notation as a vehicle for interpreting compositional strategies in different repertoires, and employment of approaches informed by cognitive, aesthetic, and ethnomusicological studies of music. Authors reflect critically on challenges within their specific areas of expertise and probe directions in which advances can be made and difficulties overcome. The results of these investigations will benefit readers, from early career researchers to experienced scholars, whose interests not only intersect with the topics presented here but which also encompass broad methodological issues affecting music theory.

The concept of «musica mathematica» seeks to accurately examine the intersection of two seemingly radically different subject areas. From the perspective of a European perception, the definition of the science of music was a result of the Pythagorean concept of universal harmony. The Pythagoreans were the first in European culture to raise the issue of uniting music and mathematics, sound and number. In the three parts of the monograph, versatile cases of the intersection of music and mathematics are displayed, moving from philosophical and aesthetic considerations about mathesis to practical studies, discussing the interaction between music and other kinds of art (architecture, painting, poetry and literature), and providing a practical research of contemporary music compositions.

This book gives a critical account of various methods used in music analysis. In the first chapter, a number of current approaches such as semiotics, musical implications, Schenkerian analysis, and generative theory are demonstrated on Mozart’s K. 331 theme. Five essays deal with important concepts in music analysis: ambiguity, formal proportions, and similarity within and between works. A further chapter provides a discussion of probability, kinship, and influence – decisive criteria when judging musical plagiarism. The last essay, studying a piece by Schubert, sifts the prospects of deciphering a composer’s sexual leanings from his music.

This volume uncovers the rich yet largely overlooked musical worlds of the late nineteenth century, moving beyond established canons to explore everyday practices in homes, schools, churches, theaters, and public spaces. Bringing together transatlantic perspectives from the United States and the German Empire, it reveals how amateur music-making, popular entertainment, minority cultures, and evolving music markets shaped diverse musical lives. By rethinking traditional historiography, the book draws attention to hidden repertoires and social contexts, highlighting the roles of education, urban culture, and networks of performance. It emphasizes cultural inquiry and develops new methodological approaches to studying marginalized practices. Through interdisciplinary dialogue and case studies, it demonstrates how these "invisible" musical cultures were essential to the formation of modern musical life.

At the conference «Musicology 1966-2000: A Practical Program,» on May 26, 1966, Jan LaRue speculated «that computer analysis will become one of the most important directions in musicology for the next generation…» Having passed the year 2000, we have to realize that LaRue’s prediction did not come true: neither for computer-assisted music analysis, nor for computer-applications in music research in general. This volume is intended to initiate a more critical discussion of computer-applications in music research and to present concepts, methods, and results of newest research in this area.