Society for Ethnomusicology
Encyclopedia
The Society for Ethnomusicology is, with the International Council for Traditional Music
and the British Forum for Ethnomusicology, one of three major international associations ethnomusicology
. Officially founded in 1955, its origins extend back to November, 1953 at the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association
in Philadelphia with an informal agreement between Willard Rhodes
, David McAllester
, and Alan P. Merriam
. These three traveled together to the annual meeting of the American Musicological Society
in New Haven to enlist the support of musicologist Charles Seeger
in their endeavor to create a new academic society. This meeting resulted in the launch of the Ethno-musicology Newsletter, ethnomusicology's first dedicated serial publication, containing notes about current field research projects, a bibliography, and list of recordings of interest to the nascent discipline. The first annual meeting of the society was in Philadelphia, in September 1955.
The society currently publishes a quarterly newsletter, a quarterly journal entitled Ethnomusicology, and an extensive set of "ographies" (bibliography, discography, filmography, videography). It organizes an annual international conference and over a dozen regional conferences, maintains an active website, and presents more than a dozen awards for scholarship and service, such as the Jaap Kunst
prize for best writing in the field.
International Council for Traditional Music
The International Council for Traditional Music is a UNESCO-recognized NGO, an academic organization focused on musicology and dance research. Founded in London on September 22, 1947, it publishes the Yearbook for Traditional Music once a year, and a twice-yearly bulletin. Since 2005, its...
and the British Forum for Ethnomusicology, one of three major international associations ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology is defined as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts."Coined by the musician Jaap Kunst from the Greek words ἔθνος ethnos and μουσική mousike , it is often considered the anthropology or ethnography of music...
. Officially founded in 1955, its origins extend back to November, 1953 at the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association
American Anthropological Association
The American Anthropological Association is a professional organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. With 11,000 members, the Arlington, Virginia based association includes archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, biological anthropologists, linguistic...
in Philadelphia with an informal agreement between Willard Rhodes
Willard Rhodes
Willard Rhodes was an American ethnomusicologist. He is known for his extensive recording of American Indian music between 1939 and 1952....
, David McAllester
David P. McAllester
David Park McAllester , an ethnomusicologist, was Professor of Anthropology and Music at Wesleyan University, where he taught from 1947-1986. He made seminal contributions to the development of the field of ethnomusicology, and helped establish the ethnomusicology department and the World Music...
, and Alan P. Merriam
Alan P. Merriam
Alan Parkhurst Merriam was an ethnomusicologist during the last half of the twentieth century. He is remembered primarily for his book, The Anthropology of Music, in which he promotes the study of music from an anthropological perspective and with anthropological methods.In , Merriam proposed a...
. These three traveled together to the annual meeting of the American Musicological Society
American Musicological Society
The American Musicological Society is a membership-based musicological organization founded in 1934 to advance scholarly research in the various fields of music as a branch of learning and scholarship; it grew out of a small contingent of the Music Teachers National Association and, more directly,...
in New Haven to enlist the support of musicologist Charles Seeger
Charles Seeger
Charles Seeger, Jr. was a noted musicologist, composer, and teacher. He was the father of iconic American folk singer Pete Seeger .-Life:...
in their endeavor to create a new academic society. This meeting resulted in the launch of the Ethno-musicology Newsletter, ethnomusicology's first dedicated serial publication, containing notes about current field research projects, a bibliography, and list of recordings of interest to the nascent discipline. The first annual meeting of the society was in Philadelphia, in September 1955.
The society currently publishes a quarterly newsletter, a quarterly journal entitled Ethnomusicology, and an extensive set of "ographies" (bibliography, discography, filmography, videography). It organizes an annual international conference and over a dozen regional conferences, maintains an active website, and presents more than a dozen awards for scholarship and service, such as the Jaap Kunst
Jaap Kunst
Jaap Kunst was a Dutch ethnomusicologist, particularly associated with the study of gamelan music of Indonesia...
prize for best writing in the field.