The Study of Ethnomusicology: Thirty-Three Discussions

by Bruno Nettl

Known affectionately as "The Red Book," Bruno Nettl's The Study of Ethnomusicology became a classic upon its original publication in 1983. Scholars and students alike have hailed it not just for its insights but for a disarming, witty style able to engage and entertain even casual readers while providing essential grounding in the field. In this third edition, Nettl revises the text throughout, adding new chapters and discussions that take into account recent developments across the field and reflecting on how his thinking has changed or even reversed itself during his sixty-year career. An updated bibliography rounds out the volume.

Genres: Music, Anthropology, Nonfiction, Academic, Theory

576 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Bruno Nettl is professor emeritus of music and anthropology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. An internationally renowned musicologist, he is both a founder and past president of the Society for Ethnomusicology and the author of many books.

Reviews

[Yode]

This is Bruno Nettl's post-hoc discussion of his many years of experience in studying different musics. What is particularly interesting about it, possibly to the dismay of some, is that it each chapter doesn't state his theory of the issues and concepts, but instead works as a history of the field. He offers a lot of different view points, counter arguments for each, and leaves me, the reader, slightly confused but armed with banter for cocktail parties. A good example of what I mean can be found in the chapter about music notation systems. He discusses it starting with the context in which it became an issue in the late 1800s, then what assumptions about notation exist in our culture. He continues to describe attempted solutions and ends with where we are today. (Which is questionable.)

All this and 30 more topics! Hurrah!

[Tyler]

As close to a Bible of the field as we will likely get.

[Luh · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

O livro The Study of Ethnomusicology: Thirty-One Issues and Concepts foi uma leitura que fiz mais por causa de um trabalho, mas acabou por me surpreender bastante pela positiva. Não é um livro leve, mas é muito interessante e dá mesmo uma nova perspetiva sobre a música e a forma como ela é estudada em diferentes culturas.
No início achei que ia ser mais difícil de acompanhar, mas à medida que fui avançando comecei a achar os temas cada vez mais curiosos. Acabei por me focar mais na parte da música tradicional japonesa, o que tornou a leitura ainda mais interessante para mim e mais fácil de relacionar com o trabalho que estou a fazer.
Não foi uma leitura por prazer no sentido tradicional, mas acabei por gostar da experiência.

[Tomas Serrien · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very long read but it was all worth it. This book is a groundbreaking masterpiece. It is an overview of the ideas of a man who lived for his passion and inspired roughly every contemporary ethnomusicologist. Nettl died just before the pandemic started. This book gave me rare and valuable insights about the most important concepts in ethnomusicology. The examples of his fieldwork experiences with Blackfeet music, Carnatic music and Iranian music were very fascinating. Thanks for the inspiration 🙏 RIP

[Steve Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many anthropologists, Nettl is sometimes aloof and elitist, but his observations ring true and he's not afraid to turn a critical eye upon "western music", and himself, once in a while. Often humorous and completely interesting, this is definitely a good read for anyone interested in how music affects society, and vice versa.

[Kraig Grady · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was overjoyed when Daid Cotner sent me a copy of this book. i knew this Author from years ago doing pioneering work looking at African music. he is quite concise in getting into the heartof what is happening in the field from someone who has watched in grow.

[rae diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

well, there are some interesting nuggets of thought, and it's well written, but i am simply not too interested in the inner workings of the the ethnomusicological society.

[Mills College Library]

780.89 N475s 2015