Musicology
Musicology is the academic discipline dedicated to the study and analysis of music and its significance across various domains, including history, culture, and sociology. Distinct from the study of music performance or composition, musicology investigates how music influences and reflects human life, examining its evolution over time and its impact on societies and cultures. The field has its roots in the 19th century, where it was first formally defined by musicologist Guido Adler, who outlined its goals and methods. Musicology encompasses several sub-disciplines, including historical musicology, which explores the history and development of music, and systemic musicology, focusing on the societal impacts of music.
Other notable branches include cultural or ethnomusicology, which studies music within specific cultural contexts, and music psychology, which investigates the cognitive effects of music on individuals. Musicology is generally pursued at the graduate level, where students engage in intensive research, often specializing in a particular aspect of music. Its applications extend beyond academia, informing fields such as therapy, marketing, and cultural studies, showcasing the profound connection between music and human experience.
Musicology
Musicology is the academic study and analysis of music and its role in history, culture, sociology, and other aspects of human life. The discipline is separate from the study of music for technique, composition, and performance. Musicology focuses on the role music plays in life, how music has changed and developed over time, and the effect music has on societies and cultures. It is also concerned with the influences of music on other disciplines, such as psychology, philosophy, physiology, and, in the contemporary era, computing. Musicology can also delve into the technical science and development of musical instruments.
History
The discipline of musicology as a separate field of study from musical performance began in the nineteenth century. It was first defined by Guido Adler—an Austrian composer, music historian, and professor—in an article he wrote in 1885. Adler's article named the new discipline and also established the parameters for its goals, methods, and what it included, setting the model for future musicological studies.
During the early twentieth century, musicology became a popular field of study. By the 1930s, many institutes of higher learning offered courses and degree programs in the field. In 1934, the American Musicological Society (AMS) was formed to support those who were researching, studying, and teaching musicology. In the twenty-first century, the AMS includes members from more than forty nations around the world.
Sub-Disciplines
Adler's article laid out two specific sub-disciplines of musicology: historical musicology and systemic musicology.
Students of historical musicology delve into music's history, including not only the obvious record of types of music written and played in the past but also the origins of various instruments, the impact that culture and environment have had on music, and how music was written down, recorded, or passed down through the ages. Students study musical archives of past works, research the lives of composers to determine how and why they wrote the music they did, and investigate why some works were more popular than others.
Systemic musicology refers to the study of the societal impacts of music, including cultural or ethnic, anthropological, and social influences. This branch of musicology focuses on the effects music has on the mind, body, and cultural interactions of the people who listen to it.
As the discipline of musicology developed, additional sub-disciplines were defined. These include the following:
Cultural or ethnomusicology focuses on the history and development of music in specific cultural or ethnic groups.
Comparative musicology focuses on the similarities and differences in the music created by various cultural and societal groups.
Music theory focuses on how musical compositions are put together.
Music psychology focuses on how the brain perceives music and the effect music has on the mind. This field is also known as cognitive musicology or cognitive neuroscience of music.
Computational musicology, a field that first developed during the 1950s, focuses on compiling musical databases, analyzing music through means of computer programs developed specifically for this purpose, and producing music using a computer.
Popular music study is sometimes called popular musicology. This relatively new field was developed in the latter part of the twentieth century and focuses on contemporary music, its influences, and its effects.
Public musicology refers to those who disseminate information about music and its significance to those outside the academic and musical world.
Studying Musicology
While undergraduate programs exist, the various forms of musicology are generally studied at the graduate level because they are research-intensive. Undergraduate programs usually include music history or theory classes or may include studies in aspects of musicology. The amount of work required for an in-depth study of a musicological topic is generally not compatible with the other work involved in undergraduate study. Most musicologists focus on one specific aspect of music and spend a great deal of time researching all possible angles of the topic, becoming subject matter experts.
A large number of musicologists are employed in academia as teachers, professors, researchers, or lecturers. Public musicologists may also serve as experts in other settings, such as museums, libraries, and archives, or be involved in symphony orchestras, music publishing, or fields such as public radio stations and concert halls.
Some musicologists continue as musical performers, using their greater understanding of how musical compositions and instruments function to impact their performances.
Applications
In addition to the academic, educational, and performance-related applications of musicology, the study of music and its impact can be applied to a number of other fields.
The types of music and musical instruments prominently studied by ethnomusicologists can provide insight into how a culture developed, what influences were important to it (for example, nature, spiritual, etc.), and the structure of a community or people. In a similar manner, comparative musicology can help unravel relationships between nearby cultures or point to possible relationships between cultures that were not known to be connected.
Music psychology can help researchers understand and use music to affect people in various ways. For instance, researchers have determined that music has a direct effect on a number of physiological responses in the human body, including raising or lowering heart rate and blood pressure or causing other emotional responses such as tears. Musicologists who study these physiological effects can help develop alternative and supplemental treatments for illnesses. Music psychology is also behind the music heard in restaurants, stores, and other public places, as researchers have determined that music can affect moods, influence shopping practices, and encourage behaviors.
Bibliography
Attinello, Paul. "Against History: Defining, and Defending, Systematic Musicologies." Academia, 2010, www.academia.edu/533924/Against‗History‗Defining‗and‗Defending‗Systematic‗Musicologies. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
Crist, Stephen A., and Roberta Montemorra Marvin, editors. Historical Musicology: Sources, Methods, Interpretations. BOYE6, 2008.
Mugglestone, Erica. "Guido Adler's 'The Scope, Method, and Aim of Musicology' (1885): An English Translation with an Historico-Analytical Commentary." Yearbook for Traditional Music, vol. 13, 1981, pp. 1-21. Cambridge University Press, doi.org/10.2307/768355. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
“Musicology Explained: 3 Main Branches of Musicology.” MasterClass, 7 Dec. 2021, www.masterclass.com/articles/musicology. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
Nettl, Bruno. "Paradigms in the History of Ethnomusicology." College Music Symposium, 1 Oct. 1979, symposium.music.org/19/item/1847-paradigms-in-the-history-of-ethnomusicology.html. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.