Musicology

Musicology is the study of music using research and academic methods, rather than just creating or playing music. It looks at music from many angles, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, formal sciences, and computer science.

The field of musicology has three main parts: music history, systematic musicology, and ethnomusicology. Music historians learn about how music has developed over time, where famous pieces came from, and the lives of composers. Ethnomusicologists study how different cultures make and use music, often by living among communities and learning from them directly. Systematic musicology covers many topics, such as music theory, the beauty and meaning of music, how to teach music, the science of sound, and how music relates to our bodies and minds.

Some well-known musicologists include John Sullivan Dwight, who started a music journal and helped share Beethoven's work in America, Ludwig Ritter von Köchel, who made a special list of all Mozart's pieces, and Ludwig Nohl, who found and shared one of Beethoven's famous pieces called Für Elise. These people helped us understand and enjoy music even more.

Background

The word musicology comes from the Greek word for "music" and a term meaning "domain of study".

In the 1800s, new ways to study music began in schools in Germany and Austria. These methods came from ideas about how humans and cultures change over time. They helped organize music into different stages, from simple to complex, and from old times to today. Around 1880, comparing different kinds of music became more common in musicology.

Parent disciplines

Musicology is connected to many different areas of study. It includes general history, cultural studies, philosophy, ethnology, archaeology, psychology, physiology, acoustics, information sciences, and more.

Musicology also has two main areas focused on playing and creating music: performance practice and the theory of analysis and composition. Music knowledge is also used in areas like medicine, education, and music therapy.

Subdisciplines

Historical musicology

Music history, also called historical musicology, studies how music was composed, performed, and understood over time. This includes looking at the life and work of composers, how music styles changed, and what music meant to different groups of people. For example, researchers might study how music was used in royal courts or how choirs sang in churches long ago.

New musicology

New musicology is a newer way of studying music that started in the late 1980s. It looks at music through many different lenses, such as culture, gender, and society. This approach helps us understand the deeper meanings and effects of music on people and their world.

Ethnomusicology

Ethnomusicology studies music as part of culture and everyday life. It often involves learning about music from different parts of the world and how people create and share it. Ethnomusicologists might spend time living with a community to understand their music fully.

Popular music studies

Popular music studies looks at music that many people enjoy, like rock, pop, and hip-hop. It started in the 1980s when scholars began writing about the history and impact of these music styles. This field helps us understand why certain types of music become popular and how they affect society.

Music theory, analysis and composition

Music theory is the study of how music is built and organized. It helps musicians understand the rules and patterns in music. Composers use music theory to create new pieces, while performers use it to better interpret the music they play.

Music psychology

Music psychology uses ideas from psychology to explore how people create, listen to, and feel about music. It studies how our brains and minds work with music, helping to improve how we teach, perform, and even use music to help people.

Performance practice and research

Performance practice studies how music was performed in the past. Researchers look at old records, writings, and other clues to understand how music was played long ago. This helps musicians today perform music more authentically. Performance research also looks at how people actually perform music, studying the details of what happens when music is played.

Education and careers

Musicologists who become professors usually have a PhD in musicology. In the past, some could become professors with just an MA, but today a PhD is needed. Musicologists often start with a BMus or a BA in music or a related subject, and many also earn an MA in musicology. Some go straight from a bachelor's degree to a PhD without getting an MA first. Because musicology connects with many other subjects, some students study both music and other fields, like psychology.

Music historian Jack Stewart lectures at a conference.

Most musicologists teach in colleges, universities, or music schools. Getting a full-time professor job is hard, and new teachers usually need a PhD. Their work includes teaching classes, doing research, writing articles and books, sharing their ideas at conferences, and helping students with their projects. Some musicologists may also take on important leadership roles at their schools, such as Dean or Chair of the music department.

Notable journals

Here are some important journals where people share their ideas and research about music:

19th-Century Music (1977–present)
Acta Musicologica (1928–2014) (International Musicological Society)
Asian Music (1968–2002)
BACH: Journal of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute (1970–present)
Black Music Research Journal (1980–2004)
Early Music History (1981–2002)
Ethnomusicology (1953–2003) (Society for Ethnomusicology)
Journal of Music Theory (1957–2002)
The Journal of Musicology (1982–2004)
Journal of the American Musicological Society (1948–present) (American Musicological Society)
Journal of the Royal Musical Association
Journal of the Society for American Music
Musica Disciplina (1946–present)
Music Educators Journal (1934–2007)
Music Theory Spectrum (1979–present) (Society for Music Theory)
The Musical Quarterly (1915–present)
Perspectives of New Music (1962–present)
The World of Music (1957−present)
Yearbook for Traditional Music (1981–2003)

Women in music

Most famous music experts and historians from past times were men, and women mainly taught music in schools. However, some women have become leaders in music study.

Carolyn Abbate, born in 1956, is an American music expert who studied at Princeton University. She is known as one of the world’s top music historians.

Rosetta Reitz (1924–2008) was an American jazz historian who established a record label producing 18 albums of the music of the early women of jazz and the blues.

Susan McClary, born in 1946, studies music with a focus on fairness for women. She finished her studies at Harvard University and wrote a well-known book called Feminine Endings in 1991.

Other important women who study music include: