Historical musicology
Historical musicology is a field of study within the academic discipline of musicology. Historical musicology generally focuses on the history of European classical music examining such topics as the history of form and notation, the lives of composers and notable performers and the development over time of musical instruments and institutions such as orchestras and choirs. Ethnomusicology looks at music from an anthropological viewpoint especially examining non-Western musical traditions while the history of popular music is generally not studied within the discipline of musicology.
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Early Studies
The first studies of musical history date back to the middle of the 18th century. G.B. Martini published a three volume history titled Storia della musica (History of Music) between 1757 and 1781. Martin Gerbert published a two volume history of sacred music titled De cantu de musica sacra in 1774. Gerbert followed this work with a three volume work Scriptores ecclesiastici de musica sacra containing significant writings on sacred music from the third century AD onwards in 1784.
Modern Historical Musicology
Historical musicology began as a discipline in the nineteenth century focusing on the contributions of earlier composers. Samuel Wesley played a critical role in the revival of interest in Johann Sebastian Bach through performing, lecturing on and editing his works.Felix Mendelssohn similarly played a critical role in the revival of Bach but as the founder of the Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Theatre. Historical musicological scholarship led to the publication of Gesellschaft editions of George Frideric Handel as well as Bach.
In the twentieth century, the work of Johannes Wolf and others developed studies in Medieval music and early Renaissance music. Wolf's writings on the history of musical notation are considered to be particularly notable by musicologists. Historical musicology has played a critical role in renewed interest in Baroque music as well as medieval and Renaissance music. In particular, the authentic performance movement owes much to historical musicological scholarship.
Towards the middle of the twentieth century, historical musicology was increasingly popular as a field of scholarship as musicology generally became more popular as a field of study. Similarly, there was an expansion of scholarly articles in musicological and music journals.
References
Online References
Other References
- Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians Centenary Edition 2001 Schirmer 2001 article on Martin Gerbert Reproduced on Biography Research Center Thomson Gale 2005
- Merriam-Webster's Biographical Dictionary Merriam-Webster 1995 entry on Samuel Wesley Reproduced on Biography Research Center Thomson Gale 2005
- John Cooper "Knowing Mendelssohn: a Challenge from the Primary Sources" Notes Music Library Association September 2004 v61 i1 p35(61)
- Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians Op. Cit. article on Johannes Wolf
- Encyclopædia Britannica Online "musicology" article retrieved 27 August 2005
- Peter Phillips "Reading the Leaves" Musical Times Spring 2004 Volume 145 Issue 1886
Further reading
- Ann Morrison, "The Undisciplined Muse: music among the fields of knowledge University of Chicago 29-30 May 1992" published in The Journal of Musicology Summer 1992 v10 n3 p405(11)
- Daniel Leech-Wilkinson The Modern Invention of Medieval Music: Scholarship, Ideology, Performance Cambridge University Press Cambridge 2003 ISBN 0-521-81870-2
- Trevor Herbert, Martin Clayton and Richard Middleton The Cultural Study of Music: A Critical Introduction Routledge UK March 1 2003 ISBN 0-415-93845-7
Categories
Musicology