Folk Music, Traditional Music, Ethnomusicology: Canadian Perspectives, Past and Present features the proceedings of the Fiftieth Annual Conference of the Canadian Society for Traditional Music / La Société Canadienne pour les Traditions Musicales (formerly the Canadian Folk Music Society / La Société canadienne de musique folklorique) that took place in November, 2006 in Ottawa at Carleton University and the Canadian Museum of Civilization. This publication showcases the diversity of music research currently being conducted by folk and traditional music specialists, ethnomusicologists, and practicing musicians in Canada. The papers are organized in five sections according to common themes in contemporary research in ethnomusicology and folk music studies, and each section is preceded by a short introduction which highlights the section’s theme(s) as well as the individual papers. Folk Music, Traditional Music, Ethnomusicology: Canadian Perspectives, Past and Present confirms the rich history of the Canadian Society for Traditional Music, a history that comprises enormous changes in scholarly research, musical practice, emergent technologies, changes in doing fieldwork, and shifting identity boundaries over the past fifty years. This volume is intended as a contribution to published literature on ethnomusicological and folklore research in Canada, creating a new resource of historical, contemporary, and scholarly relevance that will appeal to academics and music enthusiasts alike. "Canadian ethnomusicologists' expertise in the realm of First Nations musics, and Anglo, Celtic and French folksong repertories is already well established. This volume shows us the breadth of cultural territory with which 21st-century Canadian scholars of music and scholars of Canadian musics are now engaged, as well as their theoretical and methodological sophistication. " —Kati Szego, School of Music, Memorial University

"[This book] is a contribution of considerable substance because it takes a holistic view of the field of folk music and the scholarship that has dealt with it." -- Bruno Nettl "... a praiseworthy combination of solid scholarship, penetrating discussion, and global relevance." -- Asian Folklore Studies "... successfully ties the history and development of folk music scholarship with contemporary concepts, issues, and shifts, and which treats varied folk musics of the world cultures within the rubric of folklore and ethnomusicology with subtle generalizations making sense to serious minds... " -- Folklore Forum "... [this book] challenges many carefully-nurtured sacred cows. Bohlman has executed an intellectual challenge of major significance by successfully organizing a welter of unruly data and ideas into a single, appropriately complex but coherent, system." -- Folk Music Journal Bohlman examines folk music as a genre of folklore from a broadly cross-cultural perspective and espouses a more expansive view of folk music, stressing its vitality in non-Western cultures as well as Western, in the present as well as the past.

This study of Polish folk music is especially enlightening as it reveals both the history and practice of a musical tradition and offers an illuminating view of a culture and its social activities. Within her study, Anna Czekanowska analyses the vocal and instrumental traditions of Polish folk music, tracing the background history, the influences of geography and politics, and the practice, often within contemporary society, of such social events as the harvest, the solstice and weddings. The function of folk culture within contemporary life, for both Polish and non-Polish inhabitants of the country, is also examined. Professor Czekanowska also discusses the birth of Polish ethno- musicology as a discipline and details some methodological aspects for research. This study contributes to a greater understanding and appreciation of Polish music and, in a wider aspect, of Slavonic culture. The book contains numerous illustrations of instruments and cultural events, music examples, maps, a discography and bibliography.

Since the 1960s historical studies of European folk and traditional music have had a centre in the 'Study Group on Historical Sources of Folk Music' within the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM). The new political situation in Europe in the 1990s has given this work topical interest, since folk and traditional music is often an important component in ethnic or even national identity. The Study Group held its eleventh conference in Copenhagen at the Danish Folklore archives (Dansk Folkemindesamling) from 24 to 28 April 1995. The local organisers of the meeting were Jens Henrik Koudal and Svend Nielsen. Around 30 participants from 15 countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy/Albania, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania and Sweden) attended the conference, presenting recent results of their research. The meeting concentrated on historical aspects of the following topics: (I) 'Traditional Music Between Urban and Rural Communities', and (II) 'Music and Working'. MAIN HEADINGS: Preface; THEME ONE -- Traditional Music Between Urban and Rural Communities; Central Europe; Balkans; On the Borderlines and Outside Europe. THEME TWO -- Music and Working.

Explaining that musicality is an essential touchstone of the human experience, a concise introduction to the study of the nature of music, its community and its cultural values explains the diverse work of today's ethnomusicologists and how researchers apply anthropological and other social disciplines to studies of human and cultural behaviors. Original.

This is intended as a general introduction to the subject. Part One includes basic definitions, touching upon anthropology and comparative studies. Part Two deals with theory and method. Part Three deals with gender, the music industry and ethical concerns. A collection of reference aids rounds off the volume. Today, when Eurocentricity is being challenged throughout the world, these glimpses into a discipline that focuses on ethnic diversity will be of immense interest. Contributors: John Blacking; Helen Myers; Anthony Seeger; Ter Ellingson; Stephen Blum; Richard Widdess; Tilman Seebass; Genevive Dournon; Judith L. Hanna; Margaret Sarkissian; Krister Malm; Mark Slobin; Shubha Chaudhuri; Bruno Nettl; Jennifer Post; Laurence Libin; Kathryn Vaughn.

Ethnomusicology: A Research and Information Guide is an annotated bibliography of books, recordings, videos, and websites in the field of ethnomusicology. The book is divided into two parts; Part One is organised by resource type in catagories of greatest concern to students and scholars. This includes handbooks and guides; encyclopedias and dictionaries; indexes and bibliographies; journals; media sources; and archives. It also offers annotated entries on the basic literature of ethnomusicological history and research. Part Two provides a list of current publications in the field that are widely used by ethnomusicologists. Multiply indexed, this book serves as an excellent tool for librarians, researchers, and scholars in sorting through the massive amount of new material that has appeared in the field over the past decades.