Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The sociology of music is a young discipline, and this book addresses the issues, demonstrating that there are a number of different musics-differing not only in how tonal material is used and how the music is structured but also in the role musical activity plays in social life.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Although music is a universal phenomenon, its origin and definition are imbedded in webs of norms and values that are not universal. Serious errors have been committed in attempts to generalize or overlook these cultural concepts. In 1964 Alan Merriam defined music as a product of human behavior in a society. Blaukopf concurs but proposes that "ethnomusicology" and "sociology of music" are two separate fields. He overlooks the broad dimension of the field of ethnomusicology given by Merriam, which draws from both the humanities and social sciences. Collectively, their methodologies intertwine to characterize the interdisciplinary nature of the field, while seeking separately to contribute to the ultimate objective of the field, i.e., the understanding of humans through their musical expressions. Blaukopf has divided his book into 29 chapters devoted to the impact of paradigms of social developments on the study of music and its changing processes. He invites active participation from his readers, and scholars will find this book to be challenging and stimulating. Casual readers, on the other hand, may find that its fast pace renders the essence of its content difficult to capture on first reading. This excellent translation is a welcome addition to the sociology of music in general, and to study of urban ethnomusicology in particular. Strongly recommended to all musicologists. Kazadi wa Mukuna; Kent State University