Applied ethnomusicology: bridging research and action

Theme issue on music and arts in conflict transformation. A longer version of this article is published in Music and Conflict, eds. John Morgan O'Connell and Salwa el Shawan Castelo-Branco, University of Illinois Press.This article provides a brief sketch of how scholars may be actively involved in conflict transformation efforts using music or the arts beyond their purely artistic connotations. Here I will explore the ways in which music has been employed in some ethnomusicological projects based on my personal experiences, which can hopefully stimulate debate and provide some ideas for other scholars in different branches of humanities and social sciences

ROM MUSICIANSHIP AND THE ETHNOMUSICOLOGICAL STUDY OF ADAPTATION

Hipotezu da romski i ne-romski glazbenici imaju različite pristupe u prilagođavanju stranih skladbi svojim repertoarima podržala je analiza prilagođavanja Lambade lokalnoj uporabi na Kosovu. Praćenje odnosa između originala i verzija po jednog izabranog romskog i ne-romskog ansambla, pokazuje da je ne-romski ansambl nastojao stvoriti verziju što sličniju originalnoj, dočim je romski ansambl original shvatio tek kao ishodište na temelju kojega je modificiranjem odgovarajućih parametara (instrumentacija, oblik, melodija, ritam, harmonija, tempo i tekst) stvorio vlastitu, poosobljenu verziju.Situations in which the ethnomusicologist can designate with certainty the first version of a particular piece of music, which has provided the basis for other versions, are rare, and even quite exceptional. Nevertheless, just such an opportunity arose in Kosovo in 1990, where it was possible to follow the process of adoption of Lambada by Rom and non-Rom ensembles from its performance by the Kaoma ensemble, played many times a day on radio and television. Analysis of the adaptation of individual musical parameters in relation to the original version on the part of a selected Rom and a non-Rom ensemble of similar type showed considerable differences in their approaches. The non-Rom ensemble whose members were ethnic Muslim and Serbian musicians tried to create a version as similar to the original as possible, while the Rom ensemble took the original version only as the raw material, from which, by modifying the corresponding parameters — — instrumentation, form, melody, rhythm, harmony, tempo and lyrics — it created its own personalised version. As the Lambada example shows, when studying Rom music-making, one should take into consideration the entire repertoire since, whatever the origins of any composition whatsoever, it becomes "Rom music" through the manner of adaptation

In memoriam Bruno Nettl

With Bruno Nettl’s passing on 15 January this year, the world of ethnomusicology lost one of its major figures, a scholar who significantly contributed to its affirmation as an academic field worldwide, and who inspired and kept supporting generations of ethnomusicologists on their way to new heights. His lectures at the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Arts in 2007 raised lots of interest among the professors and students; at that occasion, he presented the Department of Musicology his collection of abstracts. Musicological Annual lost a respected member of its International Advisory Board and the author of the article “What Are the Great Discoveries of Your Field? Informal Comments About the Contributions of Ethnomusicology,” published in 2015. Nettl’s crossdisciplinary scholarship provides a broad and multi-layered picture of both selected musics and of ethnomusicology as a discipline

Sounds of Minorities in National Contexts:

The article defines minorities in political and scholarly realms, with special emphasis to the context of the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM). It contributes a methodological view, root­ed partly in the past research and partly in the envisioned needs of the study field, and features ten thematically profiled research models

Sodobna ljudska plesna glasba v Egiptu in sorodni pojavi v ljudski glasbi Kosova

Sodobna ljudska plesna glasba v Egiptu in sorodni pojavi v ljudski glasbi Kosov

FEMALE TO MALE - MALE TO FEMALE: THIRD GENDER IN THE MUSICAL LIFE OF THE GYPSIES IN KOSOVO

Kao što mnogi radovi slavljenice Dunje Rihtman-Auguštin upućuju na nove tematske sklopove, tako i ovaj tekst upućuje na istraživanje umnogome zapostavljene uloge glazbenika koji na poseban način povezuju ženske i muške glazbene i kulturne sfere. Štoviše, romski glazbenici, o kojima je u članku riječ, uspjeli su upravo zahvaljujući tom povezivanju kreirati moderni glazbeni žanr talava, koji u ranim 1990-ima predstavlja najizrazitiju odrednicu specifičnoga glazbenog identiteta Roma na Kosovu. Kao navodni homoseksualci, ovi su glazbenici, za razliku od drugih muškaraca, pristupili ženskome glazbenom repertoaru i načinu izvođenja, te su, usvajajući i mijenjajući značajke ženskog izraza, ostvarili novu kakvoću, što su je potom prihvatili i muški glazbenici koje općinstvo ne povezuje s homoseksualnošću. Raznovrsnost ženskog izraza (pjevanje dviju pjevačica uz okvirne bubnjeve - defove) reducirana je prilikom prenošenja u novi medij (pjevanje muškog solista uz ozvučeni ansambl), ističući u prvi plan improvizirani tekst i plesni ritam. Nasuprot stanovitoj profesionalnoj rezerviranosti muškaraca, napose instrumentalista, prema ovom žanru, žene su ga zdušno prihvatile, te talava doživljavaju kao potvrdu prelaska "njihove" glazbe iz privatne u javnu sferu.Third gender in this article refers to the alleged homosexual Gypsy musicians, seen as mediators between female and male musical and cultural domains in Kosovo. Due to their alleged homosexuality, these musicians, unlike other men , had access to the female repertoire and manner of performance, out of which they created a new genre known as talava. They transfered the female music sung indoors by women to the frame drum accompaniment to the public scene, where it is performed in a modified form by a male singer to the accompaniment of an amplified ensemble. The talava, performed by men , is most appreciated by women, who see it as the success of "their" music within the public domain

THE ROLE OF A SCHOLAR IN THE CREATION OF THE GROUNDS FOR CO-EXISTENCE: TOWARDS APPLIED ETHNOMUSICOLOGY

Članak predstavlja koncept primijenjene etnomuzikologije, koja znanstvene spoznaje o glazbi i glazbovanju koristi kako bi se unaprijedili glazbena praksa i odnosi među ljudima. Koncept se demonstrira studijem primjera - projekta "Azra", što ga je autor članka u Norveškoj osmislio oko istoimenog ansambla u kojemu su Bosanci i Norvežani zajedno nastupali pomažući bosanskohercegovačkim izbjeglicama da očuvaju vlastiti kulturni identitet i da ostvare obostrano korisnu kulturnu razmjenu s Norvežanima.Within the framework of applied ethnomusicology, the author discusses the possible roles of an ethnomusicologist in contributing to the improvement of musical practice and human relations. Traditionally tied to the academic world, with its goals "limited to the advancement of knowledge about the music of the world\u27s people", ethnomusicology is now broadening its goals towards minimizing "counter-productive barriers between academic and applied work" (Sheehy). In this respect it builds upon the achievements of applied anthropology. The immediate causes for addressing applied ethnomusicology in this article are the human crisis on some of the territories of former Yugoslavia and the author\u27s belief that the application of anthropological and ethnomusicological knowledge to the situation "here and now" can make a difference. The concept of applied ethnomusicology is demonstrated through the "Azra" project that from 1994 on involves refugees from Bosnia Herzegovina and the Norwegians in Norway. Jointly guided with Kjell Skyllstad (University of Oslo), the project combines research, education, and music-making. Its goals are: (1) to help the Bosnian refugees to preserve and strengthen their musical/cultural identity and (2) to advance the intensity and quality of communication between the Bosnians and Norwegians in Norway through musical/cultural activities. At the center of the project is the "Azra" ensemble which consists of Bosnian refugee musicians and Norwegian music students and performs both Bosnian and Norwegian music. The results of this experimental project support the notion that applied ethnomusicology is a promising field with huge potential to be further investigated