Music Theory in Ethnomusicology

Music Theory in Ethnomusicology outlines a conception of music theory suited to cross-cultural research on musical practices, assessing the extent to which musical terminologies of diverse languages can be interpreted in relation to general concepts without imposing the assumptions and biases of one body of existing theory.

Stephen Blum is Professor Emeritus of Music at the CUNY Graduate Center, where he taught from 1987 to 2016.

Introduction. Theorizing as a Human Activity
Chapter One. Ethnomusicologists and Music Theory
Issues, 1. Theory and Practice
Chapter Two. Communicating and Transforming Music Theory
Issues, 2: Explicit and Implicit Theory
Chapter Three. Making Music Theory for Modern Nations
Issues, 3: Systematization and Assemblage
Chapter Four. Concepts, Models, and Metaphors
Issues, 4: Variables among Interrelated Concepts
Chapter Five. Relationships among Terms and Names
Chapter Six. Actors, Actions, and Outcomes
References
Index of names
Index of subjects