Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Feld, Steven- From Ethnomusicology to Echo-muse-ecology

This piece by Feld is a very interesting, and personal view of his expeience among the Kaluli people of Papau New Guinea.

He describes the relationship between weeping/laments, and the rainforest birds, whose voices are considered to be those of spirits by the Kaluli.

He describes his conversion from Ethnomusicologist, to Echo-muse-ecologist because, he says, ethno implies otherness while echo implies presence.

Feld loves his paradoxes (not right term): The language of music and nature are intimately connected with the nature of language and music. (read from text)

He again references the ever-present hiss of water.

These readings have made me re-think my approach to my thesis. Instead of looking solely at the social influence on football-chants, perhaps I should also consider the environmental factors that influence the society I am studying.

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