The Sociology of Music

Abstract

A comprehensive outline of the sociology of music, in 4 Chpts with an authors' Preface. Chpt (1) Music as Mentality - discusses the social aspect of music, the dialectic of the intended & unintended, meaning in music, social relativity, & the relation of music to multiple realities. The phenomenological concept of awareness tension is illustrated in the case of opera. (2) Participation in Music - examines musical roles, including those of the composer, the listener, various types of performers, & nonprofessional dancers & musicians. (3) Social Organization and Music - explores musical institutionalization, guilds & unions, & religious, commercial, & other performance situations. An overview of the relation of music to social inequality, nationalism, rationalization, & social movements is provided. (4) Illustrative Studies - presents data on the costuming of bluegrass performers, the social organization of banjo music, social symbolism in Scott Joplin's Treemonisha & the social content of Heitor Villa-Lobos's Prole do Bebe (1918). Appendix - discusses research methods of the sociology of music, including: analysis of musical characteristics, lyric content analysis, music production participant-observation, & music distribution & consumption analysis. 1 Figure, 227 References.