Encounters in Ethnomusicology

Book excerpt: Ethnomusicologist Bruno Nettl highlights the social and intellectual influences that shaped his world view and discusses how the study of music within its societal contexts has changed since the turn of the century. Those concerned with the elements that form the basis for the study of ethnomusicology and the role of the ethnomusicologist will find this conceptual memoir intriguing as the author chronicles his life as a scholar from his birth in Prague, his emigration to the U.S., and his adventures in the field, collecting data and developing professionally within an academic environment. This is Nettl’s story of what it was like to participate in the development of ethnomusicology as a student, teacher, fieldworker, author, editor, advisor, and often just as an observer, for half a century.