Relaciones entre teoría y método en etnomusicología: los modelos de J. Blacking y S. Arom

• Ramón Pelinski ^[1]
  1. [1] CSIC Barcelona
• Localización: Trans : Transcultural Music Review = Revista Transcultural de Música, ISSN-e 1697-0101, Nº. 1, 1995
• Idioma: español
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• Resumen

  • The relationship between theory and method of analysis is a central aspect in the construction of models for ethnomusicological research. For Blacking, the cognitive processes constitute both: the organization of a culture as well as the structuration of music. The task of the ethnomusicologist is then to explain the connection between music and its socio-cultural context on the basis of the unity of the cognitive processes. This makes it necessary to practice structural as well as fonctional analysis. Thus, Blackingˇs perspective is dependent on emic categories and grants ontologic priority to the cultural system. On the contrary, S.Arom is primarily interested in music and its systematics. Human activity is organized as a play of equivalences. As a consequence, music can be analysed according to the procedures of structural linguistics. However, music is an asemantic semiological system, i.e. its essence resides in its immanent structures. Between music and the external world, there is a relationship of simple convergence. The primary task of an ethnomusicologist is to explain the systematics of music; emic data are used only to validate the results of the musical analysis. As a consequence, Arom can use technics and methods of analysis which are current in the West. Thus, the technique of the "play back" recording and the subsequent paradigmatic transcription of such recording aim at isolating the units of the musical discourse which are commutable. As a result of the procedure, it is possible to uncover the model which underlies the concretizations of a piece. This model, in turn, should be emically validated. Thus, ethnologic precedence is granted to the musical system. Ethnomusicology can be defined either from an anthropologic (or socio-culturalist) perspective (Blacking), or from a musicological or linguistic-structuralist one(Arom). A theoretical mediation between both models in order to achieve an unity of the discipline is still highly problematic today. From an ecletic point of view, it is worthwhile trying to render explicit and to distinguish the presuppositions of an ethnomusicological research, without putting aside the contrary option.