Sociomusicology (fromLatin:socius, "companion"; fromOld Frenchmusique; and the suffix-ology, "the study of", from Old Greek λόγος,lógos : "discourse"), also calledmusic sociology or thesociology of music, refers to both an academicsubfield ofsociology that is concerned withmusic (often in combination with other arts), as well as a subfield ofmusicology that focuses on social aspects of musical behavior and the role of music insociety.
The work of scholars in sociomusicology is often similar toethnomusicology in terms of its exploration of the sociocultural context of music; however, sociomusicology maintains less of an emphasis onethnic andnational identity and is not limited to ethnographic methods. Rather, sociomusicologists use a wide range ofresearch methods and take a strong interest in observable behavior and musical interactions within the constraints ofsocial structure. Sociomusicologists are more likely than ethnomusicologists to make use of surveys andeconomic data, for example, and tend to focus on musical practices in contemporary industrialized societies. For instance,Ko (2011) proposed the hypothesis of "Biliterate andTrimusical" in [Hong Kongsociomusicology].[1]
Since the field ofmusicology has tended to emphasizehistoriographic and analytical/critical rather than sociological approaches toresearch, sociomusicology is still regarded as somewhat outside the mainstream of musicology. Yet, with the increased popularity ofethnomusicology in recent decades (with which the field shares many similarities), as well as the development and mainstreaming of "New Musicology" (coinciding with the emergence of interdisciplinarycultural studies in academia), sociomusicology is increasingly coming into its own as a fully established field. The values and meanings associated with music are collectively constructed by both music listeners and performers. When listening to a piece, they reflect upon their own values and use the music to make connections between their own experiences and what the piece is perceived as communicating. The sociology of music looks specifically at these connections and the musical experiences tied to the person and the music itself.[2]
In addition, the act of making music is a social production as well as a social activity. Even if the music artist is a solo performer, the production of the music itself, took a level of social effort. From the instruments that were created to make the music, to the final production of generating a way to listen to the music, also known as the product.[3] Furthermore, one can argue that even the distribution of the music is a social act. Some teachers are trying out more non traditional ways of teaching material, by using music to connect with their students on levels that the student can relate to, as well as "to draw illustrations of sociological concept".[4]
Among the most notable classical sociologists to examine the social aspects and effects of music wereGeorg Simmel (1858–1918),Alfred Schutz (1899–1959),Max Weber (1864–1920) andTheodor W. Adorno (1903–1969). Others have includedAlphons Silbermann,Charles Seeger (1886–1979),Howard S. Becker,Norbert Elias,Maurice Halbwachs,Jacques Attali, John Mueller (1895–1965), andChristopher Small. Contemporary sociomusicologists includeTia DeNora,Georgina Born,David Hebert, Peter Martin, Timothy Dowd, William Roy, and Joseph Schloss.
In the entry for "Sociomusicology" in theSAGE International Encyclopedia of Music and Culture, David Hebert argues that recent use of the term suggests four definitions: sociology of music, any kind of social scientific research on music (e.g. economic, political, etc.), a specialized form ofethnomusicology focused on relations between sound events and social structure, and a prospective replacement term for ethnomusicology.[5]
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