Ecomusicology

Hearing Landscape Critically:

8-11 September 2013, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

Editor's Note: In this short piece, composer Nathan Currier responds to an article by Mark Perlman that appeared in a prior issue of the Ecomusicology Newsletter and previews a longer article of his own, "Classical Music in the Anthropocene," which appeared in a later issue of that publication and can be read

What is made of wood, animal gut, horsehair, flaxseed oil, and sometimes a bit of toad or lizard skin? It sounds like a base for a magic potion, but in fact it is the ingredients for the most valuable musical instrument today: the violin and its bow. Although many of its materials are now considered exotic, the violin and many other “professional” instruments had humble beginnings.

As humans, we are intimately connected to the world around us. Similarly music intimately connects us individually. It makes perfect sense that there would be a field studying the connection between the two. Without knowing it, I began my journey to ecomusicology as a child.

by Sabine Feisst and Denise Von Glahn

by Mark Pedelty and Melody Hoffman

Interview with Derek Scott

Professor Derek B. Scott, Head of Music at the University of Leeds, talks about his early interest in environmental issues and his performance of “Woodman, Spare that Tree!”

by Kevin Dawe

Originally published in Ecomusicology Newsletter, Vol. II, No. 1: March 2013

By Marc Perlman

The New York Times continues to lead the media in coverage of stories that link—in some way—music to the environment or environmentalism. In this installment of “Ecomusicology in the News,” I highlight news stories from summer 2013 through mid-winter 2014, all of which I’ve selected from The New York Times.