From the History of Acoustic Measurements in Ethnomusicology

Abstract

The rapid development of technology over the дast two centuries has opened up new opportunities in many areas of human activity, and, first and foremost, in scientific research. So, for example, a significant part of the history of ethnomusicology is the period of active use of recording and measuring technology. The desire to improve existing methods of analysys of folk songs with more exact data, partly due to the limited capabilities of the auditory perception, led to an appeal to acoustic measurements..The first half of the XX century was marked for the European (including Ukrainian) ethnomusicology and comparative musicology with the flourishing of acoustic research and inventions. After all, the mechanical and electrical devices of the time assumed an obligatory stage of the calibration by ear. And the traditions of academic musicology, which prevailed among ethnomusicological thought, often resulted in false, «theorized» conclusions, which rarely had a practical basis. In addition, scientific works devoted to the practice of acoustic measurements are difficult of approach today, sometimes they are archives or manuscripts that are stored in scientific institutes in Europe and America. Therefore, the main objective of this study is analysis of the present methods of acoustic data in the work with the pitched, rhythmic and timbral component of the texts of traditional music and the possible current prospects for their development. The collected data are first used on the material of Ukrainian folk vocal music, which is the relevance of the study. The main methods of the research are acoustic measurements and calculates, as well as statistical analysis of field records.P. Baranovsky and Ie. Yutsevich − one of the first Ukrainian researchers who were actively engaged in the issue of acoustic measurements during the first part of previous century, including on the basis of Ukrainian folk songs. Their contribution to the development of the technique of acoustic analysis is invaluable. However, the opportunities of that time and the academic approach does not allow in today's conditions to call their conclusions actual or correct.Modern European ethnomusicologists, for example the Lithuanian researcher R. Ambrazevicius, are developing new methods of acoustic analysis of ethnic music. Ukrainian ethnomusicology today requires fundamental development in this area, with the use of new technologies. After all, the results of acoustic analysis will help to improve or supplement existing methods, in particular such methods as rhythmic typology and melodic geography.Conclusions: the development of new, accessible, easy-to-use methods in ethnomusicology conforms to the current world trends towards the «digitalization» of the humanities for the sake of using accurate data. These methods will help ethnomusicologists to look beyond their own auditory capabilities and rely on more exact data in their investigations of traditional music.