Eco-Musicology

“We don’t make sounds. We steal it from other beings.”Dr. Anthony Seeger.

The India International Centre held a lecture on the nuances of sound in nature i.e. Eco-Musicology.Dr. Anthony Seeger, former Professor, Ethnomusicology and Director, was the speaker for the evening.

Dr. Seeger explaining Eco-Musicology

Eco-musicology is the study of music, culture and nature in all the complexities of those terms. Eco-musicology considers musical and sonic issues related to ecology and environment.

Dr. Anthony Seeger started by saying, “Sound is a part of the Eco-System. They aren’t quiet. Animals make sound, human make sounds. Directly related to ecology is the sound of the eco-system itself. You are going to learn about eco-system from their sound. You don’t necessarily see the sound.” He then went on to give an example of how sound is critical in the ecosystem. He said that in the United States, there have been lots of studies in the field of Reforestation. He said that when reforestation is done, the resultant forest looks like the conventional forest but certain things are missing from the forest. One of the important things that go missing from the forest is the sound. Sounds of lots of bird species as the trees that are implanted aren’t the same as they were before. He then gave the proper definition of Musicology as, “It is the response to sound with respect to the ecosystem.”

Dr. Anthony Seeger

He said that there are many scholars who have been trying to argue that eco-musicology is something that will really help us to think about music, sound and ecosystem and how they are inter-related.

Dr. Anthony Seeger explaining the nuances of sound

He then said that in the European region of the world, humans and animals are, by religious and other means, considered to be different and separate. That’s not true for every place on earth, particularly of South America where Dr. Seeger has been working. He said that if one treat the sounds of animals just as animals, then one is missing the point. He then showed a tribal village celebrating with their own kind of music. He said that what he found most interesting is that the tribals had no love songs, no songs of protest or lullabies for babies. When he asked them about the case, they said that all of their music is taken from nature, from animals, from monsters or enemies. At the end, the tribals also said that humans don’t make music, we steal it from nature.