Music is the greater uniter ... Something that people who differ on everything and anything can have in common. Sarah Dessen
Before we get to the crux of what musicology is, we ought to understand that music is seen as a powerful force with the ability to unite people who are different from each other. Music is also something we tend to rely on when the going gets tough or when we find it tougher to explain what is going on. Music guides what we think about a particular topic and perhaps it's time to start thinking a little more about music itself. Musicology surely is a way of thinking about music.
We, first and foremost, need to understand what musicology is before we even delve further into discussing the main branches of musicology and what it takes to write a good song.
The minute we start to view music as an academic discipline, we talk about musicology. As such, musicology refers to the study of music as well as the analysis of music. If you are interested in musicology, you won't just be learning how to strum the strings on your guitar, you will be learning all about the history and culture of music too.
Hence musicology is so much more than simply learning how to play a musical instrument or learning how to sing. Musicology entails learning how to appreciate how music came to be and spotting the trends in the musical compositions over time.
Musicology, however, is not a fairly new field of study. Musicology is both old and new. While musicology may sound like a new concept to you, further exploration may show that musicology has been around for as long as other fields of studies such as sociology. In fact, research depicts that modern musicology has been around since the 19th century.
Perhaps the fact that musicology became an academic field of study due to the growing interest in the composition of earlier musicians may provide you with the incentive that you need in order to pursue musicology today. The science of music may very well be your cup of tea, or it may not be.
If you are more interested in merely taking up singing lessons, you can find professionals offering singing lessons in Gauteng. Should you wish to explore musicology even further, continue reading. You might even realise that musicology itself has utmost value should you wish to become a songwriter.
Understanding Musicology
The point of good music is to affect the soul. Claudio Monteverdi
If music does affect your soul, you surely will be intrigued to find out much more about musicology. Pioneers like Samuel Wesley can be credited for giving birth to the concept of musicology and this respective field of study.
Musicology, as such, encompasses the study of all genres of music from all different cultures. It refers to a profound interest in the musical performances of the yesteryear and the modern compositions. Thus, the term musicology is a strong term that not only focuses on the value of music but also on all the branches that you need to consider when you choose to pursue musicology as an academic subject.
The field musicology can be broken down into these specific branches:
- Ethnomusicology
- Systematic musicology
- Music history
- Music theory
In order to understand the repertoires, rituals, and even the historical trajectory of music in more detail, we ought to explore the branches of musicology all the more.
Exploring the Main Branches of Musicology
Music is the strongest form of magic. Marilyn Manson
If musicology as a field of study piqued your interest, you surely need to explore the main branches of musicology more. You may just find that there is magic in music if you explore musicology fully. Looking at the several branches of musicology is one way to gain a sense of appreciation for this field of study.
Systematic Musicology
As an umbrella term, systematic musicology comprises of psychology, music sociology, as well as the neuroscience of music. This branch of musicology covers everything from music theory to sound studies. Learning acoustic music also falls into this systematic musicology category. It is systematic musicology that links musicology to the music studies that are conducted in conservatories and those formal music studies pursued at a university level.
Music Theory
Musical theory in its broadest sense deals with understanding music from a historical perspective and entails looking at new techniques for analysing music.
Ethnomusicology
This branch of musicology entails the study of music in a variety of cultural contexts. It further expands to connect the dots between art and music while simultaneously exploring how popular music relates to its cultural context. Ethnomusicology is more fixated with non-western musical communities and their instruments, notation system, and even their deep-rooted beliefs.
Music History
This component entails tracing the history of music to its very beginning. It entails looking at the historical trajectory of Western music and tracing the history of music other than Western music. Music history is probably one of the most interesting fields of musicology.
From the branches that musicology as a subject is divided into, it becomes apparent that you need to pursue musicology at a university level in order to be able to experience the wide range of career possibilities offered to musicologists. There is, however, no reason why you cannot pursue the study of music as a hobby if you are not keen on pursuing musicology as a university subject.
It is rather important to stress that pursuing musicology formally as a subject can pave the way forward for you and enable you to advance your career not only as a musicologist but as a singer too.
How Musicology Helps You to Write a Song?
Music is what feelings sound like. Anonymous
At its very core, the subject musicology entails pulling music notes apart and seeing what causes it to work well together and then analysing the culture associated with the music itself. If you choose to pursue musicology studies, you will have a vast range of career options available at your fingertips. You could choose to:
- Become a music professor.
- Work in libraries that hire out music.
- Publish various musical-related articles and books.
- Work as an instructor at a music school.
- Use your knowledge of musicology to write songs and produce music.
Researching different genres of music can provide beneficial ideas for enthusiastic song writers. Thus, there is no reason why musicology studies cannot help you to become a song writer. To thrive in your career as a musician or even as a songwriter, a deeper understanding and appreciation of music is mandatory.
Remember musicology will introduce you to the basics of:
- Music history
- Music theory
- Organology
- Aesthetics
- Pedagogy
- Psychology
- Musical acoustics
- Iconography
- Archeology
Knowing all these aspects and components related to music surely will come in handy when you put pen to paper and decide to write a sweet-sounding song.
Consider Taking Up Vocal Training
Musicology does seem to mean attending a university or musical school to gain the full-on experience of this field of study. It is vital that you attend a college or a university to pursue musicology if you are looking for a strong career in music.
However, there is no reason why you cannot take vocal training with a private tutor of your choice before you decide to pursue music formally. In fact, if you just want to be a singer and you are slightly interested in learning more about music history and music theory, you can even choose to take up lessons with a Superprof tutor who studied musicology as well.
Piecing together the relationship between musicology and vocal talent may be initially hard for you to grasp but a more professional vocal instructor offering his or her services on our Superprof platform may be able to break down this relationship and explain it to you properly.
You get to experience an initial free lesson with a Superprof singing tutor of your choice and once you try out just one lesson with a private tutor, you may begin to understand why vocal training actually pays off.
There are many benefits to taking private vocal training lessons, some of which include:
- Having to meet with experienced vocalists who also pursued formal musicology studies.
- Learning from a fantastic tutor who will be able to accommodate you and teach you at the right level.
- Getting to choose a singer tutor who fits in well with your lifestyle and budget preference.
Again, the choice is yours as to which route you would like to take to gain some knowledge of music and how to produce music. You can always choose to pursue formal musicology studies and still rope in a singing tutor. Vocal training is important particularly for those who intend to sing like a hummingbird. We suggest that you also consider how to find your vocal range and thereafter get speaking with one of our Superprof tutors to see if they can assist you with exploring your vocal range further and making the most of your singing talent.
In essence it won't hurt to learn more about musicology even if you have already started taking singing lessons or if you are already a novice at playing a musical instrument.
Musicology may very well be the right beat for you!
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