The Sociology Of Wind Bands: Amateur Music Between Cultural Domination And Autonomy (ashgate Popular And Folk Music Series)
by Vincent Dubois /
2013 / English / PDF
2.4 MB Download
Despite the musical and social roles they play in many parts of the
world, wind bands have not attracted much interest from
sociologists. The Sociology of Wind Bands seeks to fill this gap in
research by providing a sociological account of this musical
universe as it stands now. Based on a qualitative and quantitative
survey conducted in northeastern France, the authors present a
vivid description of the orchestras, the backgrounds and practices
of their musicians, and the repertoires they play. Their
multi-level analysis, ranging from the cultural field to the wind
music subfield and to everyday life relationships within bands and
local communities, sheds new light on the social organisation,
meanings and functions of a type of music that is all too often
taken for granted. Yet they go further than merely portraying a
musical genre. As wind music is routinely neglected and socially
defined in terms of its poor musical quality or even bad taste, the
book addresses the thorny issue of the effects of cultural
hierarchy and domination. It proposes an imaginative and balanced
framework which, beyond the specific case of wind music, is an
innovative contribution to the sociology of lowbrow culture.
Despite the musical and social roles they play in many parts of the
world, wind bands have not attracted much interest from
sociologists. The Sociology of Wind Bands seeks to fill this gap in
research by providing a sociological account of this musical
universe as it stands now. Based on a qualitative and quantitative
survey conducted in northeastern France, the authors present a
vivid description of the orchestras, the backgrounds and practices
of their musicians, and the repertoires they play. Their
multi-level analysis, ranging from the cultural field to the wind
music subfield and to everyday life relationships within bands and
local communities, sheds new light on the social organisation,
meanings and functions of a type of music that is all too often
taken for granted. Yet they go further than merely portraying a
musical genre. As wind music is routinely neglected and socially
defined in terms of its poor musical quality or even bad taste, the
book addresses the thorny issue of the effects of cultural
hierarchy and domination. It proposes an imaginative and balanced
framework which, beyond the specific case of wind music, is an
innovative contribution to the sociology of lowbrow culture.