METHODOLOGY
The methodology used in this project is interdisciplinary, drawing on a broad literature in the Humanities and the Social Sciences. More specifically our investigation of musical life in Greece will draw on works from the discipline of Modern Greek Studies (Tziovas 2003, 2007, 2011; Papanikolaou 2007; Plantzos 2008; Damaskos and Plantzos 2008) and on anthropological literature, general as well as focused on Greece (Herzfeld 1982, 1987; Hirschon 2010a, 2010b). Anthropological theories on identity, particularly as they have been employed for the study of music, will be central in analyzing perceptions of belonging, which will serve as a conceptual tool for approaching the question of Greece’s integration into Europe (Bohlman 2004; Goddard, Llobera and Shore 1994; Shore 2000). Studies that have underlined the context-dependent and performative nature of identities – particularly as they have been applied in research on music and identity – will be crucial towards this direction (Stokes 1994; Bohlman 2004). This project will draw on the results of the existing body of literature on music and identity from an anthropological perspective, which have principally focused on popular musical genres, and will build on them through the study of Western art music.
The mode of analysis espoused by this project is ethnographic. Ethnography, the main research approach employed in cultural anthropology and in ethnomusicology, involves scrutiny of social and cultural aspects, and is based on extensive observation through fieldwork. The researcher’s introduction into the field of research could be described as a rite of passage, a kind of trial. The main methodological tools of fieldwork are: participant observation, open and in-depth interview, fieldnotes and audiovisual inscription. The practice of participant observation allows for a systematic observation of cultural phenomena, behaviours and processes in their real environments through personal, active and interactive participation of the researcher in the procedures and activities of the observed culture. By means of the open and in-depth interview the ethnographer addresses questions to his interlocutor about key issues relating to the research, and the interlocutor develops their thoughts and opinions freely, in a detailed and meaningful manner. The researcher does not guide the interlocutor during the interview, and aspires, through such a discussion, to deduce from the interlocutor ‘truths’ about the culture under investigation, as the interlocutor expresses and substantiates them. Fieldnotes are the observations of any kind used by the ethnographer during or right after the examination of the phenomenon under consideration. Audiovisual inscription is a crucial tool in today’s ethnographical research, which allows the collection of material, as well as its subsequent analysis and presentation.
Our method will be reflexive (Barz and Cooley 1997), in recognizing the limits and complexity of written representation of ethnographic facts, and in acknowledging the impact of the ethnographer’s presence on the activities observed and the representation of reality. Thick description (Geertz 1973) will be employed for detailed representation of the cultural reality recorded, aiming to analyze human behaviour in its contexts. Moreover, the mode of ethnographic research and analysis employed will draw on critical ethnomusicology and ethnomusicology’s phenomenological tradition. Critical ethnomusicology wishes to overcome any dualist consideration of the reality observed that arises through references to subjectivities and objectivities. It views the observed and described reality as not unified and catholic, but as relative and particular (Clifford and Marcus 1986). The ethnomusicological phenomenological approaches have construed the musical event as cultural dialogical interaction, in which participants actively make meaning (Kavouras 2006). The theory of social and cultural construction of reality, which originates in phenomenological sociology, particularly in the work of Peter Berger, Thomas Luckmann and Alfred Schutz (Berger and Luckmann 1966; Schutz 1972) will shape this project’s mode of analysis. According to this theory, reality does not exist outside of the conscience of the acting social subjects, but constitutes a hermeneutical manifestation of the subject’s mental mediation of this reality.
The methodology used in this project is interdisciplinary, drawing on a broad literature in the Humanities and the Social Sciences. More specifically our investigation of musical life in Greece will draw on works from the discipline of Modern Greek Studies (Tziovas 2003, 2007, 2011; Papanikolaou 2007; Plantzos 2008; Damaskos and Plantzos 2008) and on anthropological literature, general as well as focused on Greece (Herzfeld 1982, 1987; Hirschon 2010a, 2010b). Anthropological theories on identity, particularly as they have been employed for the study of music, will be central in analyzing perceptions of belonging, which will serve as a conceptual tool for approaching the question of Greece’s integration into Europe (Bohlman 2004; Goddard, Llobera and Shore 1994; Shore 2000). Studies that have underlined the context-dependent and performative nature of identities – particularly as they have been applied in research on music and identity – will be crucial towards this direction (Stokes 1994; Bohlman 2004). This project will draw on the results of the existing body of literature on music and identity from an anthropological perspective, which have principally focused on popular musical genres, and will build on them through the study of Western art music.
The mode of analysis espoused by this project is ethnographic. Ethnography, the main research approach employed in cultural anthropology and in ethnomusicology, involves scrutiny of social and cultural aspects, and is based on extensive observation through fieldwork. The researcher’s introduction into the field of research could be described as a rite of passage, a kind of trial. The main methodological tools of fieldwork are: participant observation, open and in-depth interview, fieldnotes and audiovisual inscription. The practice of participant observation allows for a systematic observation of cultural phenomena, behaviours and processes in their real environments through personal, active and interactive participation of the researcher in the procedures and activities of the observed culture. By means of the open and in-depth interview the ethnographer addresses questions to his interlocutor about key issues relating to the research, and the interlocutor develops their thoughts and opinions freely, in a detailed and meaningful manner. The researcher does not guide the interlocutor during the interview, and aspires, through such a discussion, to deduce from the interlocutor ‘truths’ about the culture under investigation, as the interlocutor expresses and substantiates them. Fieldnotes are the observations of any kind used by the ethnographer during or right after the examination of the phenomenon under consideration. Audiovisual inscription is a crucial tool in today’s ethnographical research, which allows the collection of material, as well as its subsequent analysis and presentation.
Our method will be reflexive (Barz and Cooley 1997), in recognizing the limits and complexity of written representation of ethnographic facts, and in acknowledging the impact of the ethnographer’s presence on the activities observed and the representation of reality. Thick description (Geertz 1973) will be employed for detailed representation of the cultural reality recorded, aiming to analyze human behaviour in its contexts. Moreover, the mode of ethnographic research and analysis employed will draw on critical ethnomusicology and ethnomusicology’s phenomenological tradition. Critical ethnomusicology wishes to overcome any dualist consideration of the reality observed that arises through references to subjectivities and objectivities. It views the observed and described reality as not unified and catholic, but as relative and particular (Clifford and Marcus 1986). The ethnomusicological phenomenological approaches have construed the musical event as cultural dialogical interaction, in which participants actively make meaning (Kavouras 2006). The theory of social and cultural construction of reality, which originates in phenomenological sociology, particularly in the work of Peter Berger, Thomas Luckmann and Alfred Schutz (Berger and Luckmann 1966; Schutz 1972) will shape this project’s mode of analysis. According to this theory, reality does not exist outside of the conscience of the acting social subjects, but constitutes a hermeneutical manifestation of the subject’s mental mediation of this reality.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
One of the project’s key objectives is the study of music education provided in Greece and, in particular, education that concerns Western art music, so as to shed light on music education’s value and also to analyse and interprete the symbolisms relating to identity formation with respect to the question of European integration on the cultural level. Our research includes the history of music education in Greece, the representation of Western art music on all levels of the Greek educational system (of the private as well as the private sector), as well as the consequences of the current socio-economic crisis on music education.
We perceive music education (εκπαίδευση) as a complex and systematic procedure of passing on knowledge and skills, as well as the cultivation of the psychilogial, mental and artistic abilities as means of providing music education, in the broader sense. The term ‘παιδεία’ (education/formation) alludes to a cultural system of apprenticeship and thus of education without using learning means and frameworks that are external to society itself. The relationship between παιδεία and εκπαίδευση is subtle but, at the same time, extremely important for the society’s function and cultur’s creative renewal. This project puts emphasis on music education (εκπαίδευση) as an institutional practice, while at thet same time examining issues relating to musical ‘παιδεία’ as a cultural reality. The researche’s prospective results are expeted to lead to a deeper understanding of the importance of Western art music in relation to contemporary Greek culture at the time of crisis, and to benefit the Greek society through the formulation of concerns that will emerge through the evaluation of the reserache’s conclusions and the formulation of proposals regarding the promotion and consolidation of the place of Western art music in the sphere of education.
One of the project’s key objectives is the study of music education provided in Greece and, in particular, education that concerns Western art music, so as to shed light on music education’s value and also to analyse and interprete the symbolisms relating to identity formation with respect to the question of European integration on the cultural level. Our research includes the history of music education in Greece, the representation of Western art music on all levels of the Greek educational system (of the private as well as the private sector), as well as the consequences of the current socio-economic crisis on music education.
We perceive music education (εκπαίδευση) as a complex and systematic procedure of passing on knowledge and skills, as well as the cultivation of the psychilogial, mental and artistic abilities as means of providing music education, in the broader sense. The term ‘παιδεία’ (education/formation) alludes to a cultural system of apprenticeship and thus of education without using learning means and frameworks that are external to society itself. The relationship between παιδεία and εκπαίδευση is subtle but, at the same time, extremely important for the society’s function and cultur’s creative renewal. This project puts emphasis on music education (εκπαίδευση) as an institutional practice, while at thet same time examining issues relating to musical ‘παιδεία’ as a cultural reality. The researche’s prospective results are expeted to lead to a deeper understanding of the importance of Western art music in relation to contemporary Greek culture at the time of crisis, and to benefit the Greek society through the formulation of concerns that will emerge through the evaluation of the reserache’s conclusions and the formulation of proposals regarding the promotion and consolidation of the place of Western art music in the sphere of education.
MUSIC ENSEMBLES AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS
The topic of ‘music ensembles and cultural organisations’ comprises this aspect of Western art music in Greece that relates to these preformative and organisational musical-cultural institutions. In this context, the research will cover official and unofficial entities (unions, organisations, groups and collectives), that have discrete objectives, confines and behaviours, are formulated in terms of structures, present themselves through actions, develop practices, partake in changes, interact and shape networks of Western art music.
Those entities are defined ethographically and analytically on two levels: a) the particular level of music performance and b) the general level of cultural organisation. Among the institutions studied (a selection of such institutions will emerge through fieldwork) are orchestras and music ensembles, big music organisations and foundations (the Megaron of Athens and the Megaron of Thessaloniki, the Athens State Orchestra and the Thessaloniki State Orchestra, the National Opera, the Music Ensembles of the Athens Municipality), clubs and societies, cultural centres, cultural media, music publishing houses, small music ensembles, production companies, music shops, print and online journals, websites, mixed cultural groups and other colletivities that are active in the field of Western art music in Greece at the time of crisis.
The topic of ‘music ensembles and cultural organisations’ comprises this aspect of Western art music in Greece that relates to these preformative and organisational musical-cultural institutions. In this context, the research will cover official and unofficial entities (unions, organisations, groups and collectives), that have discrete objectives, confines and behaviours, are formulated in terms of structures, present themselves through actions, develop practices, partake in changes, interact and shape networks of Western art music.
Those entities are defined ethographically and analytically on two levels: a) the particular level of music performance and b) the general level of cultural organisation. Among the institutions studied (a selection of such institutions will emerge through fieldwork) are orchestras and music ensembles, big music organisations and foundations (the Megaron of Athens and the Megaron of Thessaloniki, the Athens State Orchestra and the Thessaloniki State Orchestra, the National Opera, the Music Ensembles of the Athens Municipality), clubs and societies, cultural centres, cultural media, music publishing houses, small music ensembles, production companies, music shops, print and online journals, websites, mixed cultural groups and other colletivities that are active in the field of Western art music in Greece at the time of crisis.
FESTIVAL
The third topic of this research project focuses on music festivals, which, from an anthropological perspective, are conceived as music practices and cultural performances. Such festivals are those that are: a) dedicated to Western art music exclusively (e.g. the Nafplio Festival) and b) comprise in their programme (through concerts, seminars, music competitions, performances of other art forms) aspects relating to Western art music as well as other music genres (e.g. the ‘Music Village’ in Pelion). As opposed to the other two topics of this research projects, this field seems to have been suffered the least damage from the current crisis (if it hasn’t actually profited). By approaching festivals (which vary as regards their profiles and objectives) as performative events, this research will analyse the way in which those practices and performances manipulate and negotiate the changes that the current crisis has brought about on various levels, such as the cultural, the economic and the social; ‘crisis’, at the same time, is perceived as a major event, an upheaval of social equilibrium, in a way that corresponds to the content of the term ‘event’ introduced by Alain Badiou (2001).
In this sense, the event of the ‘crisis’ contributes through new social practices to the formation of a new cultural habitus. This project will also bring to the fore the role of national and international networks of Western art music in the festival activity throughout Greece. The researche’s prospective results relating to this theme are expected to benefit private and state cultural organisations, contributing to a bettern understanding of contemporary Greek culture and the Western art musical scene in Greece. Such contributions could help draw more effective cultural policies, which will improve the respective state structures and services, thus satisfying citizents as to the renewal of the musical reality, aiming at a more informed creation and institutional support of quality music tourism in Greece.
The method of working on these three themes will not just be limited to those topics mentioned, but will also seek conceptual connectives aiming at a common analytical framework of action and interpretation of the respective data.
The third topic of this research project focuses on music festivals, which, from an anthropological perspective, are conceived as music practices and cultural performances. Such festivals are those that are: a) dedicated to Western art music exclusively (e.g. the Nafplio Festival) and b) comprise in their programme (through concerts, seminars, music competitions, performances of other art forms) aspects relating to Western art music as well as other music genres (e.g. the ‘Music Village’ in Pelion). As opposed to the other two topics of this research projects, this field seems to have been suffered the least damage from the current crisis (if it hasn’t actually profited). By approaching festivals (which vary as regards their profiles and objectives) as performative events, this research will analyse the way in which those practices and performances manipulate and negotiate the changes that the current crisis has brought about on various levels, such as the cultural, the economic and the social; ‘crisis’, at the same time, is perceived as a major event, an upheaval of social equilibrium, in a way that corresponds to the content of the term ‘event’ introduced by Alain Badiou (2001).
In this sense, the event of the ‘crisis’ contributes through new social practices to the formation of a new cultural habitus. This project will also bring to the fore the role of national and international networks of Western art music in the festival activity throughout Greece. The researche’s prospective results relating to this theme are expected to benefit private and state cultural organisations, contributing to a bettern understanding of contemporary Greek culture and the Western art musical scene in Greece. Such contributions could help draw more effective cultural policies, which will improve the respective state structures and services, thus satisfying citizents as to the renewal of the musical reality, aiming at a more informed creation and institutional support of quality music tourism in Greece.
The method of working on these three themes will not just be limited to those topics mentioned, but will also seek conceptual connectives aiming at a common analytical framework of action and interpretation of the respective data.