The Sociology of Wind Bands

Amateur Music Between Cultural Domination and Autonomy

By: Vincent Dubois, Jean-Matthieu MÃ©on, translated by Jean-Yves Bart

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Hardcover | 15 May 2013

At a Glance

Hardcover
248 Pages

Edition Type
New edition

Dimensions(cm)
23.39 x 15.6 x 1.6

Hardcover

RRP $315.00

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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.

Industry Reviews

'A wonderful book, historically sensitive, theoretically attuned, empirically rigorous, and analytically deft. Of interest to scholars of both music and culture, it deserves a place along such celebrated works as Ruth Finnegan's Hidden Musicians.' Timothy J. Dowd, Emory University, USA 'A compelling study of the way in which traditional non-professional wind ensembles have adapted to changing social, political, and cultural conditions. The book beautifully illuminates how an institution that the dominant culture in France has not recognized eludes conventional cultural classifications and has resisted the kind of cultural domination that Pierre Bourdieu so powerfully analyzed.' Jane F. Fulcher, University of Michigan, USA 'This is a wonderful and moving study of wind bands and their followers, making sympathetic sense of their social and musical worlds in terms of their location between "highbrow" musical forms and the commercial genres of the popular music industry. A richly illuminating study which adds greatly to our understanding of a neglected musical culture.' Tony Bennett, University of Western Sydney, Australia 'This publication is to be welcomed by musicologists and sociologists as a substantial and well-researched contribution to our understanding of wind bands'. Music and Letters

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