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On Music Theory, and Making Music More Welcoming for Everyone (Music and Social Justice) Hardcover – April 24, 2023

by Philip Ewell (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 17 ratings
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Since its inception in the mid-twentieth century, American music theory has been framed and taught almost exclusively by white men. As a result, whiteness and maleness are woven into the fabric of the field, and BIPOC music theorists face enormous hurdles due to their racial identities. In On Music Theory, Philip Ewell brings together autobiography, music theory and history, and theory and history of race in the United States to offer a black perspective on the state of music theory and to confront the field’s white supremacist roots. Over the course of the book, Ewell undertakes a textbook analysis to unpack the mythologies of whiteness and western-ness with respect to music theory, and gives, for the first time, his perspective on the controversy surrounding the publication of volume 12 of the Journal of Schenkerian Studies. He speaks directly about the antiblackness of music theory and the antisemitism of classical music writ large and concludes by offering suggestions about how we move forward. Taking an explicitly antiracist approach to music theory, with this book Ewell begins to create a space in which those who have been marginalized in music theory can thrive.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    332 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University of Michigan Press
  4. Publication date
    April 24, 2023
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.94 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0472075020
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0472075027
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
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Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book may represent the cusp of a racial reckoning for music theory in the US. [E]veryone—students and
faculty—involved in music theory should read it. . . Essential." -- Choice, B. J. Murray, Miami University

“Phil Ewell kicked the hornet’s nest in 2019 in a conference paper on the white racial frame of standard music theory. He was not the first to question tonality’s hierarchical principles whereby the dissonant other must be subsumed or eliminated for the sake of harmony: Schoenberg, George Russell, Christopher Small, and feminist theorists have raised similar critiques. But three years of panels, denunciations, and lawsuits have not settled the controversy over Ewell’s presumed transgression. In On Music Theory, he mounts a detailed defense of his arguments, as well as an account of the repercussions that followed in the wake of his talk. A crucial book for those involved in the ongoing debates over covert biases in academic disciplines.”

-- Susan McClary, Case Western Reserve University, Author of The Passions of Peter Sellars: Staging the Music

“On Music Theory leaves no doubt about the discipline’s deeply ingrained antiblackness. In doing so, Ewell successfully demonstrates that the problems facing music theory are systemic and not simply the fault of a few bad actors. The book provides a framework and vocabulary that will enable future scholars to identify and challenge racism in the field and demonstrates a new approach to music theory that draws on interdisciplinary scholarship about race.”

-- Loren Kajikawa, George Washington University, Author of Sounding Race in Rap Songs

"It is an essential component of a longer anti-racism reading list for anyone engaging in academic music disciplines today." -- Robin Attas, University of Manitoba ― CAML Review

"On Music Theory is a unique book for a unique time, filled with critical materials and action
items that justify its position as a central text in music theory’s antiracist turn. . . . We hope that On Music Theory can begin a new era of disciplinary change based in collective action, respectful disagreement, and methodological diversity." ― Music Theory Online: A Journal of the Society for Music Theory

"Ewell deserves profound acknowledgment for
doing the grueling work of unraveling a particularly insidious, intractable,
and deeply embedded mode of racialized, gendered, and institutionalized
hegemony. One can only imagine the experiences that inspired him to
write this book, but like the artists mentioned above, he has transmuted
those experiences, and by extension those of many others, into a powerful
disciplinary critique that is likely to stand as a watershed moment in the
evolution of Western music theory." -- Journal of the American Musicological Society

Review

“Philip Ewell’s sweeping and brave On Music Theory is certain to make an indelible mark on our discipline. Ewell’s racial re-framing of the discipline’s intellectual heritage draws forth conclusions that are by turns powerful, shocking, revealing, and ultimately hopeful. The book will be vital to the future growth of music theory as an academic discipline.” -- Roger Mathew Grant, Wesleyan University, Author of Peculiar Attunements: How Affect Theory Turned Musical Published On: 2022-09-30

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Michigan Press (April 24, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 332 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0472075020
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0472075027
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.94 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 17 ratings

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
17 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

iotoli
5.0 out of 5 stars An important, well-written, and thoughtful book
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2023
Verified Purchase
This book is a tour-de-force, written by one of the most important music theorists of the 21st century. Philip Ewell's On Music Theory offers a multi-faceted perspective on the state of music theory, with a focus on race and gender as they converge with structures of power in the American academy. At times a work of music analysis, at times a work of auto-ethnography, and above all a work of critical social justice research, this book expands and reconstitutes the very methodological borders of music theory. Students and scholars have much to learn from Ewell's thoughtful analyses, as does anyone interested in what music theory might become.
3 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars First-rate
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2023
Verified Purchase
Thought-provoking and inspiring for any musician interested in expanding their view of music and music theory beyond the white male canon. This book was long overdue. Thank you Philip Ewell.
4 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and clear - honesty and integrity of arguments
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2023
Verified Purchase
This is an incredibly thoughtful and thought-provoking book. The ideas are presented with clarity and backed up by well-cited arguments and analogies.
2 people found this helpful
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Grateful
5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, candid, and courageous.
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2023
Phil Ewell believes music theory should be about "the interpretation, investigation, analysis, pedagogy, and performance of any music from our planet." (p. 23). For many, that's welcoming. For others, yikes...

In the US, music and music theory has too long centered on the approaches of a very select few. We know the names. Ewell unpacks reasons why, with insight and candor long overdue. For stating the obvious, first in 2019, he's been threatened and vilified. Still, Ewell persists.

"On Music Theory" is an unflinching history of the field up to the present, especially helpful for those who may not have known why so much is focused on so few. The future should be, will be, different. Ewell closes with a list of recommendations for educators and scholars. More that that, he'll soon publish an undergraduate text intended to more fully represent musics, cultures, and theories (plural).

Ewell is often surgically precise, his courage, undeniable, and his range, immense. Are some leaps too far? For me, yes. And. I learned a lot about what I thought I knew.

Buy "On Music Theory". Read it. Discuss it. Then investigate any music on the planet.
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LTR
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2023
The importance of the book cannot be understated. Professional music theory has functioned for decades as an echo chamber for the cis, white, male elite despite its seemingly "liberal" surface. Everyone in the field knows this, but Dr. Ewell's work is some of the first to "say the quiet part out loud" and actually work towards change. And he does so through a brilliant combination of sharing personal experiences, excavating the field's foundations, and bringing theories/research from disciplines far ahead of ours. Anyone interested in pursuing academic music study needs to read this book.
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Rebecca
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2023
This book is a brilliant and courageous look at racism in the music theory field. The author mixes his own experiences with racism with a historical accounting of the field at large, making for a very compelling account. This is a must-read for anyone in the field of music theory.
One person found this helpful
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chessmasterag
5.0 out of 5 stars Monumental
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2023
Love this book. In what will prove to be one of the seminal music books of the 21st century, Ewell charges through uncharted territory with aplomb. If you’re looking to be inspired, to think, and to enjoy some fantastic writing, look no further.
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Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Contribution
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2023
An illuminating, unflinching look at the racial underpinnings of Western music theory—rooted in systemic analysis and propelled by love.
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