CFP: The Measure of Music Study Day, Monash Univ., Clayton, 16 Aug 2013

CFP: ‘The Measure of Music’ Study Day

An MSA Victorian Chapter Study Day for musicologists, ethnomusicologists, performance researchers and composition scholars

Date: Friday 16th August 1pm – 5pm
Venue: Monash University, Clayton
Submit your abstracts to: info at msavic.org.au
Deadline for Abstracts: Thursday 1st August
Please distribute this to interested parties.

A ‘measure’ in music is a metric unit bounded by two bar lines. It is a marker of time­a representation of the inescapably temporal nature of music, in contrast to the plastic arts of sculpture, painting and architecture. This temporal aspect of music denotes movement, and sometimes pulse and rhythm. It also alludes to the role of memory in our understanding of present musical experiences.

In a broader sense, ‘measure’ can refer to a standard of quality or a process of evaluation. Processes of evaluation rest upon defined notions of value that inform questions about what music should be historically valued and why. They also inform questions about the wider public value of music performance and music research in the current policy climate. These questions have traditionally been the concern of music criticism, aesthetics and history, but increasingly they are becoming central to defining and defending music research generally.

Paper proposals are invited from a range of perspectives to promote constructive and positive discussion of these multiple issues surrounding the ‘The Measure of Music’. Topics may include, but are not limited to Historical and cross-cultural methods of evaluating music; compositional or performance issues related to time, pulse, rhythm or memory; alternatives to current disciplinary metrics in relation to research outputs in music performance and music research generally; the place of music in the humanities today and historically, and broader matters relating to discussing the public value of humanities research.

We are hoping to attract speakers covering a broad chronological and geographical spectrum. Proposals for paper-recitals and contributions from graduate students and “work in progress” papers are most welcome. Speakers will be allocated 20 minutes for their paper and 10 minutes for questions.

Abstracts must be no more than 250 words in length.

Please include any technical requirements needed.

Submit proposals to: info at msavic.org.au by Thursday 1st August