CONFERENCE REPORTS

International Association for the Study of Popular Music “Changing Sounds: New Directions and Configurations in Popular Music,” University of Technology Sydney, 9–13 July

The theme of the 10th IASPM conference led to a variety of papers that focused on issues of the musical expression of identity in contemporary popular music. The first three days—with sessions grouped in to topics entitled ‘Songlines, Scenes and Communities: Indigeneity and Locality,’ ‘Roots and Routes: Migration, Identity and Globalisation’ and ‘Talking of Others: Gender, Sexuality, Race and Ethnicity’—dealt with how popular music is used by its practitioners to portray and challenge notions of who we are.

What was of interest to me in these sorts of discussions was that researchers pointed to the strategic ways in which these musical styles expressed a displacement, be that geographical, historical or gendered. Examples include Andy Bennett’s paper ‘Rapping on the Tyne: White Hip Hop Cultures in Northeast England,’ Franco Minganti’s ‘The (Perverse) Imp of Place: The Pseudo-Indigenous Zones of Italian Youth Culture’ and Aline Scott-Maxwell’s ‘Klezmer: Some Australian Interpretations.’

The final two days of the conference examined the implications of policy decisions on music performance as well as the technical aspects of producing, performing and recording. Again, the papers looked at how such processes influence the construction and expression of popular music. From this perspective, popular music becomes labelled and defined externally as representing a group of community. In his paper ‘Cultural Policy and National Identity: The Case for New Zealand Popular Music,’ Roy Shuker illustrated the role of governmental policies in facilitating the local production of popular music. (Yet he also argued that this was often not enough, that what is also required is better access to radio and television for this music to be disseminated.)

This conference was well attended by delegates from numerous countries and regions, including a significant number of postgraduate scholars, whose work illustrates the diversity of research into popular music studies.

MICHELLE DUFFY
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

Music in Nineteenth Century Britain, Department of Music, University of Durham, 8–11 July
3rd Triennial British Musicological Societies’ Conference, University of Surrey, Guildford, 15–18 July
During July I had the good fortune to attend two conference on musicology in the UK: one on nineteenth century British music, held in Durham, and the other the third triennial British Musicological Societies’ Conference, held in Guildford. Both these conferences were very stimulating, and provided an insight into the current status of British musicology which was most encouraging.
The first conference in Durham, was attended by approximately ninety delegates, predominantly from the UK, but with several scholars from the US and Europe. The setting in the old music school of Durham cathedral was idyllic, the weather perfect (!) and the atmosphere of the conference friendly and relaxed. There were three concurrent sessions for the two days’ conference, with approximately fifty papers in total, ranging from Dennis Scott’s lecture/recital-cum-after dinner extravaganza on representations of Cockneys in the music hall (’ave a banana!) to the most conservative repertory and source studies. I was deeply impressed by the breadth and richness of the topics covered, especially given that nineteenth-century British music is not always seen as an area rich in musicological potential.
In many ways the differences between the two conferences could be symbolised by the two geographical settings. The University of Surrey at Guildford is a sprawling modern campus, without the immediate appeal of Durham (although the weather was still perfect) and the BMSC3 conference had a much less cosy style. Several noted scholars gave keynote addresses in the evenings, including Arnold Whittall (a little heavy going as post-prandial entertainment) and Tim Rice, who gave a virtuosic overview of ethnomusicology and Bulgarian music, culminating the use of the Bulgarian bagpipes in Xena, Warrior Princess! As the combined conference of the Royal Musical Association, the Critical Musicology Forum, the Society for Music Analysis, the British Forum for Ethnomusicology and the inaugural Conference on Twentieth-Century Music, there was no defining focus in the papers, which ran in several parallel sessions over nearly four days. I personally found veering from power analyses of Schoenberg to Boulez and the post-modern sublime via the soundtrack of Ally McBeal a little disorienting, but there was certainly a vast amount of interesting and challenging work on display.
By far the most useful thing about both conferences was the opportunity to meet other scholars and talk to them about their (and my) work. I came away from these conferences with a renewed enthusiasm for my work, a clearer understanding of the type of work being undertaken, particularly by the younger scholars whose work is perhaps not so well known, and some new friends, which was well worth the crippling blow to the bank balance.
I would like finish with two, for me, unexpected observations about the state of British musicology. The first is that most papers were not given by graduate students, but by young enthusiastic scholars, perhaps five to ten years out from finishing their doctorates, and establishing themselves in the field. This contrasts with my experience of Australian conferences, which too often seem to be seen primarily as vehicles for graduate students. The second and related observation is that these young scholars actually have academic jobs in universities, are working on substantial projects, and are carving out worthwhile careers. This whole cohort of thirty-somethings appears to be lacking from Australian musicology, no doubt because the jobs just aren’t available. The thought of where it will leave us in twenty years’ time is not encouraging.

SUZANNE COLE
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

MEMBERS’ PUBLICATIONS

Sweethearts of Rhythm
by Kay Dreyfus. Currency Press, 1998. rrp $35
A history of the all-girl dance bands and orchestras in Australia in the 1920s to 1940s, taking in the their influence on popular music, and the role of women in professional music-making in the face of discrimination. Copious photographs and other illustrations are included.

Companion to Music and Dance in Australia
edited by John Whiteoak and Aline Scott-Maxwell. Currency Press, 1999. rrp $95 (hb)
The Companion covers a huge diversity of music- and dance-making in the history of Australia, and contains contributions from over 200 researchers. The volume is organised by topics and themes, rather than by names of individuals and groups.

Playing Ad Lib.: Improvisatory Music in Australia, 1836–1970
by John Whiteoak. Sydney: Currency Press, 1998. rrp $39.95
A cultural history of improvisatory music from colonial minstrel shows to circus bands to experimental jazz and music theatre, based on the author’s PhD dissertation “Australian Approaches to Improvisatory Musical Practice 1836–1970: A Melbourne Perspective” (LaTrobe, 1993).

Musics and Feminisms
ed. Sally Macarthur & Cate Poynton. Sydney: Australian Music Centre, 1999.
This publication contains selected papers from two recent conferences: “Word-Voice-Sound: Interactions around Musics” (1996) and “Resonances” (1997). Victorian authors are Terry Threadgold, Thérèse Radic, and Maree Macmillan. Other authors include Sally Macarthur, Carol Biddiss, Shane Homan, Susan Erickson, Brooke Green, Deborah Hayes, Susan McClary, Suzanne Cusick, Cate Poynton, Hazel Smith, Frances Dyson and Lousie Basett.

Context Nos 15 & 16 (1998)
The latest issue of Context contains articles by Suzanne Cole, Megan Prictor, Catherine Jeffreys, Simon Perry, Adrian Thomas and Efrosini Gialidis, plus a research report by Christopher Mark, composer interviews with Chris Dench and Paul Lansky, reviews of recent publications, and abstracts of recently passed Australian theses.
Contact c.magazine@music.unimelb.edu.au, phone (03) 8344 5256, or visit http://www.music.unimelb.edu.au/Activities/Publications/CONTEXT.html

One Voice, vol. 14.1 (Pentecost 1999)
One Voice is the official magazine of RSCM Australia, and is edited by Geoffrey Cox.  The latest issue includes: Geoffrey Cox on the history of Catholic church music in Australia, articles on music in small churches and the contemporary church-music scene, and reports on the last RSCM summer school and the International Summer School in Choral Conducting.
For information contact: 6/1 Cowderoy St, St Kilda, VIC 3182; (03) 9534 1092.
 

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