Ecomusicology between Poetic and Practical

Ecomusicology, or ‘ecocritical musicology,’ is a field that considers the complex relationships between culture, nature, and music/sound. This chapter provides an overview of ecomusicology in four parts. First, I elaborate on that definition and provide a brief intellectual history of the field, particularly in relation to ecocriticism. Second, I develop an approach to the field that considers a range of approaches from poetic to practical – that is, from reflective, aesthetic concerns to political, activist concerns. Third, in order to illustrate those poles and an in-between, I present three examples from my own research: a poetic approach to pastoral symphonies, a practical approach to sustainability and materials for musical instruments, and a middle ground regarding a singer-songwriter. Finally, I provide a brief overview of some implicitly and explicitly ecomusicological works on this continuum from poetic to practical.