Free Rhythm: Ethnomusicology and the Study of Music Without Metre

Clayton, Martin

doi:10.1017/s0041977x00031608

Free Rhythm: Ethnomusicology and the Study of Music Without Metre

Clayton, Martin

Authors

Professor Martin Clayton martin.clayton@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Abstract

Like many other rhythmic terms, ‘free rhythm’ is widely enough used to be recognized as part of the vocabulary of musicology, without ever having been convincingly studied or even denned. In general, this term and its various synonyms refer to music without metrical organization. ‘Free rhythm’ is an important musical phenomenon which has been largely neglected by the field of ethnomusicology. This paper discusses the deeper theoretical and methodological problems underlying this neglect.

Citation

Clayton, M. (1996). Free Rhythm: Ethnomusicology and the Study of Music Without Metre. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 59(2), 323-332. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0041977x00031608

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Jun 1, 1996
Deposit Date	Sep 29, 2010
Publicly Available Date	Oct 6, 2011
Journal	Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies
Print ISSN	0041-977X
Electronic ISSN	1474-0699
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	59
Issue	2
Pages	323-332
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1017/s0041977x00031608

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Copyright Statement
© Copyright School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 1996. This paper has been published by Cambridge University Press in "Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies." (59: 2 (1996) 323-332) http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=BSO