MUSIC ECOLOGY AS A MODEL FOR UNDERSTANDING THE SOUND ENVIRONMENT OF CULTURE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/facs-2025-6-54Keywords:
acoustic ecology, sound studies, eco-musicology, musical ecology, sound art, acoustic installations, soundscapeAbstract
The article is devoted to understanding the phenomenon of musical ecology in the context of contemporary humanities research, in particular acoustic ecology, sound studies, and eco-musicology. It examines the evolution of the concept of “ecology” from a biological term to an interdisciplinary category describing the qualitative state of cultural, spiritual, and sound processes. Particular attention is paid to the role of music and the sound environment as factors in the formation of human ecological consciousness in the technologically saturated acoustic space of the 20th and 21st centuries. The purpose of the article is to systematize the main theoretical approaches to musical ecology and acoustic ecology, as well as to identify their significance for the analysis of contemporary cultural and musical practices. The article considers the work of foreign researchers A. S. Allen, W. K. Archer, S. Feld, M. A. Harley, R. M. Schaefer, J. T. Titon, B. Keogh,
and I. Collinson, as well as domestic scholars M. Romanyshyn and O. Chepelik. The methodological basis of the study
is an interdisciplinary approach that combines musicological analysis, cultural and philosophical reflection, sound
studies, and eco-criticism. The work uses historical-theoretical, comparative, and systematic methods that allow us to
consider musical culture as a dynamic ecosystem. The scientific novelty lies in the conceptual generalization of foreign
and domestic approaches to musical ecology and in the emphasis on the soundscape as a key element in the formation
of ecological consciousness in contemporary culture. It is proposed to treat music not only as an artistic phenomenon, but
also as an ecological factor capable of influencing the psycho-emotional and spiritual state of a person. The conclusions
emphasize that musical ecology is an important direction in contemporary musicology, opening up new perspectives
for researching the interaction between humans, sound, and the environment. Music is considered a powerful carrier
of spiritual values and a means of harmonizing the sound space, which highlights the need for further interdisciplinary
research in this field
References
Романишин М. Звуковий ландшафт і екосвідомість у сучасній українській електроакустичній музиці. Наукові збірки Львівської національної музичної академії імені М. В. Лисенка. Вип. 49, 2023. С. 41–44. DOI https://doi.org/10.32782/2310-0583-2023-49-06
Романишин М. Р. Трансформація ідей музичної екології у сучасній композиторській практиці. Наукове обґрунтування творчого мистецького проєкту на здобуття освітньо-творчого ступеня доктора мистецтва за спеціальністю 025 «Музичне мистецтво» . Львівська національна музична академія імені М. В. Лисенка, м. Львів,
92 с.
Чепелик О. Вплив еко-арту і новітніх технологій на формування екосвідомості. Художня культура. Актуальні проблеми. Вип. 17. Ч. 1. 2021. С. 128–144. DOI: 10.31500/1992-5514.17(1).2021.235235
Allen A. S. Ecomusicology. The Grove Dictionary of American Music, 2013. URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.A2240765 (accessed: 07.12.2025).
Archer W. K. On the Ecology of Music. Ethnomusicology. 1964. Vol. 8. №.1. P. 28–33.
Feld S. From Ethnomusicology to Echo-Muse-Ecology: Reading R. Murray Schafer in the Papua New Guinea Rainforest. The Soundscape Newsletter. 1994. (8) June. URL: http://wfae.proscenia.net/library/articles/feld_ethnomusicology. pdf (accessed: 07.12.2025).
Harley M. A. Notes On Music Ecology: As A New Research Paradigm. Los Angeles: University of Southern California, 1996. http://www.wfae.proscenia.net/library/articles/harly_paradigm.pdf (accessed: 07.09.2025)
Keogh B. On the Limitations of Music Ecology. Journal of The Music Research online. 2013. №. 4. P. 1–10. URL: https://opus.lib.uts.edu.aU/bitstream/10453/96982/1/On%20the%20Limitations%20of%20Music%20Ecology.pdf (accessed: 12.11.2025)
Keogh B., Collinson I. “A Place for Everything, and Everything in its Place” The (Ab)Uses of Music Ecology. MUSICultures. 2016. №. 43 (1). P. 1–15. URL: https://www.academia.edu/102260565/The_Ab_Uses_of_Music_Ecology (accessed: 07.12.2025).
Schafer R. Murray. The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment and the Tuning of the World. Rochester (VT): Destiny Books, 1994.
Titon J. T. “Music and Sustainability: An Ecological Viewpoint.” The World of Music, vol. 51, no. 1, 2009, pp. 119–37. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41699866 (accessed: 07.12.2025).
