New Book Chapter Just Published!
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Ch. 8, “Arcadian Tones: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of the Austrian Maultrommel”
Deirdre Morgan
I’m happy to announce that I have a chapter in the new book Shaping Sound and Society: The Cultural Study of Musical Instruments, edited by Stephen Cottrell and published by Routledge. Steve approached me back in 2016 with an invitation to contribute to a collection championing interdisciplinary approaches to the study of musical instruments. I’m honoured to have my work on the jew’s harp appear here alongside colleagues and friends whose work I have long admired.
My chapter “Arcadian Tones: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of the Austrian Maultrommel” draws on my fieldwork in Vienna and Upper Austria, combining historical research with ethnographic interviews to examine how and why the instrument has been revived after a period of obscurity following its “golden age” in the 18th century. I also detail the evolution of Maultrommel playing techniques, adding my own insight as a practitioner of the instrument.
“An essential read for students and academics in the fields of music and ethnomusicology, this volume will also interest anyone looking to understand how the cultural interaction of musical instruments is deeply informed and influenced by social, technological, and cultural change.”
