Metoder och problem inom Nordens musikarkeologi

Bakgrund och nuläge'

Abstract

Methods and problems in Scandinavian archaeomusicology.
Background and present situation
Research on music and music customs in early Scandinavia should have as its aim an understanding of the nature, practice, and purpose of music and sound within the behavioural patterns and ideology of ancient Scandinavian cultures. Systematic research, termed archaeomusicology, on ancient Scandinavian music was started by the author in the early 1970s. As a discipline, it is still searching and experimenting. It must make use of all forms of both specialised and interdisciplinary methods which can be judged as contributing to the fulfilment of its objectives. The designation archaeomusicology indicates this discipline's affinities with the fields
of both general archaeology and musicology. Archaeomusicology shares the interest of other branches of musicology (e.g. that of ethnomusicology) to project the history of music as far back in time as possible. However, while ethnomusicology approaches early
history from the present through a gradual retracing of continuous traditions, archaeology attempts to reach early history primarily by proceeding from artefacts. From the point of view of archaeomusicology, the above-mentioned aim could be tackled by means of the following, roughly outlined, stage-by-stage strategy:

Stage 1. To secure a primary material of potential sound-producing devices, sufficiently comprehensive to provide a basis for significant further study.
Stage 2. To evaluate and classify the primary material-geographically, chronologically, typologically, chorologically (i.e., its spread)-by means of theoretical as well as practical analyses.
Stage 3. Interdisciplinary theoretical and practical analyses of larger find groups and find complexes.
Stage 4. Integration of the archaeomusicological results with results from other research fields such as general archaeology, ethnomusicology, art history, religious history, linguistics, communication theory, dance research, etc.
Such a model creates a theoretical structure which can never be followed in this order. It is thus intended only as a hypothetical work plan. At present, archaeomusicology in Scandinavia is dominated by the search for concrete evidence of ancient musical cultures, i.e. archaeomusicology is still essentially at stages 1 and 2 of the above strategy. Our knowledge of music in ancient Scandinavia must be based on surviving musical instruments and other sound-producing devices. Other sources-but so far rare-are contemporary iconographic material and early written texts. Archaeological finds of musical instruments/sound-producing devices are reached mainly by inventories of archaeological collections. Following upon inventory work in Sweden, Denmark and Norway, archaeomusicology can today account for some 1,200 prehistoric finds with sound-producing possibilities. The author classifies this material according to two systems: type classification -primarily according to the Sachs-Hornbostel system from 19 14-and probability
grouping-which means that the finds are divided into five groups according to their potential for use as musical instruments/sound-producing devices. Group 1 is composed of artefacts which clearly have been used for producing sound, such as bronze lurs, bells,
flutes with fingerholes, etc. The objects from groups 2-5 must be analysed to determine which could have been used for sound-producing purposes. In evaluating the finds from groups 2-5, the author normally uses a specially devised combination of various
theoretical and practical methods, including the scrutiny of archaeological data, analogy analyses, controlled practical and experimental trials with original finds or their copies/ reconstructions, laboratory examination, etc. The author also traces sound-producing devices still in use (e.g. among children) which can be considered to have roots in ancient times. This ethnological research-new working methods are presented here-is carried out by the author in cooperation with professor Ernst Emsheimer, Stockholm, to whom the present article is dedicated.