The Scope, Method and Aim of Musicology

Guido Adler's "The Scope, Method, and Aim of Musicology" (1885): An English Translation
with an Historico-Analytical Commentary

Author(s): Erica Mugglestone and Guido Adler
Source: Yearbook for Traditional Music, Vol. 13 (1981), pp. 1-21
Published by: International Council for Traditional Music
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GUIDO ADLER'S "THE SCOPE, METHOD, AND AIM
OF MUSICOLOGY" (1885): AN ENGLISH
TRANSLATION WITH AN HISTORICO-ANALYTICAL
COMMENTARY
by Erica Mugglestone
Introduction
In 1884 a triumvirate of Austro-German music historians, Friedrich

Chrysander, Philipp Spitta, and Guido Adler, founded the first journal
of musicology,' the newest fledgeling amongst the sciences,2 namely, the
Vierteljahrsschrift ffir Musikwissenschaft [Musicology Quarterly]. The
first issue opened with a paper written by Adler, defining the scope,
method and aim of the new science. This proved to be a potent formative
influence on the establishment and development of the academic
discipline of musicology in Europe and elsewhere, notably the United
States of America, an influence that is strongly felt to the present day.
Thus, in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1980: s.v.
"Musicology," by Vincent Duckles, et al.), its importance is made
evident in that it is summarised as the still extant model of musicology.
It is the purpose of this paper to render Adler's thought accessible to a

wider readership by: 1) sketching the historical context in which the
paper was written; 2) indicating its themes, metaphors and assumptions;
in a sense, its metalanguage; 3) providing a translation of the text.
With regard to the first two of these aspects, commentary is directed
solely at the paper in question. No attempt is made to determine Adler's
overall philosophy of history or the development of his thought beyond
1885; such would be the aim of a comprehensive assessment of all his
writings. And with respect to the third of the above aspects, in
translating the text, care was taken to adhere as closely as possible to the
original with regard to its semantic content. Thus, for example, the term
Tonkunst is translated generally as 'tonal art', rather than applying the
term 'music' in its stead, in order to retain, if at all possible, some of the
connotations that are implicit in Adler's use of the term, as well as to
prevent the imposition of an interpretation that might not be justified.
However, with respect to Adler's syntax, it was deemed advisable to
break down lengthy sentences and paragraphs into shorter units, and to
utilise punctuation and other typographical formating in order to clarify
Adler's thought and promote ease of comprehension. Where necessary,
notes elucidate problems encountered in translation. For purposes of
clarification, occasionally the original German word is given in square
brackets, as are also interpolations and alternative translations.
2 / 1981 YEARBOOK FOR TRADITIONAL MUSIC
Historical Context
Guido Adler was born at Eibenschiitz in Moravia (then still part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire, now known as Ivancice in Czechoslovakia)
in 1855. Nine years later the family moved to Vienna after the death of
his father, and in his teens he studied theory of music and composition
under Bruckner and Dessoff at the Vienna Conservatory. He intended
taking up a legal career, and studied law at the University of Vienna,
even serving briefly at the Vienna Handelsgericht [Court of Trade or
Commerce], but decided to pursue his interest in music history. In 1880
he was awarded a doctorate with a dissertation on the basic historical
categories of Western liturgical music up to 1600. Two years later he
completed his Habilitation [accreditation as a university lecturer] with a
dissertation on the history of harmony.
In 1882 Adler was appointed as a Privatdozent [unsalaried lecturer] of
music history at the University of Vienna, becoming a professor of music
history at Prague in 1885, the year of publication of the paper in
question. Three years later he returned to the University of Vienna as an
Ordinarius [professor] of music history.3 Here he founded the Institute of
Music History as a centre for musicological research, which became a
model for the subsequent establishment of similar departments in other
universities. He remained there until his retirement in 1927.
Throughout the nineteenth century, Germany and Austria had led the
rest of Europe in establishing modern musical scholarship. As Hanslick's
successor in Vienna, Adler occupied an important musical and academic
position, and his career coincided with the most productive period in
Austro-German musicology. Nevertheless, at the time of his appoint-
ment, within the Austro-German universities the history of music had
lagged behind the other arts in becoming established as an entity
independent of general historiography. Adler was very conscious of the
fledgeling status of the discipline in academia, especially vis-a-vis the fine
arts, and his paper must be read in terms of this specific context.4
Themes, Metaphors and Assumptions

The sequence of thought in Adler's paper may be summarised in terms
of the three aspects of musicology named in its title, that is, its scope,
method, and aim. He begins with a brief outline of the historical develop-
ment of the science of music, from its inception as a self-conscious art,
through successive stages-such as the pragmatics of abstracting rules of
procedure in composition, or the development of notational
symbols-to its modern culmination in a study of the works of art
themselves.
Essentially Adler limits the study of music to that of music perceived as
an art form; and as such it is confined to a study of European, Occidental
music. The focus is on music viewed solely as a product. The
methodology to be applied is that of analysis, and he studies the work of
art in terms of notation, structure (form), and what he calls mood-
substance/aesthetic content, in order to date it historically by means of
the determination of its species. The dating of a work is necessary to
MUGGLESTONE GUIDO ADLER'S MUSICOLOGY / 3
enable the researcher to place it within t

determine the stylistic laws governing the cr
From this Adler derives his dichotomous schematisation of the
discipline of musicology, which he divides into an historical a
systematic section, each of which is discussed in terms of its subject-ar
and its auxiliary sciences. The aim of musicological research he sum
in the closing motto as 'the discovery of truth and advancement of
beautiful'. It is also expressed as one of didactics, both in terms of
contemporary composer, the artiste and the audience.5 Indeed, Ad
perceives the role of the musicologist as somewhat akin to that o
'promoter and defender of the faith', a not unusual quasi-religious p
of view in the nineteenth century, and in this respect he recalls to min
Schumann's imaginative concept of the Davidsbiindler.
Contrary to what is suggested in the article on musicology in the New
Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (ibid.), Adler's style-
orientated methodology is not a part of the "cultural-historical
emphasis" that was "in part a protest against positivism", for it is essen-
tially positivistic in outlook. Collingwood defines positivism as
"philosophy acting in the service of natural science" (1980:126), and
states that natural science, in the view of the positivists, "consisted of
two things: first, ascertaining facts; secondly, framing laws." The former
was "only the first stage of a process whose second stage was the
discovery of laws", which were to be framed "through generalising from
these facts by induction". The framing of laws was the goal of scientific
endeavour. To quote Adler, the "actual focal point of all music-historical
work" is the "investigation of the laws of art of different periods", this
taking "the highest precedence"; and again, "to attain his main task,
namely, the research of the laws of art of diverse periods and their
organic combination and development, the historian of art utilises the
same methodology as that of the investigator of nature; that is, by
preference, the inductive method . . the emphasis here lies in the
analogy between the methodology of the science of art and that of the
natural sciences".
In order to show how Adler's thinking was shaped by the natural
sciences, both in his use of metaphor and as the paradigms of his method,
it is as well to outline briefly developments in the natural sciences in the
nineteenth century and to relate these to his text. Rapid strides were
made especially in the sciences of geology, biology, and organic
chemistry, and the first two are mentioned by Adler.
The comparative method, developed in comparative anatomical
study, shaped that applied in other natural sciences.6 The development
of the science of geology owed much to such a use made of palaeon-
tological observation. In 1799 William Smith was digging canal beds in
England, and noticed that the same type of fossils were to be found in the
same type of rock strata. Using this knowledge, he devised a table of
stratigraphic units, and built up a geologic map of England, Wales, and
part of Scotland. At around the same time, Georges Cuvier and
Alexandre Brongniart similarly observed that fossils are generally the
same in corresponding beds of rock, but differ fairly markedly from

bed to another. In this way they separated the Tertiary strata of
and central France into natural units and arranged these in chronolog
sequence. Palaeontology thus provided a vista into past aeons, bec
an ally not only of stratigraphy, but also contributing to biolo
research by validating the recognition of the antiquity of life on ear
this way it supported the concept of evolution, which in its turn cha
palaeontology from a practical rule-of-thumb technique into a f
fledged science.
In establishing musicology as an academic discipline, Adler
attempting to make the study of the history of music scientif
comparing his own book, Der Stil in der Musik (1911), with Parry's St
in Musical Art, published in the same year, he described Par
approach as "primarily artistic", stating that he himself "stresse
scientific side" (1934:172). His own research experience led him to r
the palaeological dating of a work of art as the first step in musicolo
investigation. In a sense, this procedure is analogous to the palae
tological dating of rock strata; one is thus studying the musical
record for the same purpose, that of dating.
Moreover, the concept of a geological stratum is associated
another commonplace nineteenth century notion, derived from J
Gottlieb Fichte's idealistic philosophy of history. Fichte claimed that
period of history has a character of its own which is concretely embo
in a single idea. In Fichte's hands, the Kantian notion that history
unfolding of a 'natural' plan which is carried out through human agen
became a logical sequence of successive characteristic 'ideas', which
virtue of their logic, provide the dynamics of cause and effect, a
historical processes, the sequence suggesting the periodisation of histo
As regards biology, the modern concept of species, which originated
the seventeenth century, was applied in particular by Linnae
classifying plants and animals. Early hypotheses tracing possible lines
continuous descent between species and genera finally flowered i
concept of natural evolution. The dynamics of evolution permeate
nineteenth century world-view, in history, in sociology, and abov
in biology. It is therefore not surprising that Adler's metaphor
language is rich in images of organic growth and decay, and tha
concept of music history is evolutionist. His style-critical method beg
with an anatomical dissection of a work of art in order to ascertain its
species, and his framing of stylistic laws can, in a sense, be equated with
determining the laws of musical 'natural selection'.7
Although Adler's views on the artist as creative genius 'building a
temple in the grove', and on music as an art form, reflect standard nine-
teenth century aesthetic concepts, it should be noted that his empirical
style-critical method owed much to contemporary art historical writings.
As Kuhn states (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 14th ed., s.v. "Aesthetics"),
in 1864 Hippolyte Taine "proposed that styles of art should be studied in
the same way as the kinds of plants are studied by the botanist and as
subject to evolutionary development." In Germany this approach was
adopted by such art historians as Burckh

of styles in the visual arts came to be t
science of art), and was both historical a
discipline sought to grasp underlying t
through epochs, rather than studying indiv
been pointed out that Adler showed a dee
the field of art history, regarding the scie
sciences, so that to speak of a 'tonal art
view, both logical and justifiable.
THE SCOPE, METHOD AND AIM OF MUSICOLOGY
Guido Adler
Musicology originated simultaneously with the art of organising

tones." As long as natural song breaks forth from the throat freely and
without reflection; as long as the tonal products well up, unclear and
unorganised, so long also there can be no question of a tonal art. Only in
that moment when a tone is compared and measured according to its
pitch-at first this is done by ear, then with instruments that measure
pitch-; at that moment when one takes account of the organic relation-
ships between several tones and tonal phrases bound into a unified
whole, and the imagination organises their product in such a way that
they may be assumed to be based on primitive-aesthetic norms, only
then can one speak of a musical knowledge as well as an art of working
with tonal material.
All peoples of whom it can be said that they have a tonal art, also have
a tonal science, even if not always a developed musicological system.
The more advanced the first, the more developed is the second. The tasks
of musicology vary according to the state of development of the tonal
art. In the beginning the science endeavours especially to determine,
define and explain the tonal material. This accounts for the importance
of the musical canon amongst the Greeks, that is, the teaching of the
mathematical determination of intervals, and the ranking of scientia
musicae with arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy by many mediaeval
writers. Within a short time the demands [on the science] increase; music
is classed amongst the liberal arts, and the young student of tonal art and
tonal science is presented with a complex system of musical maxims
which have been abstracted from particular tonal products. The symbols
for tones are developed, and their pitch and duration are measured and
regulated more accurately. Indeed, for a time tonal production is
muzzled and curbed by these rules and measures, until it again paves for
itself a pathway; and once more the demands on the science alter. It
should clarify the relationship between musical art and the art of poetry,
and should delimit the field appropriate to tonal art. The genuine, true
artist carries on working unconcernedly; the scholar of art now
confronts the investigation of the products of art. The modern science of
art will base its research above all on the works of art. Which are then
those factors or features which will guide the scientific examination of a
tonal work?
If a work of art is under consideration, it must first of all be defined
palaeologically. If it is not written in our notation,9 it must be
transcribed. Already in this process significant criteria for the determina-
tion of the time of origin of the work may be gained. Then the structural
nature of the work of art is examined. We begin with the rhythmic
features: has a time signature been affixed, and if so, which; which
temporal relationships are to be found in the parts; how are these
grouped and what are the characteristics of their periodic recurrence?10
One could just as well begin with tonality, namely, the tonal nature of
individual voices and only then that of the whole-as was customary for
a time in the Middle Ages, but is today, with justice, no longer the case.
The individual parts are examined with respect to cadences, transitions,
and accidentals, and placed in relation to the whole. Thereafter the
polyphonic construction must be clarified: also the range [ambitus] and
distribution of the voices; the imitation of themes and motives depending
on their entries at different pitch-levels, and the different time-intervals
of their succession; whether themes are augmented or diminished,
inverted or placed in opposition to each other; further, the management
of consonances and dissonances, their preparation and resolution or free
entry. The way in which the individual voices move in terms of one
another is then pursued; the relationship between main and subsidiary
voices, the adoption of a cantus firmus, the way it is employed and
broken down into segments, and the way in which the themes and
motives are carried through, are considered and determined.
Should the composition have a text, then this is critically examined; at
first only as poetry, then in reference to the way it has been set or
combined with the melody. Here one must go into the accentuation, and
the prosodic characteristics in relation to the musical-rhythmic elements.
The treatment of the text offers further important clues with respect to
the evaluation of the work.
If the composition is purely instrumental, then the way in which the
instrument or instruments are handled, must be gone into. The
instrumentation must be examined, that is, the way in which the instru-
mental sound-groups and -bodies" are united and separated, contrasted
and blended. Together with this, the realisation [Ausfiihrung]-better
still, the pragmatics involved in performance or realisation [Aus- oder
Auffiihrbarkeit]-can be considered; the fingering on the instruments to
be used in this instance, the manner of performance, the intensity of
volume of sound at different points, the distribution of the [instrumental]
voice types, etc.
When the main features are established and special particulars have
been ascertained according to the individual nature of the work, then one
can address the question, to which species12 of art does the piece belong,
namely, to which species according to the perception of the period when
the work of art originated, and in our view. With this we approach-for
us-the important definitive decision abo

work, and here we can distinguish:
(a) the period in which it was created;
more specifically the school, or finally it
a particular artist, and in the latter c
creative period of the composer [des To
The older the work, the harder it is to
date to the period of origin.
(b) it can also happen that a work ori
according to its nature, it no longer belo
a past artistic epoch. One can compare
with geological strata, even if only on
as the earth's crust was fashioned out
different epochs, so also the total pictur
tive artistic character. In such a case we
between the period of actual origin an
belongs by its nature. And even then
features in the work which betray
analogous characteristics, it yet does n
spirit of the age to which it belongs b
texture. One says then that the work is
or that period or school, this or that c
The determination of the mood-substance

aesthetic content, may be seen as the to
Frequently, of course, this counts as the
of critical analysis. Scientifically speakin
only when the other determinations ha
attempts to grasp first of all the specif
However, in most cases it will be a futile ef
words, and even when a poetic subject, w
served the composer [Tondichter] as th
would be a courageous undertaking to
analogy, as regards their identity and t
mood-substances appropriate to both par
likely to be relatively easier in musical-
action offers a firmer basis [for such ap
These are, in general outline, the object
logical research. From this the system of t
It consequently subdivides15 into an hist
The history of music organises itself16
small-or according to peoples, territorie
of art; the summing-up is either chrono
logical and regional. In the final and hi
history of music looks at artistic creat
concatenation and their reciprocal influe
ation given to the life and effect of indi
pated in this steady development.
The subjects of the historical section are as follows:

(1) the knowledge of notations. As already mentioned, the mus
symbols stand in intimate relation to the art itself. The mediae
notation symbols especially, determine and stipulate the production
so that one can already achieve an historical categorisa-
tion-perhaps the chief--of European, Occidental music, according
to the diversity of notational symbols, into the epoch of the neumes,
the epoch of mensural notation, and that of metric denotation;"' a
division that roughly approximates the subdivision into Roman,
Gothic, and Renaissance epochs as applied in the field of archi-
tecture.
(2) the summing-up of historical groups [categories], usually called

musical forms. The tonal products of a particular period mutually
have, on the one hand, features in common, and on the other hand,
different features which are suited to placing them in distinct
categories. The motet, frottola, villanella, madrigal, praeambulam,
ricercar, sonata, suite, symphony (in the modern sense), etc.,
belong, as regards their development, to specific periods, and in this
way excellent insights [viewpoints] may be gained towards an
overall [iibersichtlichen] art-historical evaluation. It is probably not
necessary to mention here how frequently names and terminology
are arbitrarily shifted and misused.
(3) the investigation of the laws of art of different periods, which
takes the highest precedence; this is the actual focal point of all
music-historical work. The most satisfying task of the scholar of art
is to demonstrate and establish how, proceeding from the beginnings
of simple melody, the structure of works of art gradually grows;
how, proceeding from the simplest thesis, the artistic norms latent in
the tonal products become more and more complicated; how tonal
systems pass away with disappearing cultures; how, little by little, a
chain of cells attaches itself to a limb and so grows organically; how
elements standing outside the mainstream of progressive develop-
ment perish because they are not viable. One can say that the laws of
art change with the generations; as manifold as the changes are, art
attains different stages which, with reference to the beauty attainable
within their limitations, cannot be overstepped.
In the explication of the laws of art of a particular period, one mu
distinguish between those principles that are discerned in the practice of
art and those that are taught as theory, because the theoreticians, for th
most part, only follow in the footsteps of history at a certain distan
and while life pulses on, they reflect on what is past. Only with regard
this aspect can the division into theoretical and practical music
approved. In the actual strict sense of the word, there is no such thing a
theoretical music, but rather a theory of music. As theory is usually
conflict with contemporary practice, one hit upon the not very apt term
'theoretical music', to which many French music researchers i
particular, cling still to this day.
It has seldom occurred that a theoretician has pulled ahead of histor
and then it was usually a blunder which the art practices of the d
ignored. To single out but one instance: Hie

to introduce musica colorata in the second hal
long before music was ready to take up ch
attempt remained isolated, and was, des
impossible proposition. It may also happen
to be found united in one person. Then we mu
operates in the spirit of his age or in that
instance, the task of investigating the laws of
is made easier; however, one must always, a
art themselves at the centre of investigation.
The explanation of the various ways in
intimately connected with these laws. Vocal
have changed with the progress of art.
technique has acted as an influence on the
particularly the case with instruments
occasionally, on the one hand detracted fr
extended, creative activity. Frequently
performer demands to which he can do justice
study. In the beginning the performing artist
in their rendering, generally by their insti
tation becomes clearer and more established
develops. Performing artistes have taken a
juncture, in the production of art, namely
ornamentation. This feature owed its ap
unnatural impulses, and, in the seventeenth
teenth centuries, like a creeper or parasite
deplete of nourishment the healthy tree.
The instrumental realisation of polyp
different instruments, at the time of the flow
was also generally left to the practising m
instrumentation germinated in the ensuing
with the history of orchestration is the histo
regards their construction and usage-a
historical section of musicology.
A great number of auxiliary sciences are affilia
musicology:
(1) general history, with its ancillary scien
chronology, diplomatics, bibliography, lib
knowledge; and in the field of musicology, m
and bibliography are especially important anci
(2) the history of literature, and philology, w
connected with music research, in the same w
the musical tone is inseparable from the word;
(3) history of the mimetic arts (orchestics an
likewise organically linked with music; and fin
(4) the biography of composers [Tondichter] as
of musical associations and art institutions. In rec
ical studies have disproportionately pushed thei
front of scholarly attention and have even been regarded as

musicology Xar' o'yv ,19 whereas they constitute in reality only
an ancillary field of musicology-even though an important one, to
be sure. In this field, besides the products of art of the composer in
question, only those aspects should be examined which stand in a
direct or indirect relationship to the artistic temperament [Artung]
-a guideline observed by some excellent biographies. Such aspects
include the physical nature of the artist, his education, the models
which he studied and whose style he has absorbed, the influence of
the environment on his artistic outlook, the artistic position he
occupies, those events which have profoundly affected his emotional
life, the way in which he composes, his attitude towards the other
arts, as well as, finally, his ethical and cultural standpoints.
The second main subdivision in musicology is that of the systematic
section. This rests on the historical section, and may be divided into
three parts:
(a) a music-theoretical section, which is really speculative,
(b) a music-aesthetical section, and
(c) a music-paedagogical section.
In this subdivision those laws of art which have emerged from the
historical development as the highest-I say highest and not latest, as
these two concepts do not always entirely coincide-are systematically
organised, and are either:
(a) clarified and founded as such, or
(b) [viewed] with regard to the beautiful in art, the criteria of which
are being determined, or finally
(c) [explicated] with reference to a paedagogical-didactic purpose.
The objects of investigation of critical research determine here the sub-
division into:
(1) rhythm, that is, the summing-up and clarification of all the rules,
norms and laws affecting the temporal properties of musical works;
the absolute musical rhythm in relation to the dynamics of all bodies
and the metre and prosody of languages.
(2) harmony, that is, the summing-up and clarification of the tonal
properties of successive tonal series, and contemporary ways of
connecting tones and tonal progressions; the formation and
foundation of the tone system, that is, the unified overview of the
tonal material of each cultural epoch.
(3) melody, that is, the results deriving from both of the afore-
mentioned subdivisions yield the investigation of the internal
relationships, the reciprocity of the rhythmic and harmonic elements
of the works of art. One could call this section "Melik", which it has
already sometimes been termed (even if not, to the best of my
knowledge, with this precise signification). It explains the peculiar-
ities of monophonic, homophonic and polyphonic music, and so
attains, through the medium of thematic study--that is, the scientific
investigation of the significance and rank of musical ideas in a work
of art-the consideration of the so-called musical art forms, that is,
the abstractions from the various mono-

structures. "Melik" is either absolutely music
prosody and metre, in which case it extends
tion to diction.
The formation and foundation of the highest laws of art lead, of
necessity, to the comparison of individual norms. Their evaluation and
comparison lead, thus, to the field of aesthetics.* The elevation of
specific principles and rules to the aforementioned height demands that
the researcher occupy himself, on the one hand, with the works of art,
and on the other hand, with the minds of the perceiving subjects. Two
goals, therefore, confront the researcher, and to get to the bottom of
their reciprocal relationships must be the ultimate aim of aesthetics.
Above all, however, what is at stake is the recognition of the criteria that
make a work of art; those features that characterise a work as an artistic
product. Is every tonal product a work of art? Generally speaking, only
those which bear the criteria of the beautiful in art in themselves are
designated as works of art. Therefore the prevenient question must be
answered, what is the beautiful in music and how is this related to the
general concept of the beautiful in art? Through this determination all
tonal products in which these criteria are not demonstrable, are at the
same time designated as inartistic.
One could pose the question, however, also in another way: must
every work of art be beautiful? Are those tonal products which do not
correspond to these criteria of the beautiful not also works of art? For
example, the requiem litanies in parallel seconds and fourths-as they
were customarily sung in Italy, particularly in the Ambrosian liturgy in
Milan; are these only pathological manifestations of anguish and
contrition, or are they already works of art? They are, to be sure, the
latter, in the sense that a certain technical skill is required in order to
perform them, but do they correspond as a result also to the demands of
the beautiful in art?20 These questions are of the greatest significance, not
only for the determination of the beautiful in art, but also for other
theses directly or indirectly connected therewith, which in total
constitute that complex usually characterised as the aesthetics of tonal
art.
Some of the most important points are here extracted:

(a) origin and effect of music. Is the effect necessarily greater when
the means of expression becomes richer and multifarious?
(b) the relationship of tonal art to nature. Are there also tonal
systems that are contrary to nature, as Goethe maintained?
(c) the relationship of music to culture, climate, and the national
economic relationships of a people; for, besides the purely musical
factors, still others affect the progress of art outside of the specific
constructional elements, the influences of which on the development
of art cannot be overlooked.
* The expression "Philosophy of Music", used by Fetis to describe "the investigation of

artistic products and their changes", suffices neither for historical nor for aesthetic
musicology; this only mixes up the terms of different scientific fields.
(d) the subdivision of tonal art according to the nature of its orig
or the locality where it is practised, or the purposes which it serv
[for example], church, chamber, concert hall, theatre, opera,
(e) the limits of tonal art with reference to its ability to express;
delimitation of sound materials that may be utilised, as oppos
other sounds or noise;21 those areas in which it is connected t
divorced from the other arts. Here we must also discuss the transi-
tions into the amorphous and the fortuitous (according to Goethe's
designation).
(f) the ethical effects of tonal art, as ethics stands in immediate
relation to music, both according to the older as well as the more
modern philosophers, whilst some speak of an ethical basis for
musical feeling. Modern philosophers also pose the question
concerning the position music takes in relation to metaphysics,
which can be regarded as the touchstone of all these considerations.
Beside these scientific questions there are some musical issues of the
day which disturb the souls of art-enthusiastic friends of music and art-
hostile zealots, and cleave asunder large multitudes into enemy camps;
as, for example, the musical tapeworm:22 "when did the apogee of
religious tonal art occur, or what is genuine church music?" Further-
more, [there is the question of] the strife about rank between vocal and
instrumental music, which was already stimulated by Plato and
Aristotle; or the musico-political question: in the musical drama, does
the word or the tone predominate, or does the action reign supreme? The
settlement of these and similar issues arouses the interest of many who
are otherwise indifferent, and the resolution of them lies latent in art and
science.
As the third main subsection of the systematic subdivision we may
name musical paedagogy and didactics. If the laws are established in
abstracto and founded in the natural sciences, then they must be sifted
and put together with a didactic purpose in mind. Accordingly, this
provides the general rudiments of music, which comprises the basis of
musical knowledge; for example, the structure of scales, the nature of
intervals and various rhythms, etc.; a theory of harmony, that is, the
tenets concerning the combination of harmonies; the teaching of counter-
point, that is, concerning the simultaneous or successive combination of
two or more independent voices; a theory of composition; and further-
more the didactic methods used in vocal and instrumental training.
The series of disciplines named is not necessarily the only possible or
even the best arrangement of the didactic section. For two centuries this
hierarchy has been valid, and only in recent times does one regard the
theory of harmony as superfluous, indeed, even as damaging. Even if
these instances are accepted, the progress of the discipline would not be
materially altered, as then the basic tenets would have to be subsumed
under the general theory of music. A more exact organisation within the
individual disciplines would seem, however, to be urgently required.**
** This subject will be treated more fully in a special paper.
The relationship of this paedagogical su

scientific one can be generally expressed as the
satisfied to select the norms and rules necessar
to present the propositions laid down and e
without going into research and deeper subs
on the natural sciences). It teaches, for exa
consecutive fifths when writing strictly to ru
to account for the grounds underlying this
history the period of its introduction, bringin
prohibition the fact that at one time no one pa
-indeed, [which one may describe as] the do
way of combining sequences of fifths. It pursu
the prohibition's application, and then, havi
historical question, turns to the investigatio
physiological nature of the ear, considering
dependence upon the alteration of the p
detailed determination as to which cases justify
of consecutive fifths, and in which cases it
observed by more free-wheeling practice. In
fashions the basis on which the discipline is
A new and very rewarding adjacent field o
subdivision is 'musicology', that is, compara
as its task the comparing of tonal products, in
various peoples, countries, and territories, w
in mind, grouping and ordering these ac
[differences] in their characteristics.
The auxiliary sciences of systematic music
-acoustics with its associated field, mathem
-physiology, particularly in those areas co
-psychology, particularly in those areas
conceptualisation of tones and interval
practical counterpart thereof, namely
thinking, which may be regarded as a par
-grammar, metre and poetics;
-and, as an ancillary field to the musical
general paedagogics.
Manifold other areas of knowledge may a
stand partially in the interchange of ideas;
unnecessary to mention (see Table I).
The methodology of musicological research
the subject under investigation. In palae
researcher applies every means usually cha
research in the historical auxiliary sciences.
manuscript researcher and the palaeograph
field of [musical] notation he must tread certa
one side of the broad mainstream. Here experie
philological and literary historical matters, t
anew every pathway that the science in qu
TABLE 1
In Tabular Form, an Overview of the Entire Construction*** appears th

MUSICOLOGY
I. HISTORICAL
(History of music according to epochs, peoples, empires, nations
cities, schools of art, artists).
A. Musical B. Basic historical C. Historical D. History of musical

palaeography categories (Grouping sequence of laws. instruments.
(notations). of musical forms). 1. As they are
presented in the
works of art of every
epoch.
2. As taught by the
theoreticians of the
age in question.
3. Ways of practising
art.
Auxiliary sciences: General History with Palaeography, Chronology, Diplomatics,

Bibliography, Library and Archival Science.
History of Literature and Philology.
Liturgical History.
History of Mimetic Arts and Dance.
Biographies of composers, Statistics of musical associations,
institutes and performances.
*** For purposes of comparison, the synoptic table according to Aristides

Quintilianus, which contains the most comprehensive overview of the Greek
system of musical didactics, is given.
SYSTEM OF MUSIC
I. 9EQPHTIKON (Theoretical or speculative section)
A. uvaOr dv (Physical-scientific) B. re(vuL6vu (Special-technical)
a. caPLO/rTLXr b. wvauxr? c. dp/ovuwx? e. /Ierptj?

(Arithmetic) (Physics) (Harmony) d.(Rhythm)
(RvOytm (Metrics)
II. SYSTEMATIC
(Establishing of the highest laws in the individual branches of
B. Aesthetics of tonal
A. Investigation and C. Musical D. "Musicology"
founding of these art. paedagogics and (Examination and
laws in: 1. Comparison and didactics (The comparison for
1. Harmony (tonal). evaluation of these compilation of these ethnographic
2. Rhythm laws and their laws with respect to purposes).
(temporal). relation to the teaching purposes).
3. Melody perceiving subjects, 1. Scales.
Coherence25 of tonal with respect to the 2. Theory of
& temporal. ascertaining of the harmony.
criteria of the 3. Counterpoint.
musically beautiful. 4. Theory of
2. The complex of composition.
directly and indirectly 5. Orchestration.
related questions. 6. Vocal &
instrumental teaching
methods.
Auxiliary sciences: Acoustics and mathematics.

Physiology (tone sensation).
Psychology (tone perception, tone-judgement, tone-feeling).
Logic (musical thinking).
Grammar, metrics, and poetry.
Paedagogics.
Aesthetics, etc.
II. IlPAKTIKON- fAIAETTIKON (Didactic or practical section)
C. X pjrxdv (Theory of composition) D. Qa irgtXvxdv Performance praxis)
f. yjtXoroda g. 5v6pOorolda h. ro(lqats i. 6p?apvteX

k. AtxrJ l. Oroxptrtx-q
(Melodic (Rhythmic (Poetics) (Instrumental (Singing) (Dramatic
composition) composition performance) action)
or applied
rhythm)
however, he will have to proceed with a litle more caution because,

whilst many philologists have succeeded splendidly and have veered of
the path of life, every historian of art, on the contrary, must listen to t
life pulse of the artistic forms and would not wish to kill them with his
probe.
To attain his main task, namely, the research of the laws of art of
diverse periods and their organic combination and development, the
historian of art utilises the same methodology as that of the investigator
of nature; that is, by preference the inductive method. From several
examples he extracts that which is common and separates those aspects
which differ, and utilises also the method of abstraction in which, from
given concrete conceptions, particular sections are neglected and others
preferred. The setting up of hypotheses is also not inconceivable. A more
detailed explication of the foregoing is reserved for a special paper; the
emphasis here lies in the analogy between the methodology of the science
of art and that of the natural sciences.
The setting up of the highest laws of art and their practical utilisation
in musical paedagogics reveal the science in unmediated contact with the
actual life of art. The science attains its goal to its fullest extent only
when it remains in living contact with art. Art and the science of art do
not exist in separate compartments, the boundaries of which are sharply
drawn; rather it is far more one and the same field, and only the way in
which each is treated differs.
The artist builds his temple in the grove, in the grove where fragrance
is newly revived, time and again, from freely growing flowers. The
theoretician of art tills the earth; he educates the disciples to his life's task
and accompanies the inspired creator as a lifelong companion. Should
the scholar of art observe that matters are not turning out in the best
interests of art, then he directs it onto the proper course. If the building is
already erected, then the historian of art protects and defends it and
repairs the damaged portions. Should it become quite dilapidated, then
he buttresses it in order to preserve it for future generations. With these
operations, however, the true friend does not content himself. He
arranges and organises the whole, and in this way makes it more
accessible to the public. Should it be stormed or brought down, then he
surrounds it or withdraws it a certain distance, and saves it in this way
for periods that will once again show the proper appreciation of it.
One of his loveliest tasks, however, is to keep fresh the living flower
garden of the earthly kingdom by arousing and furthering the necessary
interest. Unfortunately, most of the writers on art have endeavoured to
withdraw from this exalted duty. Ultimately they are the guardians of
order. They codify, as has been shown, the correct practice that has
become law; however, they must-or rather should-also keep it flexible
with regard to life's exigencies. When the artist abandons the region of
his forefathers in order to conquer a new territory, then the historian of
art does not allow the old to become deserted and desolate, but at the
same time takes upon himself the dual task of assisting, with his army of
helpers, the artist in the occupation [of the territory] by lending a hand in
making the newly acquired soil arable, and

needed to construct a new work. His exper
young builder. Should the latter, through
helpful participation, then he will either fa
building,23 or the building will soon co
unstable ground and is unable to withstand
From the cradle to the grave the researc
artist; the spiritual children of the latter, the
be shielded and defended by the historian
independence of judgement in the case of the
obligatory to retain the same attitude also
artist. Voltaire's expression "son doit des eg
aux morts que la verites"24 implies, despite
greater danger, namely, that, just as one sh
towards one person, towards another one
and so allows oneself to be guided by pred
antipathies, whose distortions stain many a pa
about art. As a result, the most import
"Concerning the living as the dead, nothing
Besides the pursuit of its absolute endeav
which it regards itself as an end in itself, not
wider practical utilisation-the science will t
comprehension and evaluation of the variou
basis, to the most important result of its inve
of the supreme laws within the individual b
of the confusion in the contemporary state
vacillation in artistic production, it will con
ment of the present situation of art. It has be
expansion of the science of art is a certain
However, it has been explained above th
impossible without a knowledge of art. Sh
reflection and research take the upper hand, t
being merely demonstrate that historical ap
This has, however, long been recognised as
apperception of works of art.
If the science of art keeps within its natural
artists in specific tasks, as, for example, i
performing historical works, then it is impos
production of art, quite apart from the fact t
allows itself to be guided and educated but
however, the science itself must grow in stren
terms of the proper evaluation of the tasks
attain mastery.
In the Introduction to the Jahrbiichern fair
[Yearbooks for Musical Science] (Leipzig:
Chrysander wrote:
One should never forego the convictio
which is created by the spirit, little
natural development, will, in the course of gaining

insight, again be unified.
Concerning this field of knowledge especially, he commented further:
The main cause of doubt generally adduced,
namely, that musical science should ever attain
the height or inner perfection of that of the graphic
arts-because music in its essence is too elusive
than that in its field a science could evolve which
could meet the highest demands-is an illusion.
And, as if it had been written to elucidate the foregoing, a section in
Spitta's Festrede on "Art and the Science of Art", given on March 21,
1883, at the Royal Academy of the Arts in Berlin declares:
The science of art, few branches excepted, still
grapples with all the difficulties of the beginner.
Without the backing of a firm tradition, fluctu-
ating in its method and often questionable in its
results, it is considered, even amongst scholars,
more as an adjunct to other scientific disciplines,
because it lacks the power to stand on its own feet.
As it has not only a philosophical, but also a
physical-mathematical, and even an historical and
philosophical side, it reaches, in fact, into various
other independent fields of science, and it is only
its object of research that enables it to claim a
place for itself under the sun. Furthermore, until
now it has scarcely been attempted anywhere to
bring to public recognition, within the world of
science and society at large, the unification of the
diverse directions of the science of art into an
independent whole. Nevertheless, this will have to
occur in the short or long term. The research
material is too rich and important, the prere-
quisites for the researcher's successful overcoming
of these problems are too unique, than that it
could not be assumed that the science of art would
achieve a recognised place amongst its sister
sciences. But, however that may be, it is certain
that here great scientific tasks lie ahead, the
solutions to which must and will be found.
May the present attempt towards a unitary field theory of musicology

contribute towards meeting these needs!
Every step that leads to this goal, every deed that pushes us closer to it,
signifies progress in our human insight. The more sincere the will, the
more effective the consequence; the more comprehensive the expertise,
the more meaningful the product; the more who share in the
undertaking, the more profound the effect [result], which bears the
highest value: Discovery of the True and Advancement of the Beautiful.
The author gratefully acknowledges the considerable help

paper by Professor Dieter Christensen of Columbia Uni
NOTES
1. The term Musikwissenschaft had been in existence since the second quarter of t
nineteenth century, and was fairly established by mid-century. Nevertheles
Chrysander still used the older term 'musikalische Wissenschaft' in the title of t
journal he founded in 1863. By using the term in its title, the new journal set the seal o
approval on its acceptance as the designation for the emerging academic discipline.
is in this sense that it was the first to do so.
2. The English word 'science' is used throughout in its original sense of 'any systematised
body of knowledge'.
3. This was, in fact, the second chair of musicology to be founded in the German-
speaking world. The first was established a year earlier at Strassburg [Strasbourg],
where Jakobsthal took up the appointment.
4. It is no accident that the term Kunst [art], and its derivative and compound
formations, outweigh by a factor of two the term Musik and its derivative and
compound formations. Adler consistently relates the science of music to the science of
art in general.
5. This can be perceived more clearly in Adler's inaugural lecture of 1898, where the
motto now reads: 'through understanding of art, to have an effect on art'.
6. The comparative method was the ubiquitous tool of scholarship in the nineteenth
century, and was applied in fields other than the physical and natural sciences as well,
for example, in linguistics and religion.
7. Stylistic laws reveal a process of selection. As much of Adler's metaphorical language
suggests that he perceived history, and music as an art, in terms of a living organism,
it is not unreasonable to speak of this process of selection as in some way 'natural'.
The essential originality in Darwin's theory of evolution lay in his attributing to
nature the process of selection by means of the concept of survival of the fittest, which
is itself a metaphorical view of nature, conceiving it as having some kind of mind. In
speaking of the investigation of stylistic laws, Adler's imagery is thoroughly
Darwinian. It is not the composer who selects; the musical forms themselves grow,
like chains of cells, or die because they are not fit to survive.
8. Although Adler used the word Tonkunst, in the context of the opening historical
outline of the development of the science of music, it seemed appropriate to translate
the word in terms of this context. However, the opening sentence may be interpreted
as meaning that the concept of 'tonal art' is a modern one, synchronic with the
development of musicology.
9. Adler was referring to pre-nineteenth century systems of notation. The twentieth
century has witnessed a proliferation of notational systems.
10. The verb periodisirt has no English equivalent. The concept of periodicity involves
regular and irregular recurrence, hence the format of the translation.
11. The German word Klang has the connotation of timbre, but is an indefinite concept
which is best translated as 'sound', even though the latter term lacks such a conno-
tation.
12. The word Gattung was similarly translated by Strunk as 'species'-see Adler (1934).
This interpretation is implied by his imagery.
13. The word Tondichter is used as a synonym for 'composer'. Adler may have had the
'sister science' of literary history in mind, or have been using a commonplace
Romantic notion of the composer as poet. The term Tonsetzer presents difficulties.
Did he mean a 'compositor of tones', or a person who sets words to music?
14. The word used is Meister in the sense of a 'master craftsman'.
15. Adler uses the word zerffillt, meaning 'to fall into more than one part', implying a
'natural' division.
16. The verb gliedert indicates that, in Adler's view, the history of music acts like a living
organism in the process of organisation.
17. In the attached table, the term Territorien is replaced with the term Reichen, mean
'empires', thus indicating Adler's underlying thought.
18. The word used is Taktbezeichnung.
19. The phrase means 'par excellence'.
20. In the muscial theory of tonal music, seconds and fourths are dissonant, the latter
heard between the bass and an upper voice; therefore, motion in parallel seconds an
fourths was anathematic.
21. The German language is particularly rich in words for different kinds of sounds. The
words used here are Klang, Schall, and Gerliusch.
22. Adler uses the word Bandwurm metaphorically, indicating that these questions
persist. They are like the tapeworm in having a beginning (head), but no end in sight
as they keep growing a tail.
23. The phrase 'unter Dach bringen ', meaning literally 'to bring under the roof', indicates
a late stage in the construction of stone or brick buildings, where the outer walls have
to be completed to the height at which they will support the rafters before the roof is
put on. In wooden framehouses, the roof is supported by the skeletal framework, and
is put on before the walls are clad.
24. 'One owes respect to the living, and nothing but the truth to the dead'.
25. Adler uses the term Cohdirenz which has the meaning of a 'natural or logical
connection'. This word is closer to his thought than that of 'correlation'-as used in
the translation of the table given in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and
Musicians (1980: s.v. "Musicology")- which suggests relationships of a more
arbitrary nature.
PUBLICATIONS CONSULTED
Adams, F.D.
1938 The Birth and Development of the Geological Sciences. Baltimo
Williams & Wilkins Co.
Adler, Guido
1885 "Umfang, Methode und Ziel der Musikwissenschaft." Vierteljahrsschrift
fiir Musikwissenschaft 1: 5-20.
1898 "Musik und Musikwissenschaft." Jahrbuch der Musikbibliothek Peters 5:

29-39.
1934 "Style-Criticism." Musical Quarterly 20 (2): 172-176.
1935 Wollen und wirken: aus dem Leben eines Musikhistorikers, Vienna,
Leipzig: Universal.
Carner, Mosco
1944 "A Pioneer of Musicology: Guido Adler." In Of Men and Music, pp.
14-16. London: Joseph Williams Ltd.
Collingwood, R.G.
1946 The Idea of History, Oxford: Oxford University Press; OUP paperback
1956; reprint ed., 1980.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 14th ed. (1973).
S.v. "Aesthetics," by Helmut Kuhn; "Comparative Anatomy," by
Florence Moog; "Darwin," by Sir Gavin de Beer; "Darwinism," by Loren
Corey Eiseley; "Evolution," by Sewall Wright; "Geology," by Chester
Ray Longwell; "Science, History of," by C. Stevens; "Philosophy," by
William Henry Walsh.
Engel, H.
1950 "Die Entwicklung der Musikwissenschaft, 1900-1950." Neue Zeitschrift
fiir Musik 111: 16-22.
Ficker, Rudolf von

1946 "Guido Adler und die Wiener Schule der Musikwissenschaft." Osterreich-
ische Musikzeitschrift 1 (6): 185-187.
Fischer, W.
1924-5 "Guido Adlers Methode der Musikgeschichte." Zeitschrift fiir Musik-
wissenschaft 7: 500-503.
Heinz, R.
1969 "Guido Adlers Musikhistorik als historisches Dokument." In Die
Ausbreitung des Historismus fiber die Musik, pp. 209-218. Edi
Walter Wiora. Regensburg: Gustav Bosse.
Jansen, F. Gustav
1883 Die Davidsbiindler aus Robert Schumann's Sturm- und Drang
Leipzig: Breitkopf und Hirtel.
Kiihn, Hellmut, and Mahling, Christoph-Hellmut, eds.
1972 Historische und Systematische Musikwissenschaft. Ausgewahlte
von Walter Wiora. Tutzing: Hans Schneider.
Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart. Allgemeine Enzyklopidie der Musik
Edited by Friedrich Blume. 16 vols.
S.v. "Musikwissenschaft," by Walter Wiora and Hans Albrecht.
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 1980 ed. Edited by Stanle
20 vols.
S.v. "Adler, Guido," by Mosco Carner; "Aesthetics of Music," by F.E.
Sparshott; "Musicology," by Vincent Duckles, et al.
Osthoff, H.
1933 "Die Anfinge der Musikgeschichtsschreibung in Deutschland." Acta
Musicologica 5 (3): 97-107.
Pratt, Waldo Selden
1915 "On Behalf of Musicology." Musical Quarterly 1: 1-16.
Russell, Bertrand
1945 A History of Western Philosophy. New York: Touchstone (Simon &
Schuster).
Sarton, George
1927-31 Introduction to the History of Science. 3 vols. in 5. Baltimore: Carnegie
Institution (The Williams & Wilkins Co.)
Studien zur Musikgeschichte: Festschrift fiir Guido Adler zum 75 Geburtstag:
1930 Vienna: Universal.

The Scope, Method and Aim of Musicology

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The Scope, Method and Aim of Musicology

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Guido Adler's "The Scope, Method, and Aim of Musicology" (1885): An English Translation

with an Historico-Analytical Commentary

International Council for Traditional Music is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize,

In 1884 a triumvirate of Austro-German music historians, Friedrich

It is the purpose of this paper to render Adler's thought accessible to a

Themes, Metaphors and Assumptions

enable the researcher to place it within t

same in corresponding beds of rock, but differ fairly markedly from

adopted by such art historians as Burckh

THE SCOPE, METHOD AND AIM OF MUSICOLOGY

Musicology originated simultaneously with the art of organising

us-the important definitive decision abo

The determination of the mood-substance

The subjects of the historical section are as follows:

(2) the summing-up of historical groups [categories], usually called

ignored. To single out but one instance: Hie

front of scholarly attention and have even been regarded as

the abstractions from the various mono-

Some of the most important points are here extracted:

* The expression "Philosophy of Music", used by Fetis to describe "the investigation of

** This subject will be treated more fully in a special paper.

The relationship of this paedagogical su

In Tabular Form, an Overview of the Entire Construction*** appears th

A. Musical B. Basic historical C. Historical D. History of musical

Auxiliary sciences: General History with Palaeography, Chronology, Diplomatics,

*** For purposes of comparison, the synoptic table according to Aristides

I. 9EQPHTIKON (Theoretical or speculative section)

A. uvaOr dv (Physical-scientific) B. re(vuL6vu (Special-technical)

a. caPLO/rTLXr b. wvauxr? c. dp/ovuwx? e. /Ierptj?

Auxiliary sciences: Acoustics and mathematics.

II. IlPAKTIKON- fAIAETTIKON (Didactic or practical section)

C. X pjrxdv (Theory of composition) D. Qa irgtXvxdv Performance praxis)

f. yjtXoroda g. 5v6pOorolda h. ro(lqats i. 6p?apvteX

however, he will have to proceed with a litle more caution because,

making the newly acquired soil arable, and

natural development, will, in the course of gaining

May the present attempt towards a unitary field theory of musicology

The author gratefully acknowledges the considerable help

1898 "Musik und Musikwissenschaft." Jahrbuch der Musikbibliothek Peters 5:

1934 "Style-Criticism." Musical Quarterly 20 (2): 172-176.

Ficker, Rudolf von

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