On Music Theory, and Making Music More Welcoming for Everyone: (Music and Social Justice)

Since its inception in the mid-twentieth century, American music theory has been framed and taught almost exclusively by white men. As a result, whiteness and maleness are woven into the fabric of the field, and BIPOC music theorists face enormous hurdles due to their racial identities. In On Music Theory, Philip Ewell brings together autobiography, music theory and history, and theory and history of race in the United States to offer a black perspective on the state of music theory and to confront the field’s white supremacist roots. Over the course of the book, Ewell undertakes a textbook analysis to unpack the mythologies of whiteness and western-ness with respect to music theory, and gives, for the first time, his perspective on the controversy surrounding the publication of volume 12 of the Journal of Schenkerian Studies. He speaks directly about the antiblackness of music theory and the antisemitism of classical music writ large and concludes by offering suggestions about how we move forward. Taking an explicitly antiracist approach to music theory, with this book Ewell begins to create a space in which those who have been marginalized in music theory can thrive.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Intro: On Music Theory Chapter 1: On Music Theory, Race, and Racism Defining Music Theory How Music Theory Has Dealt with Race in the Past Race and Demographic Data in Music Theory Race and Demographic Data in Music Theory Textbooks Final Thoughts on “On Music Theory, Race, and Racism” Chapter 2: On White Mythologies Whiteness White Supremacy Western Civilization and Origin Myths The Western Canon in Music One Example of How the Western Canon Discriminates How the Western Canon Creates Racist Policies: The Foreign-Language Requirement Epistemological Ignorance Final Thoughts on “On White Mythologies” Chapter 3: On Heinrich Schenker and His Legacy Schenker’s Racism Whitewashing Schenker Reframing Schenker How Schenker’s Racism Affects His Music Theory Schenker’s Sexism Teaching Schenker Final Thoughts on “On Heinrich Schenker and His Legacy” Epilogue to Schenker and His Legacy Chapter 4: On Volume 12 of the Journal of Schenkerian Studies White Stories, Black Histories, My Testimony Background Racism in Volume 12 Music Theory’s Assimilationism The Ten Core JSS Response Authors Reactions to the JSS Affair Final Thoughts on “On Volume 12 of the Journal of Schenkerian Studies” Chapter 5: On Music Theory’s Antiblackness The Society for Music Theory’s Outstanding Publication Awards How Music Theory Online Tried to Suppress Publication of “Music Theory and the White Racial Frame” Other Examples of Music Theory’s Antiblackness Final Thoughts on “On Music Theory’s Antiblackness” Chapter 6: On Classical Music’s Antisemitism Differences Between Antisemitism and Racism Examples of Antisemitism in Classical Music Overcontextualizing Antisemitism Antisemitism and Divisiveness in Music Theory Recommendations for Confronting Classical Music’s Antisemitism Final Thoughts on “On Classical Music’s Antisemitism” Outro: On a Path Forward and Music Theory’s Future The 1855 Project Recommendations Final Thoughts on On Music Theory Bibliography

About the Author :
Philip Ewell is Professor of Music Theory at Hunter College of the City University of New York.

Review :
"This book may represent the cusp of a racial reckoning for music theory in the US. [E]veryone—students and faculty—involved in music theory should read it. . . Essential." “Phil Ewell kicked the hornet’s nest in 2019 in a conference paper on the white racial frame of standard music theory. He was not the first to question tonality’s hierarchical principles whereby the dissonant other must be subsumed or eliminated for the sake of harmony: Schoenberg, George Russell, Christopher Small, and feminist theorists have raised similar critiques. But three years of panels, denunciations, and lawsuits have not settled the controversy over Ewell’s presumed transgression. In On Music Theory, he mounts a detailed defense of his arguments, as well as an account of the repercussions that followed in the wake of his talk. A crucial book for those involved in the ongoing debates over covert biases in academic disciplines.” “On Music Theory leaves no doubt about the discipline’s deeply ingrained antiblackness. In doing so, Ewell successfully demonstrates that the problems facing music theory are systemic and not simply the fault of a few bad actors. The book provides a framework and vocabulary that will enable future scholars to identify and challenge racism in the field and demonstrates a new approach to music theory that draws on interdisciplinary scholarship about race.” "It is an essential component of a longer anti-racism reading list for anyone engaging in academic music disciplines today." "On Music Theory is a unique book for a unique time, filled with critical materials and action items that justify its position as a central text in music theory’s antiracist turn. . . . We hope that On Music Theory can begin a new era of disciplinary change based in collective action, respectful disagreement, and methodological diversity." "Ewell deserves profound acknowledgment for doing the grueling work of unraveling a particularly insidious, intractable, and deeply embedded mode of racialized, gendered, and institutionalized hegemony. One can only imagine the experiences that inspired him to write this book, but like the artists mentioned above, he has transmuted those experiences, and by extension those of many others, into a powerful disciplinary critique that is likely to stand as a watershed moment in the evolution of Western music theory." "It should be required reading for all who teach music theory and for all who aspire to work toward racial justice in the academy. Ewell’s book is a gift and an invitation. We must not squander either." "In conclusion, On Music Theory is as much a sincere testimony as it is an informed and documented scientific manual of anti-racism applied to the field of musicology and music theory." [translated from French] "Ewell’s candid, multi-modal scholarship makes for a remarkably dynamic text, one that reaches across disciplinary boundaries as part of a progressive expansion project and, at the same time, opens a window onto the harsh realities of being a figurehead of such a project. . . . While much of the individual and collective work that the field of music theory will need to undertake is still in its nascent stages, those engaged in the rapidly changing state of music studies nearly a quarter of the way into the twenty-first century will find illuminating if sobering perspectives and, hopefully, a renewed faith in the possibility of progress in the pages of On Music Theory. "