HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies Volume 17 Number 1 Himalayan Research Bulletin Article 10 1997 Words About Music David Henderson University of Texas, Austin Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya Recommended Citation Henderson, David. 1997. Words About Music. HIMALAYA 17(1). Available at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya/vol17/iss1/10 This Research Report is brought to you for free and open access by the DigitalCommons@Macalester College at DigitalCommons@Macalester College. It has been accepted for inclusion in HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Macalester College. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Words about Music David Henderson School of Music, University of Texas at Austin Kathmandu-in travel literature a rollicking town Grandin worked to document how things have changed, full of "magic confusion" (Chadwick 1987: 37), a Wegner has shown how some people (himself included) "kaleidoscopic" (Pye-Smith 1988: 3-4; Iyer 1988: 79) have used musical practices to preserve their identity profusion of people, cultures, and histories-always despite the changes in the world around them. seems a little more orderly when reading ethnographic A third frame encompasses both of these,· and is works. Looking specifically at ethnomusicological implicit throughout the literature. Ethnomusicology research, two theoretical frames impose order on the has drawn a clear frame around its object: music. Kathmandu Valley. The first is that the changes "Music" frames what is important in our research, and wrought upon traditional lives in an increasingly gives us permission to ignore what isn't.