Percy Grainger's contributions to the study of world music and to music education have not received the same attention as those of his contemporaries Bartok and Kodaly.
Taking Grainger's views as his starting point and heading each chapter with a quotation from Grainger's writings, John Blacking restates and reflects upon observations and attitudes which may be considered relevant to contemporary problems of ethnomusicology and music education.
Professor Blacking discusses these issues in the light of his own research, musical experience and convictions. He endorses Grainger's view that 'folk' music is complex (not 'simple), and that individual expression is also important in unwritten music.
He considers three features that Grainger found particularly characteristic of unwritten music: 'irregular' rhythmic patterns, 'lovely' melodies and 'democratic' polyphony; in emphasizing their cognitive, affective and social sources he explores further Grainger's notion that art can generate as well as reflect life.
The final chapters of the book are concerned with the application of the discoveries of ethnomusicology in music education.
A synopsis of twelve lectures given by Grainger in 1934 is reprinted as an appendix together with a list of the records that he used to illustrate them.
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