Transformationsprozesse innerhalb der traditionellen gälischen Musik Schottlands am Beispiel der Gruppen Runrig und Capercaillie

• Applicant: Dr. Martin Schröder
• Subject Area: Musicology
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 534455547

My dissertation is a fundamental and important research contribution regarding the boundaries of cultural studies, popular music research and ethnomusicology. The central objects of investigation are two music groups from the Gaelic minority culture in Scotland, which has experienced marginalization over the centuries. Hereby, not only the development of traditional Gaelic music has been extensively examined and classified in the context of musical revival movements for the first time. The examination of the work of both bands also fills an obvious gap in the consideration of traditional Gaelic music, namely the inclusion of artists from the field of popular musical styles and the analysis from the point of view of cultural studies. Important sources such as contemporary newspaper and magazine articles and reviews have also been made accessible to a broad public. Numerous transcriptions of excerpts from the works of both bands are published for the first time. A key research method of the work was the implementation of qualitative interviews. This enabled central experts from the scene to be interviewed, which allowed a diverse range of opinions to be drawn on the development of traditional Gaelic music in the past and present. Linguists and cultural scientists assume that by the end of this century a large number of languages and the cultural practices associated with them will have disappeared. In this respect, my work gives a voice to Gaelic musicians and makes a significant contribution to increasing the visibility of an endangered minority culture. At the same time, the work is a plea for more intensive consideration of hybrid popular music styles in the field of ethnomusicology.

• DFG Programme: Publication Grants