Critical Review #2: Anthony Seeger "Ethnography of Music"

Anthony Seeger in his article "Ethnography of Music" provides a very brief ethnography of a performance as a illustrative, generalizable example of a method of performance ethnography that he advocates in the article. This method is centered around asking a number of questions about the content (what and how), the significance (what and why) and the context (where and when) of a performance. These questions are asked not only of the researcher, but of the audience, performers, and other participants such as club owners. These various perspectives constitute the final question, who, and lead to a deeper understanding of the motivations and interpretations of those people involved in a performance. Seeger closes by urging the ethnographer to strive for a holistic view of the music culture, not a microscopic or exclusive view.

Discussion Question: What is the danger of viewing a performance from a single perspective, if indeed there is one? Are multiple perspectives always objectively better than one?