Blacking, John (b. 1928 – d. 1990)
John Blacking is probably best remembered for his book How Musical is Man? (1973), which was based upon his fieldwork with the Venda people of South Africa. Its success transcended the English-speaking world, with translations into several languages, including French, Greek, Italian, Serbo-Croatian, and Japanese. Written in a fluid manner, the book – which is actually based upon his John Danz lectures at the University of Washington in Seattle - is accessible to undergraduates and non-specialist readers.
After How Musical is Man?, Blacking produced only one other single-authored book—A Common-Sense View of all Music: Reflections on Percy Grainger's Writings on Ethnomusicology and Music Education (1987)—but he edited two other volumes: The Anthropology of the Body (1977) and The Performing Arts: Anthropological Perspectives (1979). Blacking wrote numerous scholarly articles, many of which can be found in the major ethnomusicological journals. Furthermore, he was the general editor of the Cambridge Series in Ethnomusicology, and he also produced a series of six programs called "Dancing" for Ulster Television that aired in 1988. An extended version of John Blacking’s biography is available here.
Archive Call Number Tape 12003*
Cassette dubbing made. Items on this tape are mostly excerpts intended to complement the musical examples in John Blacking’s book, How Musical Is Man? Thus, alternative versions of songs in the book have been included along with music not originally found in the book.