The debate around the scope and purposes of musicology as a social practice has recently led to a new awareness of the ideological and political implications related to the practices of music analysis [Broman-Engebretsen 2007; Buch-Donin-Feneyrou 2013], and to the historicization of the contrasting approaches introduced by the New Musicology in the last two decades of the twentieth century [Agawu 2004, MacCutcheon 2014]. At the same time the progressive convergence of the methodologies employed in different fields of music research – from art music to traditional music, from popular music to music in audiovisual communication, from the use of sound in new media to non-musical sound cultures – has clearly revealed the close relationship between the various practices of music analysis and their different epistemological foundations, the latter resting also on specific political and cultural choices [van den Toorn 1996; Scherzinger 2001; Schuijer 2008, Campos-Donin 2009; Guilbault 2014; Earle 2015].

As a result of such trends, music analysis is increasingly conscious both of its social role and of the political dimension that orients its practice. The limits of the approaches based on organicism and graphocentrism, as witnessed by the history of music analysis since the rise of Musikwissenschaft in Europe and by the subsequent reception and implementation of European analytical methods in the United States, have become increasingly evident. This is not to deny the value of the theoretical assumptions inherent in these methodologies, but rather to provide an opportunity to reflect on their epistemological status. Such reflections have led to the introduction of analytical concepts directed not only towards the musical “objects” themselves, but which take account of the musical experience as a whole and its inevitable construction as a social and political act.

In the light of these considerations Analitica is dedicating the Papers section of Volume 10 (2017) to music analysis as a practice grounded in political and pragmatic choices which establish connections between music and its ideological and social contexts.

The proposals should focus primarily, but not exclusively, on four possible areas:

1) the history of music analysis in particular periods and geographical contexts in parallel with social, cultural and political events;
2) the close examination of the policies regarding the inclusion of music analysis in education, as implemented by different institutions and, in particular, by those responsible for musicological curricula in music schools and academic departments. Included in this area is the question of the didactics of music analysis as an important aspect of the teaching of music theory and practice;
3) the role of music analysis as a vehicle for achieving a greater understanding of cultural objects as a manifestation of the relationship between the environment and the artistic community that produces them;
4) the analysis of works and musical practices as a starting point for an epistemological discussion of analytical methodologies in terms of their social, ideological and political implications.

Scholars and musicians are invited to submit their proposals for a short paper (no more than 5,000 words) in Italian or in English relating to one or more of the subjects outlined above. Anyone interested is invited to register with the Analitica website (www.gatm.it/analiticaojs) and to propose to the editors an abstract of their contribution (1,500 characters plus a brief biographical profile of 600 characters) by 15th August 2017. Complete papers will be due for publishing by 30th October 2015. The editors will be responsible for the initial selection of the contributions and for reviewing the texts for online publication. For further information on the publishing and editorial process, prospective authors should refer to the pages on the Analitica website regarding the focus and scope of the journal and the guidelines for authors.