Oral Histories

Interview of Mantle Hood

UCLA professor of ethnomusicology and founding director of the UCLA Institute of Ethnomusicology.
Subtitle:
Institute of Ethnomusicology, 1961-1974
Series:
UCLA Institute of Ethnomusicology, 1961-1974
Topic:
UCLA and University of California History
UCLA Research Centers and Programs
Music
Biographical Note:
UCLA professor of ethnomusicology and founding director of the UCLA Institute of Ethnomusicology.
Interviewer:
Miller, Dustin
Interviewee:
Hood, Mantle
Persons Present:
Miller and Hood.
Place Conducted:
Office of the Institute of Ethnomusicology in Schoenberg Hall at UCLA.
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.
Interviewer Background and Preparation:
The interview was conducted by Dustin Miller, Gold Shield Intern, UCLA Oral History Program; B.S., Political Science, UC Berkeley; M.L.S., UCLA Graduate School of Library and Information Science.
Processing of Interview:
Dustin Miller edited the interview. He checked the verbatim transcripts of theinterviews against the original tape recordings and edited for spelling, punctuation, paragraphing and the verification of proper nouns. Words and phrases inserted for clarity by the editor have been bracketed. Mantle Hood's book, The Ethnomusicologist (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1971), and the card catalogs in the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive were used as authoritative sources for spellings of all non-Western names. Hood reviewed and approved of the edited transcripts.Richard Candida Smith, principal editor, reviewed the transcript and wrote the introductory biographical summaries. George Hodak, editorial assistant, prepared the index, table of contents, and interview history.
Length:
1.5 hrs.
Language:
English
Copyright:
Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
Series Statement:
This series documents the history of UCLA's Institute of Ethnomusicology, which was founded in 1961 and dissolved in 1974.
Abstract:
Mantle Hood: Family background; military service in World War II; returns to United States and decides to return to college at UCLA; returns to UCLA as an instructor in composition; early goals of the Institute of Ethnomusicology; scientific applications of music; studies composition with Ernst Toch; opportunities within the field of ethnomusicology; music therapy; contributions of UCLA to the field of ethnomusicology; problems of financial support for the institute; the Dance on the Grass and the work of the Aman Folk Ensemble; the popularity of Indian music in the west; Kwasi Badu; the music of the Ashanti tribe of Ghana; visiting artists at UCLA: Ravi Shankar, Alla Rakha, Hormoz Farhat, and Robert Bonsu; recalling Hardja Susilo; the institute's work with Indonesian music; establishing an ethnomusicology program with Tehran University; the Indonesian government gives a gamelan to the University of California; master drummers of Ghana, Robert Ayitee and Robert Bonsu; the institute's ties with the Institute of African Studies in Ghana; Jaap Kunst; the melograph and stroboconn; the institute helps establish an ethnomusicology program in Malaysia; the impact and spread of ethnomusicology programs; the "gamelan club" at Hood's residence.