The periodical literature of music: Trends from 1952 to 1987

Aspects of the relationship between the field of music and a sample of its periodical literature from 1952 through 1987 are examined in exploratory and confirmatory analyses that answer four research questions. These questions are: (1) Has the number of articles and periodicals devoted to various aspects of the field of music increased or decreased from 1952 to 1987? (2) What is the magnitude of the increase or decrease determined in answering the first question? (3) How do these observations compare with historical evidence of the same era as recorded in literary sources? (4) What conclusions can be drawn about the ways in which this periodical literature reflects the era's outlook?; Three publications provide numerical data: Music Index, RILM Abstracts, and the College Music Society's Directory of Music Faculties in Colleges and Universities, U.S. and Canada. Exploratory analyses of these data are presented through three descriptive statistical procedures with supplemental tables and graphs. These analyses indicate overall numbers of articles and periodicals devoted to various aspects of music increased from 1952 to 1987, thereby answering the first research question. Arrays of data provide detailed answers to the second research question for each component of the data set.; A sample of fifty-nine specialized literary sources providing historical evidence of the era is developed and employed in a series of confirmatory analyses comparing twenty trends drawn from these sources with relevant numerical data. These data confirm or support ninety percent of the trends, thereby answering the third research question. Eleven additional trends and one phenomenon revealed by data analysis are also discussed.; In answering the final research question, the study concludes that the periodical literature reflects the outlook of the field of music from 1952 to 1987 through the range of topics it includes, the numbers of articles and periodicals devoted to these topics, and the trends it documents. Suggestions for further study using the methods and findings of the dissertation are included in the final chapter.