Robert Stevenson’s recent contribution to the field of Latin American musicology opens new paths to areas of research which, as time goes by, require the continued attention of scholars prepared to correct many previous misconceptions. An evaluation of facts beyond the generalizations prevailing in earlier studies is badly needed.
Stevenson’s recent survey on music in the Aztec and Inca territories only slightly surpasses the scope covered by the first chapters of two of his earlier publications, Music in Mexico (1952) and The Music of Peru (1960). However, the condensation of this information into one volume has the merit of offering a summary which represents the starting point for any historical study of music in the New World. After the necessary revisions, up-dating and additions, it may well become the first volume of a series dealing with the general history of music in Latin America.
Stevenson deserves credit not only for assembling in a single volume the conclusions drawn from the research work of many outstanding scholars in a field comprising the two most important cultural areas of pre-Columbian America. He has also provided a large bibliography and comprehensive footnotes. These will direct the scholar to important sources of primary materials with which he may continue work in these fields, leading, let us hope, to more specialized studies. Both as a summary of past research and as a guide to research in the future, this will be a valuable reference work. Indeed, no other single study of music in the Inca and Aztec areas— or in the other regions of this hemisphere covered in this volume— has ever before been made available to readers of any language. It is true that United States and Latin American scholars have produced more detailed surveys on particular topics or on some individual aspects covered by this book, but this fact does not minimize the importance of Stevenson’s work. On the contrary it may promote interest in more specialized surveys and contribute to their publication. In this manner it will increase our knowledge concerning the music of cultures whose accomplishments in other fields—namely architecture, handicrafts, and visual arts in general—are supported by a rich bibliography of either specialized or general nature.
As a general reference book, this publication represents a useful contribution for the uninitiated. It is a welcome appraisal of the two areas, though the distinguished author has made no attempt whatsoever to commit himself regarding the comparative study of Aztec and Inca accomplishments in music.
