Richard Dumbrill (musicologist)
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Richard Dumbrill | |
|---|---|
 Dumbrill in July 2024 | |
| Born | 1947 (age 78–79) Epernay, France |
| Known for | Study of the archaeomusicology of the Ancient Near East |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Musicology |
| Sub-discipline | Archaeomusicology |
| Institutions | University of London |
| Notable works | Semitic Music Theory |
Richard J. Dumbrill (Epernay; born 1947) is a British/French archaeomusicologist and composer. He is a relativist musicologist who opposes Universalism and Occicentrism theories in his field.[1]
Dumbrill has studied the archaeomusicology of the Ancient Near East, especially the interpretation of cuneiform texts of Music Theory written in Sumerian, Babylonian and Hurrian.
Dumbrill's interpretation of music theory is based on his knowledge of Middle-Oriental Musicology. He rejects (Pythagorean) ditonism and heptatonism, as a model for Oriental music and particularly rejects the hypothesis of the use of dichords in the Musicology of the Ancient Near East.
Dumbrill offers another interpretation of the Hurrian songs, the oldest music ever written, which was found in northwest Syria at the site of Ugarit. He reconstructed the Silver lyre of Ur (at the British Museum), from Woolley's notes, with Myriam Marcetteau. Dumbrill also reconstructed the Elamite harp of the battle of Ulai, with Margaux Bousquet. Dumbrill donated one of his harps to the Ministry of Culture in Iraq.
Drumbill is the founder, with Irving Finkel of the International Council of Near Eastern Archaeomusicology [2] (ICONEA) at the Institute of Musical Research, School of Advanced Studies, University of London.[3]
Dumbrill has lectured at Harvard and Yale and in Iraq, Beirut, Damascus, Leiden, Rotterdam, Corpus Christi (Cambridge), and Paris.