Symbolism and musical phenomenology

Abstract

This article explores the diversity of musical cultures produced by different human groups, highlighting how musical signifiers can have multiple meanings depending on the cultural context. The need to classify and group the specific symbolic features of each musical phenomenon is addressed, considering that there is no universal symbolic systematization applicable in ethnomusicology. The importance of unifying musical symbology at an international level is emphasized in order to obtain objective results in ethnomusicological research, integrating both popular and orchestral music in a single phenomenological corpus. Through studies carried out by the Otavaleño Institute of Anthropology, it is concluded that each culture requires a differentiated treatment to identify the constants and variants of the musical phenomenon. A strict methodology and a universal phenomenology are proposed to review and correct the existing theoretical foundations, respecting past and present philosophical contributions.