Introduction

In this introductory chapter, Garrido and Davidson briefly outline the role of music in rituals and in everyday life. They discuss the theoretical premises from diverse disciplines that form the conceptual framework for the book, and outline the large-scale research project which forms the basis for the discussions throughout the volume and the research methods used to obtain the data. The chapter further discusses the need to draw connections between historical and modern day uses of music in order to better understand the influence of heritage and the paste on the role music plays in contemporary settings.