Steven Feld

The Profile

Steven Feld is an American anthropologist and ethnomusicologist known for field recordings and writings on sound, notably his work with the Kaluli of Papua New Guinea and the book Sound and Sentiment. He has written on acoustemology and the role of sound in cultural life.

Professor of Anthropology and Music at the University of New Mexico; author of Sound and Sentiment; known for field recordings such as Music Of The Kaluli and for the concept of acoustemology.

The available review praises Steven Feld's field recording "Music Of The Kaluli" and explains Kaluli song forms, especially gisalo, and their relation to birds and lament. The review frames Kaluli music as deeply emotional, communal, and landscape-related. It highlights the recordings' evocative power to reorganize experience.