Izaly Zemtsovsky

Who is Izaly Zemtsovsky?

Izaly Zemtsovsky is a Russian-born American ethnomusicologist. He is a Visiting Professor at Stanford University. Zemtsovsky is known in ethnomusicology for his wide range of subjects of study, including the theory of melodic formulas, rhythmic formulas, comparative research of various regions of the world, study of musical universals and the importance of musical data in ethno-genetic reconstructions.

Zemtsovsky proposed the notions of "melosphere", "Homo musicus", and proposed a new scholarly discipline, ethnogeomusicology, and a new research approach, known as "historical morphology of the folk song". Zemtsovsky has been a lifelong advocate of Russian Soviet musicologist Boris Asafiev’s “intonation theory” and contributed to its use at European and American universities. He has lived in the US since 1994, teaching first at UCLA, then at Madison University, Berkeley, and now at Stanford University. Zemtsovsky graduated from Leningrad Conservatory with degrees in ethnomusicology and composition, and graduated Leningrad University as a folklorist and linguist.

In the 1970s-1990s, Zemtsovsky was widely regarded as a key figure of Russian ethnomusicology. As a prolific teacher, he affected the formation of Russian and other ethnic schools of musicologists in former Soviet Union and countries of the Eastern Europe. He maintains professional contacts with Russia.