International Electronic Music Catalog: Hugh Davies and the (ethno)musicology of electronic music

In this essay I discuss Hugh Davies’s Répertoire International des Musiques Electroacoustiques / International Electronic Music Catalog, a book of 330 pages that lists, ostensibly, every piece of electroacoustic music ever composed up to the time of its compilation. I begin by describing the Catalog itself, and the process of compiling it. I then discuss Hugh Davies—aspects of his character, and interests—and suggest how these might contribute toward an interpretation and contextualisation of the Catalog. I refer to a sample of publications that reference the Catalog, highlighting some of the broader issues that the Catalog raises in relation to the musicology of electroacoustic music, including some specifically international issues.