Jaap Kunst

Jaap (or Jakob) Kunst (12 August 1891 in Groningen – 7 December 1960 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch ethnomusicologist, particularly associated with the study of gamelan music of Indonesia. He is known for coining the word "ethno-musicology" (which later became ethnomusicology) as a more accurate alternative to the then-preferred term, "comparative musicology".

Kunst was the only child of two musicians, and began to study the violin at only 18 months old. Drawn toward the study of Dutch folk songs, he continued to play violin throughout his life. He earned a degree in law from the University of Groningen in 1917, and pursued a career in banking and law for the next two years. While touring with a string trio the Dutch East Indies, he decided to remain on Java, and found a government post in Bandung. Meanwhile, he became interested in the Indonesian music, especially that of Java.

He began an archive of musical instruments, field recordings, books, and photographs for the Batavia Museum (Batavia, Dutch East Indies is the colonial name of Jakarta). In 1936 he returned to the Netherlands, and in that same year became the curator of the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam, which developed into one of the most important institutes of its kind in Europe. Later, he gave lectures on Indonesian music at the University of Amsterdam in 1953 and became a member of the faculty there in 1958. In 1956, Kunst released a bestselling album of folksongs, on Folkways Records, entitled Living Folksongs and Dance-Tunes from the Netherlands.

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