Research Associate
Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Smithsonian Institution
PO Box 37012
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Email: ichagall at sbcglobal.net
Research Interests
The manifestations of music as a characteristic behavior of humans; the social function of synchrony and rhythmic response in sound and movement, with emphasis on handclapping and body percussion in humans and other primate species.
Current Research Projects
SOME LIKE IT HOT: a broadcast quality documentary video on handclapping games archiving repertoire, past and present, across the American continent. Scholarly discussion supplements demonstrations of this resilient genre.
Current or Projected Exhibits
Future documentary projects concerning the role of music, musicians and their instruments, in society: (1) "Grasshopper in the House of Ant"; (2) "The Pied Piper Syndrome"; (3) "The Legend of the First Flute".
Recent Publications
(1) "Let's Get the Rhythm" CHILDREN'S FOLKLORE JOURNAL, Vol. 28, 2005-2006, pp.43-63.
(2) Review of "The Human Hambone", a documentary film, ETHNOMUSICOLOGY, (publication pending Vol.52, No.1, Winter, 2008).
Updated -11/09/07
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