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Comparative musicology, the primary precursor to ethnomusicology, emerged in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The International Musical Society in Berlin in 1899 acted as one of the first centers for ethnomusicology. Comparative musicology and early ethnomusicology tended to focus on non-Western music, but in more recent years, the field has expanded to embrace the study of Western music from an ethnographic standpoint. One of the founding members of the International Musical Society of Berlin Komitas Varadapet contributed to every aspect of music. Born to Armenian parents, he discovered a passion for music at a young age. After losing his parents at the age of 11 he was sent to the Armenian Apostolic Church which forced him to pursue music. During his time there he studied piano and voice which cultivated his musical talents. According to Sirvant Poladian's article, "Komitas Vardapet collected folk music in villages throughout Armenia from approximately 1890 to 1913 as he listened to the singing of peasants the fact that he wrote them in Armenian neumes most likely contributed t their loss or destruction, as few persons were familiar with these neum symbols and their meaning". He discovered that Villagers could create their own songs due to his observation that they carried the historic traditional idioms of Armenian music.

Additionally, postcolonial thought remained a focus of ethnomusicological literature. One example comes from Ghanaian ethnomusicologist Kofi Agawu; in Representing African Music: Postcolonial Notes, Queries, Positions, he details how the concept of "African rhythm" has been misrepresented – "African" music is not a homogenous body as it is often perceived by Western thought. Its differences from Western music are often considered deficiencies, and the emphasis on "African rhythm" prevalent throughout music scholarship prevents accurate comparison of other musical elements such as melody and harmony. According to Kofi Agawu book "Representing African Music " African harmony may be "as far developed as European harmony in the sixteenth century," but "Africans have not merely cultivated their sense of rhythm far beyond ours, but must have started with a superior sense of rhythm from the beginning". He is arguing against Ward's claim by stating that African music has its own sense of rhythm and tones. Their harmony based on their scale of rhythm is what makes their songs unique. Agawu also asserts that Ward's theory rejects the African Tonal Scale.