Gerhard Kubik

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Born in Vienna on December 10th, 1934, Gerhard Kubik studied ethnology, musicology and African languages at the University of Vienna. He published his doctoral dissertation in 1971 and achieved habilitation in 1980. Gerhard has made many publications since 1959, especially on the music, dance and oral traditions of Africa and of African-Americans based on his field research in 15 African countries as well as Venezuela and Brazil. The main topic of his research is oral tradition, music and dance, systems of traditional education, extensions of African culture in America (especially Brazil) and linguistics of the Bantu languages of central Africa.

Gerhard Kubik compiled the largest collection of African traditional music worldwide (more than 25,000 recordings), most of which are archived in Phonogrammarchiv Wien in Vienna.