A musicologist is a person who studies music as history and careful thinking, not mainly a person who gets on stage and plays.

A musicologist is a personmusicologist指的是一種人, who studies music as history and careful thinking用歷史和嚴謹思考的方式研究音樂, not mainly a person who gets on stage and plays而主要不是那種上台演奏的人。

The work is the study of music, especially how different kinds of music grew in different times and places — who wrote it, how it was passed on, what it meant to people.

The work is the study of music這份工作是研究音樂, especially how different kinds of music grew in different times and places特別是不同種類的音樂在不同時代、不同地方是怎麼發展出來的——who wrote it, how it was passed on, what it meant to people是誰寫的、怎麼流傳下來、對人們有什麼意義。

A pianist plays; a musicologist may spend years with old papers, recordings, and instruments.

A pianist plays鋼琴家負責演奏; a musicologist may spend years with old papers, recordings, and instrumentsmusicologist則可能花好幾年鑽研老文獻、錄音和樂器。

The word is formal. You meet it in universities, museums, and serious programme notes, not in everyday chat about a favourite band.

The word is formal這個詞很正式。You meet it in universities, museums, and serious programme notes你會在大學、博物館，和正經的節目介紹裡遇到它, not in everyday chat about a favourite band而不是在聊喜歡的樂團時的日常對話裡。

Though actually, some musicologists play very well; the title still points to the studying.

Though actually不過, some musicologists play very well有些musicologist其實演奏得很好, the title still points to the studying但這個頭銜指的還是研究這件事。