Music around the World

December 15, 2020
Music is a universal language and this work speaks volumes--three volumes to be exact. The editors take a holistic approach, arranging articles alphabetically rather than geographically in order to "demonstrate the interconnectedness of many musical cultures from disparate locations." An introductory essay explores the concept of "world music" and discusses several methods of musical analysis. Following that are signed articles ranging in length from several paragraphs to several pages, each accompanied by suggestions for further reading. The range of topics covered is wide and varied and includes musical genres like Fado, Raga, Soca, and J-pop, K-pop, and Cantopop; vocal styles like shape-note singing, Tuvan throat singing, and yodeling, and musical instruments like the banjo, didgeridoo, gimbri, oud, and pipa. Notable individuals like Celia Cruz, Thomas A. Dorsey, Bob Marley, and Esma Redzepova are also included. East and West are equitably represented, although there is a dearth of information about Balkan music other than one article on polyphonic ganga singing. Libraries serving students and anyone interested in expanding their musical horizons will be well-served by this rich and thoughtful reference work.

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February 1, 2021

The carefully chosen title of this three-volume set clues readers in to the approach of editors Martin (Inver Hills Community Coll., MN) and Mihalka (Univ. of Arkansas). In the introduction, they discuss how world music, though intended to refer to all non-Western music, is a loaded term that doesn't acknowledge intricacy. The editors note that Edward Said's concept of Orientalism, or the Eurocentric tendency to fetishize Asian cultures, often also applies to Western perspectives on non-Western music. To combat this and to give their work nuance and depth, they ensure that entries are written by local experts as authors. Reflecting the interconnectedness of music cultures across locations, entries are listed alphabetically rather than geographically as in the extensive Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. While Garland could effectively be used by scholars from all levels, this work is most beneficial to early researchers, mostly high school or undergraduate students. The variety of entries ranging from people (Ravi Shankar), to places (Japan, the Marshall Islands), to instruments (accordion, bagpipes, banjo), to genres (Afrobeat, calypso) makes this work wide in scope; however, the entries themselves are often brief. Each includes further reading, usually a list of two to six resources. Occasional images and sidebars with relevant information can be found here. VERDICT A successful dive into global music culture in an easy-to-digest format for beginner researchers.--Elizabeth Berndt-Morris, Loeb Music Lib., Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA

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