Music around the World: A Global Encyclopedia [3 volumes]

by Andrew R. Martin, Matthew Mihalka Ph.D.

Overview

With entries on topics ranging from non-Western instruments to distinctive rhythms of music from various countries, this one-stop resource on global music also promotes appreciation of other countries and cultural groups.

A perfect resource for students and music enthusiasts alike, this expansive three-volume set provides readers with multidisciplinary perspectives on the music of countries and ethnic groups from around the globe. Students will find Music around the World: A Global Encyclopedia accessible and useful in their research, not only for music history and music appreciation classes but also for geography, social studies, language studies, and anthropology. Additionally, general readers will find the books appealing and an invaluable general reference on world music.

The volumes cover all world regions, including the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and Asia and the Pacific, promoting a geographic understanding and appreciation of global music. Entries are arranged alphabetically. A preface explains the scope of the set as well as how to use the encyclopedia, followed by a brief history of traditional music and important current influences of music in each particular world region.

• Presents information that is accessible for general readers but will also be useful to specialists and music scholars
• Examines music from a geographical and cultural viewpoint, allowing students to make cross-cultural comparisons
• Includes numerous sidebars and appendices that provide even more compelling information of interest to readers, such as information on top-selling artists and albums in various countries, biographies of well-known musicians, and other fascinating "fun facts" and statistics
• Supports the National Geography Standards and AP Human Geography topics by examining cultural patterns, experiences, and influences

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781610694988
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/08/2020
Pages:	1080
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 10.45(h) x 3.10(d)

About the Author

Andrew R. Martin, PhD, is professor of music at Inver Hills Community College, Inver Grove Heights, MN, where he teaches courses in music history, music analysis, and percussion and directs the African music ensemble and steelband.

Matthew Mihalka, PhD, is an instructor of music at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

Editorial Reviews

"Libraries serving students and anyone interested in expanding their musical horizons will be well-served by this rich and thoughtful reference work." - Booklist

"A successful dive into global music culture in an easy-to-digest format for beginner researchers." - Library Journal

From the Publisher

02/01/2021

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

Library Journal