Musics of Many Cultures: An Introduction

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Book Reviews of Musics of Many Cultures: An Introduction

Book Review: Shipshape Reference Volume on the World's Music
Summary: 3 Stars

Three stars, of course, is lukewarm praise, and there were various features of the book that I was not thrilled with, although some of them were unavoidable. The book is an edited collection of essays by various academics, and the quality is uneven. Some of them seem to almost be too thorough, and get bogged down in detail (Iranian, Japanese). Some are too sketchy (West African, Peruvian). Some just aren't there (other Native American). A couple seem to have provided an opportunity for the writer to air his or her pet projects (Chinese). Perhaps out of a jealousy to guard their preserves, most of the articles studiously avoided talking about cross-cultural influences (e.g., Arabic music on Iranian - or is it the other way round?), regarding which I would have appreciated some comment.

I also think that it would not have been out of place to discuss some of the lesser known traditions with links to the West, such as gypsy music. Also, in general most (but not all) of the articles avoid discussing modern trends. Well, I suppose that there are limitations to what you can include between the covers of one book. This book does cover a lot of turf, and it has an extensive bibliography if you want to look into any one subject in more depth. Recommended if like me you want to have this kind of information in one volume on your bookshelf.

Summary of Musics of Many Cultures: An Introduction

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