Synopsis

World Music: A Global Journey takes the reader across the globe to experience its many lively musical traditions. Readers will study music from the smallest islands of Micronesia to the interior of the Amazonian rainforests, from the highest mountains of Tibet to Australia's Outback to discover the ancient sounds of the Aborigines. Familiar traditions, such as flamenco (Spain), reggae (Jamaica), samba (Brazil), bagpipes (British Isles), and blues (United States), are heard side by side with less commonly known music, such as p'ansori (Korea), piphat (Thailand), susap (Papua New Guinea), akadinda (Uganda), and khoomei (Mongolia). From the voodoo music of Haiti to the Islamic "call to prayer," you will experience cultural traditions that challenge your ears, your mind, and your spirit.

Ethnomusicologists Terry E. Miller and Andrew Shahriari, who have spent decades as performers, researchers, and teachers of music, present a systematic study of varied traditions in nontechnical language accessible to any enthusiast of world music and culture. After a geographical orientation to each locale, the reader visits each of the 70 musical "sites" with a three-fold listening review that begins with an experiential "first impressions" of the music. This is followed by an "aural analysis" of the musical organization and a closer look at the interesting instruments that create the exotic sounds heard. Finally, the authors consider the cultural connections that give the music its meaning. Numerous other contributors, including scholars Bruno Nettl and Gerhard Kubik, along with music performers, such as National Heritage Fellowship recipient Nguyen Thuyet Phong, offer vignettes of their experiences with world music.

With nearly three hundred photos of instruments and cultural settings, over two hours of music listening, as well as online resources, World Music: A Global Journey provides a fundamental resource for teachers, students, researchers, musicians, and any enthusiast beginning their exploration of world music and culture.

Biography

Terry E. Miller is Professor Emeritus of Ethnomusicology at Kent State University, where he co-founded the Center for Study of World Musics.

Andrew Shahriari is an Instructor of Ethnomusicology at Kent State University.