San Antonio College Library

This book frames and complements a series of case study volumes, offering a basis for the contrast and comparison of diverse musics. The author considers a set of unifying topics that recur in multiple case studies and addresses the field of ethnomusicology explicitly. -- pref.

"This market-leading, best-selling book covers ethnomusicology-the study of music in a people's way of life, which treats music as a distillation of cultural styles. The authors of this book approach diverse musical styles with the desire to understand them on their own terms-as the people who make the music would understand them. The book is organized by region. Each study focuses on the life histories and autobiographies that are essential to understanding...

Indian Music and the West examines perceptions and representations of Indian music in the West over a period of two hundred years, ranging from orientalist studies of Indian history and culture in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, to the adoption of elements from Indian music in Western popular culture in the latter half of the twentieth century. Gerry Farrell charts the place of Indian music within the context of colonialism, the use of Indian...

The foremost authorities in the field of music from around the world have contributed twenty original essays for this volume, edited by Elizabeth May. Only European musics have been omitted, except insofar as they affect other musics discussed here. North American music is represented by the musics of the Native Americans and the Alaskan Eskimos. The essays are profusely illustrated with maps, drawings, diagrams, photographs, and music examples. There...

The Cultural Study of Music is an anthology of new writings that will serve as a basic textbook on music and culture. Increasingly, music is being studied as it relates to specific cultures-not only by ethnomusicologists, but by traditional musicologists as well. Drawing on writers from music, anthropology, sociology, and the related fields, the book both defines the field-i.e., "What is the relation between music and culture?"--And then presents...

"Why does music affect us so profoundly? The songs we love do far more than bring back happy memories. They impact the way we think, talk, feel, behave, and even spend money. With his conversational style, humor, and endless knowledge, scientist and musician John Powell explores the fascinating science of music, showing that shoppers spend more money in stores that play classical music and that music can even change the flavor of wine! With chapters...

"Insightful study of Afro-Caribbean salsa music among Puerto Ricans relates different meanings in salsa lyrics to issues of gender, race, class, and national identities, both in Puerto Rico and Latino communities in the US. Aparicio, a literary critic, uses a postmodern approach to analyze diverse musical texts"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.