World Music: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #065

by Philip V. Bohlman

World Music draws readers into a remarkable range of historical encounters, in which music had the power to evoke the exotic and to give voice to the voiceless. In the course of the volume's eight chapters the reader witnesses music's involvement in the modern world, but also the individual
moments and particular histories that are crucial to an understanding of music's diversity. This book is wide-ranging in its geographical scope, yet individual chapters provide in-depth treatments of selected music cultures and regional music histories. The book frequently zooms in on repertoires
and musicians--such as Bob Marley, Dana International, Bartok, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan--and attempts to account for world music's growing presence and popularity at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Historical, Cultural

144 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 2002

Reviews

[Lola Karns · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having read a number of excellent entries in the "A Very Short Introduction" series, this one paled in comparison. Whereas other authors have reduced the academic jargon to provide a true introduction, I was glad I'd read Said's Orientalism, and other theories on colonialism. If that sentence made your head spin, skip this book. The bulk of the researched relied heavily on intrepretation through a Western European cultural lens, without giving a sense of how "world music" differed in instrumentation, purpose, and construction. The most valuable section focused on the role of Diasporas and the spread of musical influences.

[Kurt Yilmaz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Possibly one of the worst books I have ever read. Not only does he miss key points on world music and ethnomusicology, he coats it in a layer of meaningless words, and paragraphs that end without really relaying a point.

"Very Short Introduction" is probably the most misleading title ever. This book is a lot like a lot of the papers I would write for my composition classes. Feels like he had to write a certain amount of words and would throw a bunch of unneeded drabble in to make it longer. Anyone could have written a better book than this with even slight knowledge of world music.

TL;DR This book could have been condensed to ten pages, easily.

It was also provided to me by my school, I couldn't imagine paying for this garbage.

[Otto Russell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nearly managed to make me lose interest in music but, not quite

[Tom Blurbgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Torn on giving it 5-stars since personally, I seriously enjoyed, found rewarding, and wish I'd been told to read before studying any ethnomusicology, as it covers some important issues seriously well. However, looking at the other reviews, is it a little dense and ungratifying for anybody wanting an introduction on world music. Then again, one that glossed over its problematic/complex history for want of appealing to newcomers would be pretty disingenuous from any expert in the field, so this 150-page rendition of everything you ought to know is done as well as it could be. Impressively cohesive, with lots of engaging case studies, all brilliantly selected to convey what Bohlman's on about and cover as many bases as possible.

[Kathleen O'Neal · Rating 2 out of 5]

An introduction to world music that had the potential to be both better and shorter at the same time.

[MG · Rating 3 out of 5]

a bit boring but a relatively quick read

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

As its subtitle indicates, this is a concise guide to world music—what it is, how it came to be, what is at stake (who benefits from the recordings?), and so forth. The writing is crisp and well-paced and the descriptions clear and accessible to non-specialists (i.e., the book’s target audience). Beginning with the development of music via folk songs were widely shared across the territories surrounding the Mediterranean, the songs mediating epic historical myths and adventures, such as The Iliad.

National and diasporic musics are discussed, and three-and-a-half pages devoted to polka, especially its Northern and Southern U.S. border traditions. Famous collectors and publishers of music are named and their works cited, with 10 pages of references and sources for further reading and listening provided.

The analyses, however, are, to anyone familiar with Marxism, entirely replaceable with the phrase: “For all unequal relationships described in this book, assume standard Marxist conclusions.” But, it’s an intro, and it’s all to the good to raise the ethical issues inherent in the subject that newcomers may be unfamiliar with. Better as a resource than as something to pour over, it serves its purpose as a gateway to music of the world’s peoples.

For more of my books, please see https://www.thebookbeat.com/backroom/...

[Benjamin Fasching-Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting something about the genre "world music" as it exists in some record stores but instead there's a lot of musings about ethnomusicology, at times even personal musings. I had also expected something about music genres that have gone global, like reggae, rock, salsa, or the waltz, and there was a tiny bit about that. There's plenty of concerned signaling about power imbalances, indigeneity, diaspora but not any real owning up to it. Frankly, Oxford asked the wrong guy. He edited a Cambridge History of World Music and he's doing a lot of history here, but as a Very Short Introduction, I think it misses the mark.

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A densely written book about world music that is more focused on the work of ethnomusicologists and cultural history than the lives and work of individual musicians. I found the book most engaging when the author focused on specific figures in music history such as Bob Marley or Umm Kulthum. The academic analysis of the Eurovision was contest was interesting to read. Overall, there are some accessible sections but the book appears to be written for specialists rather than general readers. The audiobook would benefit from the inclusion of music clips.

[Riccardo Baldi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un libro davvero confusionario, senza capo né coda: ogni paragrafo sembra un microsaggio a sè, anche all'interno di un singolo capitolo si fa fatica a trovare un filo conduttore.
È evidente la competenza di chi scrive, ma si perde in salamelecchi intellettuali senza dare effettivamente quello che ci si aspetta: una introduzione alle musiche del mondo.

[M. Ashraf · Rating 2 out of 5]

World Music
I think a misleading title for the book
It was not as I expected it to be
It was all over the place
From the east to the west, different cultures to verify the word world but not music
And being written in 2001 it is affected by the world events back then
Did not like it

[Uğurcan Orçun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Albeit sometimes tedious, the book shown me to a new perspective about the global culture and the diaspora.

[tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

might just as easily be me, but seemed quite unfocused.

[Michael Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The topic of world music is vastly broad. The author prefaces the book by stating this and explaining that he won't be able to cover everything, which is understandable. However, the spotty case studies that Bohlman does give throughout the book don't really help the reader learn more about world music. It feels more like reading several unrelated articles on the topic than reading a full book.

[Daniel Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know very little about this whole discipline, and was hoping this book would be something of an eye-opener, but unfortunately, though there was much to learn, the author never seemed to get to the point with anything systematic.