New database: Ethnomusicology: Global Field Recordings

April 27, 2020

We are pleased to announce we have purchased access to Ethnomusicology: Global Field Recordings, a database from Adam Matthew Digital produced in collaboration with the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive and the University of Washington Ethnomusicology Archives.

Ethnomusicology is comprised of over 60 field collections from ethnomusicologists dating from the mid-twentieth century to the early twenty-first century. The audio recordings, videos, field notebooks and journals in this resource document musical traditions and how music interacts with different societies and cultures all over the globe. There are recordings from Alaska to the Pacific Islands, West Africa to Indonesia, including religious music, secular music, celebrations and funerals. There are interviews with musicians, slides and photographs of field sites and photographs of instruments being played and in isolation.

This resource provides a wealth of materials for the interdisciplinary study of ethnomusicology, whether the focus is on music, anthropology, dance, religion or spirituality.

Key themes covered:

  • Education and the teaching of Ethnomusicology
  • The interaction between music and art
  • Religion and ritual
  • The history and development of the discipline
  • Cultural identity and social norms
  • Music and gender
  • Music and conflict
  • Musical traditions

A variety of secondary features provide further tools for teaching and research:

Manuscript example from Ethnomusicology: Global Field Recordings

Let us know if you have questions or comments.