About world music resources
This page includes resources you can use to research topics in ethnomusicology and world music.
If you need help with any of these resources, let your librarians know! Get Help
Resources by geographical area
- Alan Lomax ArchiveThousands of sound recordings, photographs, radio programs and more from the work of master folklorist and music student Alan Lomax, covering many parts of the world as well as the US, ranging in time from the 1940s to the 1990s. Sort by Location to see a list of countries. (On the Cultural Equity Association website.)
- FolkWorld.deFolk music from Europe.
- European Folk Music on Last.fmStream European folk music
- British Library: Traditional Music in EnglandListen online to traditional music from England.
- Music India OnlineListen to Indian music, free online streaming music.
- Indian RagasLearn about Indian Ragas at BBC - GCSE Bitesize.
- British Library: Music From IndiaListen to examples of folk music of India, organized by region.
- A Guide to the JembeInformation about the jembe (djembe), a West African instrument.
- Slate: The Atlantic Slave Trade in Two MinutesArticle about the Atlantic slave trade, with a 2-minute animation illustrating it.
- Afropop WorldwideMusic and stories about the music of Africa and the African diaspora.
- African Music EncyclopediaA website dedicated to African music and musicians.
- Africa MapMap of Africa
- Latin American Network Information Center: MusicUniversity of Texas list of resources related to Latin American music, including links to websites that contain musical examples to listen to.
- Alan Lomax ArchiveThousands of sound recordings, photographs, radio programs and more from the work of master folklorist and music student Alan Lomax, covering many parts of the world as well as the US, ranging in time from the 1940s to the 1990s. Sort by Location to see a list of countries. (On the Cultural Equity Association website.)
- Alan Lomax ArchiveThousands of sound recordings, photographs, radio programs and more from the work of master folklorist and music student Alan Lomax, covering many parts of the world as well as the US, ranging in time from the 1940s to the 1990s. Sort by Location to see a list of countries. (On the Cultural Equity Association website.)
- Encyclopedia of Sciences & Religions: Music in IslamEncyclopedia entry on music in islam
- Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions: Music in Islam (entry)Online encyclopedia entry on the music of Islam.
- A Guide to Chabad LiteratureIncludes examples of Chabad music, (Orthodox Jewish, Hasidic).
- Alan Lomax ArchiveThousands of sound recordings, photographs, radio programs and more from the work of master folklorist and music student Alan Lomax, covering many parts of the world as well as the US, ranging in time from the 1940s to the 1990s. Sort by Location to see a list of countries. (On the Cultural Equity Association website.)
- Folkstreams: Films by RegionDocumentary films about American roots cultures and world music. Films about world regions including: areas of the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean, and "World."
- NativeRadio.comListen online to Native American music
- Library of Congress: Omaha Indian Music CollectionOnline audio and video
Find articles
- EthnomusicologyThe journal of the Society for Ethnomusicology, available via JSTOR.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowFull-text archive of scholarly publications in the humanities mathematics, science, and the social sciences. Dates vary but are all at least 3 years old.
- Ethnic NewsWatch This link opens in a new windowAn interdisciplinary, bilingual (English and Spanish) and comprehensive full text database of the newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press. ENW titles offer additional viewpoints from those proffered by the mainstream press. 1990- current.
You can search the all of the library's collection of online and printed journals at once:
General world music information
Online Library Resources
- Countries and their CulturesAn ebook published in 2001.
Has good overview information on countries and culture, including arts, foods, rituals, etc.
Oxford Companion to MusicISBN: 0199579032An online resource with general information about composers and their works, and definitions of musical ideas and terms.
Library Books
- Garland Encyclopedia of World MusicLocated on the top floor of the library: encyclopedia set, 10-volumes, topics organized by geographic region. Call number: ML100 .G16 1998
Websites
- CIA World Factbook: Regional and World MapsMaps of regions of the world
- Smithsonian FolkwaysListen to music tracks. Browse by country or genre. Audio recordings collected by the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, the national museum of the U.S.
- The Society for Ethnomusicology: ResourcesA variety of resources pertaining to ethnomusicology, including an extensive links area with websites by category and a guide to programs for the study of ethnomusicology at schools and institutions around the world.
- UnescoInformation about countries.
- Ethnomusicology Musical Instrument Collection:Watch and listen to videos and sound files of instruments from around the world. (University of Washington)
Ethnomusicologists and anthropologists
Learn more about anthropologists and ethnomusicologists.
Listen and watch
Listen and watch online: streaming video and music
The library subscribes to music and video streaming resources. Start here.
- Naxos Music Library This link opens in a new windowThe library subscribes to this huge online music streaming library. Sort by Genre, or search by keyword to find world music, including Latin American, Arabic, Indonesian, Native American music.
- Digital Collections: Streaming VideosSearch Drake Memorial Library's collection of online streaming videos.
Other online streaming sources:
- Alan Lomax ArchiveFrom the Cultural Equity site, thousands of sound recordings, photographs, radio programs and more from the work of master folklorist and music student Alan Lomax, covering many parts of the world as well as the US, ranging in time from the 1940s to the 1990s.
- Folkstreams: Films by RegionDocumentary films about American roots cultures and world music. Films about world regions including: areas of the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean, and "World."
- Latin Music USAOnline streaming videos. Episodes of the PBS show about the history of Latin music in the United States.
- Smithsonian FolkwaysListen to music tracks. Browse by country or genre. Audio recordings collected by the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, the national museum of the U.S.
YouTube Playlist
A YouTube playlist of world music instruments.
Last Updated: Feb 27, 2024 3:19 PM
URL: https://library.brockport.edu/music
URL: https://library.brockport.edu/music