Lead author Bruno Nettl. The grand-daddy of Ethnomusicology compiled the first edition, and his name and contributions to the field have brought the book forward several editions.
Chapters are written by established/known ethnomusicologists specializing in the particular region, in the perhaps the most balanced attempt to get expert authors together.
Does not aim to teach students how to do field work (like Titon), per se, or other ethnomusicological study, and does not aim to teach music - rather, how to think about music in world perspective and the major themes and issues that emerge when we take the musics of the world seriously.
Draws a big picture and explains why the musics of the world matter.....the economics, politics, and social dynamics of these sounds.
