Scholars have created many kinds of encyclopedias devoted to preserving and transmitting knowledge about the world. The study of music has itself been the subject of numerous encyclopedias in many languages. Yet until now the term music encyclopedia has been synonymous with surveys of the history, theory, and performance practice of European-based traditions.
In July 1988, the editors of The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music gathered for a meeting to determine the nature and scope of a massive new...