The premiere volume of the Garland Encyclopedia of World Music series offers a comprehensive view of African music as a vital part of the social and cultural life of it peoples. The 34 expert contributors have all conducted fieldwork in Africa and their firsthand experience is reflected in the immediacy of their observations. In 39 articles, this encyclopedia explores key themes in African music that have emerged in recent years - a subject usually neglected in country-by-country coverage; emphasizes the contexts of musical performance-unlike studies that offer static interpretations isolated from other performing traditions; and presents the fresh insights and analyses of musicologists and anthropologists of diverse national origins-African, Asian, European and American.