global music Article

What is world music?

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The term world music refers to the music of the world’s cultures. In the 1980s, world music was used to label non-English recordings released in Great Britain and the United States. This controversial category amalgamated the music of sources as diverse as Tuvan throat singers, Zimbabwean guitar bands, Pakistani qawwalī (Sufi-music) singers, Cajun fiddlers, and Hawaiian slack-key guitarists.