Detach from your top music stations and favorite artists this week and travel the world through sounds from different continents, and even from different time periods. Browse the following ibiblio collections for freely downloadable music or for information on unique global tunes:
Asian Classical Music (MP3s). The collection includes music from Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Hong Kong, India and Korea.
Music Nepal. This is a collection of traditional and modern Nepalese songs, available in Mp3 or Real format. It is the largest music publishing/recording house in the private sector in Nepal. Music Nepal includes songs from a variety of regions and castes, including Sherpa, Newar, and Gurung. The music can also be streamed for continuous listening.
Mutopia. This website provides an extensive archive of music and musical transcriptions from the following categories: Early Mediaeval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern, Jazz and Hymn.
The B.B. King Archive. This archive is comprised of the B.B. King recordings and images of professor William Ferris (UNC-Chapel Hill), who met King at Yale University in the mid-1970s and maintained a relationship with the King of Blues for 30 years. King’s music draws from many genres, including swing, jazz and pop.
Chinese Music. The collection provides a wide range of music from China, including the traditional, modern, and popular, folk songs, ceremonial music, Beijing opera, historical sounds and children’s songs. Note: This archive began in 1992 and uses an older format (SUN Audio) for music. The download time can be slow.
The Fiddler’s Companion. This is a large, annotated index of traditional music for the violin from North America, Ireland, Scotland and England. It includes information regarding printed and recorded sources, descriptive information about the music and performers, history and anecdotes. Many of the tunes listed are given in abc format.
Folk Music Index. This collection provides an index to more 60,000 titles, 25,000 performers, and nearly 150,000 listings. The latest edition includes all the titles in the two O’Neill collections of Irish music, Cole’s 1000 Fiddle tunes, and Randolph’s 4 Vol Folk Songs of the Ozarks.
World Music Central. The website provides music news, resources, and information about musicians and dancers (and their national or regional cultures), as well as international music and dance festivals and glossaries. It aims to educate global audiences about other cultures and create connections among musicians, booking agents and cultural organizers around the world.
*photograph by Theoddnote