Music of the Orient

Various Artists FW04157 / FE 4157

Compiled by the German ethnologist Dr. E.M. Von Hornbostel (of the Hornbostel-Sachs instrument classification system), this 1979 collection provides a cross-section of traditional Asian music. Prominently featured is the vocal music and Gamelan orchestras of the Bali and Java regions of Indonesia; other locations represented on this compilation include Japan, China, Thailand, India, Persia, Egypt, and Tunis. The liner notes contain diagrams and descriptions of the tonal structures of each song, translations of some lyrics and mythology associated with the music, along with photos of the musicians and their instruments.