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Music in Puerto Rico: a Reader''s Anthology.

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Edited and translated by Donald Thompson. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2002. [viii, 145 p. ISBN 0-8108-3914-8. $34.95.] Index.

Donald Thompson provides yet another valuable reference work on the music history of Puerto Rico, an endeavor in which he has made several major contributions over the last two decades. Music in Puerto Rico: A Reader's Anthology, is a compilation of historical and critical readings, translated into English, concerning Puerto Rican music and covering five centuries of musical documentation from 1495 to 1997. The musical traditions represented include aboriginal, traditional folk, popular--both urban and rural, and concert music. Given such wide chronological and thematic range, it is to be expected that this anthology does not aim to provide a thorough coverage of each historical period or each musical tradition. Instead, it offers an overview of Puerto Rico's rich musical life and a concise introduction of the subject for music students and scholars.

The anthology is divided into six chapters, the organization of which is not very consistent because of its alternation of chronological and thematic divisions. Alter an initial chapter on historical...

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