Enciclopédia da música em Portugal no século XX ed. by Salwa Castelo-Branco (review)

As part of the "Temas e Debates" series of the Círculo de Leitores, and with support from the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, the Instituto Camões, the Fundação Luso-Americana, the Ministério da Cultura and the Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, the Instituto de Etnomusicologia has produced this four-volume reference compendium of multiple and diverse aspects of Portuguese and Lusophone African music - genres of music and musical theatre, biographies of composers and performers (individual and collective), regional musical forms and instrumentation, and historical evolution and publication - during the twentieth century and first decade of the twenty-first, with brief references to Brazilian musical forms and their influence in Portugal. Ranging in its coverage from folkloric and classical musical manifestations to jazz and punk-rock, this four-volume work was produced by more than 150 contributing writers; all verbetes are signed by their respective authors, and each is accompanied by its respective bibliografia and discografia. After an initial introductory section, volume I presents an alphabetical listing of the contributors, showing each one's degree credentials and academic affiliation. There follows a list of the abbreviations used throughout the text, plus useful suggestions as to a practical methodology of consultation. In addition to the diverse textual entries themselves and generous black-and-white pictorial additions, the encyclopedia offers readers the auditory "extra" of a CD (contained in a jacket affixed to volume III) of clips of several dozen typical musical performances recorded during the first half of the XX century. Very detailed thematic and authorial indices round out the last volume of the work, followed by an alphabetical index of interviews conducted in the preparation of the encyclopedia.

The list price for the Enciclopédia da música em Portugal no século XX is 25 euros (approximately $37.50 in U.S. dollars) per volume. The books themselves are hard-bound and made of light and relatively inexpensive paper. In volume 4 ("P-Z") of the copy of the text examined by this reviewer, there is a duplication of pages 1257-1272 ("Tea"-"Tos") and an omission of pages 1353-1368 ("Ze"- first seven pages of the final essay, entitled "Do século XX ao século XXI:processos, práticas musicais e músicos emergentes"). It is to be hoped that this defect does not occur in all copies of the last volume of the work.

Given the paucity of previously published reference works currently available in the area of modern Portuguese and Lusophone African musical forms, instruments, history, composers and performers, and in light of the relatively modest purchase price, very readable style, and ease of cross-referencing that characterize the present work, this four-volume compendium - in spite of the above-mentioned format defect - occupies a potentially significant place in bibliographical circles and may be recommended for purchase by reference libraries, academics, and by laymen interested in classical, folkloric, and popular culture in Portugal and the Lusophone world.