Musician and composer Irgens-M繪ller presents this close study of the musical traditions of Nuristan, a mountainous region of Afghanistan, via the accounts and field recordings of Lennart
Edelberg and Klaus Ferdinand, which they made during their 1953-1954 tour of the area. Because of the treacherous topography of the region, the culture has remained relatively intact as the
larger Asian and Middle Eastern neighbors were unable to assimilate the Nuristanis. Work was begun in 2003 to study and preserve the recordings, which were beginning to deteriorate, and funding
was found for publication of this book--a fantastic snap-shot of Nuristani culture and music, describing many facets of this society via its musical heritage. Also included are three cds of the
music Edelberg and Ferdinand collected. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. Annotation 穢2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
