world music

noun

|Updated on: 19 Jul 2018

Definition of world music

: popular music originating from or influenced by non-Western musical traditions and often having a danceable rhythm —usually hyphenated when used attributively

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Recent Examples of world music from the Web

Combining elements of world music with electronic sounds and beats, the London collective hit upon a distinctive, life-affirming sound that brought significant European success and spawned a host of imitators.

— brian mccollum, Detroit Free Press, "Transglobal Underground's electro-worldbeat to brighten Concert of Colors," 12 July 2018
Montreal's annual jazz festival is a 10-day affair that offers both free outdoor shows and indoor ticketed events that feature rock, blues and world music.

— etan vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, "Montreal Jazz Festival Cancels Slave Songs Show After Backlash," 4 July 2018
The Chapel, 777 Valencia St., S.F. thechapelsf.com Amadou & Mariam: The awe-inspiring world music duo, who met at Mali's Institute for the Young Blind, has performed with acts such as Coldplay, U2 and Alicia Keys. 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 15.

— SFChronicle.com, "Bay Area arts and entertainment picks, June 15," 14 June 2018
John Butler is American but he was raised in Australia and his music has a world music vibe to it at times.

— chris haghirian, kansascity, "June is for I Heart Local Music, plus John Butler Trio, the Middle Kids and more," 5 June 2018
This major festival brings together the best of opera, classical music, world music, theater, dance, art, and multimedia performances at venues throughout the city.

— andrea whittle, Condé Nast Traveler, "What to Do in Amsterdam in June 2018," 29 May 2018
The Talking Heads frontman has spent the latter part of his career pushing boundaries and promoting exploration of world music.

— courtney devores, charlotteobserver, "8 buzzworthy concerts coming to Charlotte in the next week | Charlotte Observer," 2 May 2018
The ballet foundation of King’s work has always been richly expanded by his contemporary sensibility, and tabla virtuoso Hussain is one of the undisputed masters of contemporary world music.

— karen campbell, BostonGlobe.com, "Alonzo King LINES Ballet offers a stunning show," 21 Apr. 2018
The wistful, old-world music of the village square and local café seems threatened by the musique concrète associated with the soulless, mechanical rhythms of industrial existence.

— peter cowie, WSJ, "Hilariously Stuck Between Modernity and the Past," 27 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'world music.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.