International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance

A Non-Governmental Organization in Formal Consultative Relations with UNESCO

General Editors of the Yearbook for Traditional Music and its predecessor

Fourteen individuals have edited the scholarly journal of the Council, variously called the Journal of the International Folk Music Council (1949–68), Yearbook of the International Folk Music Council (1969–80)and the Yearbook for Traditional Music (1981–). 

The most issues were edited by Dieter Christensen (19 1/2), while Maud Karpeles edited 13 1/2. In addition to these long-term editing commitments, both of them simultaneously served as what we would today call the Secretary General. The move of the Secretariat to Canada in 1969 ended the UK editorship of the Journal of the International Folk Music Council, and brought a new name and philosophy to it.

Norma McLeod edited the last issue of the Yearbook of the International Folk Music Council (1980) and the first of the Yearbook for Traditional Music (1981), the latter coinciding with the renaming of the Council at the 26th World Conference held in Seoul.

The Yearbook continues to reflect the tremendous variety of approaches to the study of music and dance.

Name Country Years
Christensen, Dieter USA 1982-2001
Crossley-Holland, Peter UK 1965-1968
Haywood, Charles USA 1971-1973
Karpeles, Maud UK 1949-1961
Karpeles, Maud UK 1964
Katz, Israel J. USA 1977-1979
Lee, Tong Soon Singapore/USA 2017-2022
Ó Briain, Lonán Ireland/UK 2023-
McLeod, Norma USA 1980-1981
Nettl, Bruno USA 1974-1976
Niles, Don Papua New Guinea 2006-2013
Picken, Laurence UK 1961-1963
Ringer, Alexander L. USA 1969-1970
Szego, C. K. Canada 2014-2017
Wild, Stephen Australia 2001-2005