The hundred thousand fools of God : musical travels in central Asia (and Queens, New York)

"The Hundred Thousand Fools of God" assembles a living musical and ethnographic map by highlighting the fate of traditions, beliefs, and social relationships in Muslim and Jewish Central Asian cultures during and after seventy years of Soviet rule.

Theodore Levin evokes the spectacular physical and human geography of the area and weaves a rich ethnography of the life styles, values, and art of the musical performers.

Photographs, maps, and an accompanying CD (featuring 24 on-site recordings) make "The Hundred Thousand Fools of God" a unique reading and listening experience.

Theodore Levin is Associate Professor of Music at Dartmouth College.

He began conducting musical and ethnographic research in Uzbekistan in 1978.

His recordings of music from Central Asia and other parts of the former Soviet Union appear on Smithsonian Folkways, Nonesuch, Ocora, and other labels.