A History of Popular Music in America

Fülszöveg

READ ABOUT Stephen Foster, Victor Herbert, Paul Dresser, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin and hundreds of others in
POPULAR MUSIC in AMERICA
SIGMUND SPAETH
There's never been a book like this. It embraces one of the most significant, and least explored, phases of our American culture—our love of songs and of singing. Nowhere else on earth has there been so prodigious a pouring out of lyrics and melodies to satisfy the popular taste. From Colonial days to the swiftly advancing present, music—the people's music—has contributed to our understanding of the nation's life, to our appreciation of the conglomerate mass meant by the word "American," to the need for humor and entertainment that go hand in hand with the deadly seriousness of our daily march toward achievement. Ours is truly a popular music, more noted for its abundance of gay and temporal offerings than for its rare excursions into the classic tradition.
(Continued on back flap)
(Continued from front flap)... Tovább

Fülszöveg

READ ABOUT Stephen Foster, Victor Herbert, Paul Dresser, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin and hundreds of others in
POPULAR MUSIC in AMERICA
SIGMUND SPAETH
There's never been a book like this. It embraces one of the most significant, and least explored, phases of our American culture—our love of songs and of singing. Nowhere else on earth has there been so prodigious a pouring out of lyrics and melodies to satisfy the popular taste. From Colonial days to the swiftly advancing present, music—the people's music—has contributed to our understanding of the nation's life, to our appreciation of the conglomerate mass meant by the word "American," to the need for humor and entertainment that go hand in hand with the deadly seriousness of our daily march toward achievement. Ours is truly a popular music, more noted for its abundance of gay and temporal offerings than for its rare excursions into the classic tradition.
(Continued on back flap)
(Continued from front flap)
Most eminent of its students. Dr. Spaeth has written the history of American popular music in a manner itself certain to be popular. It's good, exciting reading. Besides emphasizing items of historical importance (patriotic songs, political and martial airs, and occasional examples of unquestionable inspiration such as the ballads of Stephen Foster) the book delves into the obscure backgrounds of many familiar melodies whose creators are virtually unknown to the general public. It is the kind of fascinating detective work for which Dr. Spaeth has won much fame. As an argument-settler it's superb, and for general reference it will take an honored place in any library.
In addition to Dr. Spaeth's elaborate text there is the most complete listing of popular music ever assembled in print. Here you will find an index of songs and instrumental numbers arranged by titles and also by composers—a nostalgic treasure chest of melody certain to stimulate to ecstatic effort the bathroom baritones and kitchen coloraturas of our singing land. Vissza