The Cambridge History of American Music

A definitive history of music in the United States, written by a team of scholars and first published in 1998.

David Nicholls (Edited by)

9780521454292, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 19 November 1998

654 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 4 cm, 1.12 kg

'The generally high quality of the essays as well as the admirable and unexpected liveliness of the book as a whole shows the virtue of Nicholls's approach.' Journal of the American Musicological Society

The Cambridge History of American Music, first published in 1998, celebrates the richness of America's musical life. It was the first study of music in the United States to be written by a team of scholars. American music is an intricate tapestry of many cultures, and the History reveals this wide array of influences from Native, European, African, Asian, and other sources. The History begins with a survey of the music of Native Americans and then explores the social, historical, and cultural events of musical life in the period until 1900. Other contributors examine the growth and influence of popular musics, including film and stage music, jazz, rock, and immigrant, folk, and regional musics. The volume also includes valuable chapters on twentieth-century art music, including the experimental, serial, and tonal traditions.

Notes on contributors
Editor's preface
Part I: 1. American Indian musics, past and present Victoria Lindsay Levine
2. Music in America: an overview (part 1) William Brooks
3. Secular music to 1800 Kate Van Winkle Keller with John Koegel
4. Sacred music to 1800 Nym Cooke
5. African-American music to 1900 Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje
6. Immigrant, folk and regional musics in the nineteenth century Michael Broyles
7. Nineteenth-century popular music Dale Cockrell
8. Art music from 1800 to 1860 Katherine K. Preston
9. Art music from 1860 to 1920 Michael Broyles
Part II: 10. Music in America: an overview (part 2) William Brooks
11. Immigrant, folk and regional musics in the twentieth century Philip V. Bohlman
12. Popular song and popular music on stage and film Stephen Banfield
13. The rock and roll era Robert Walser
14. Ragtime and early jazz Jeffrey Magee
15. Jazz from 1930 to 1960 David Joyner
16. Jazz since 1960 Ronald Radano
17. Tonal traditions in art music from 1920 to 1960 Larry Starr
18. Serialism and complexity Stephen Peles
19. Avant-garde and experimental music David Nicholls
20. Tonal traditions in art music since 1960 Jonathan W. Bernard
Bibliography and references
Index.

Subject Areas: Western "classical" music [AVGC], Theory of music & musicology [AVA]