Vaudeville old & new
Author | : Frank Cullen |
Publisher | : Psychology Press |
Total Pages | : 1362 |
Release | : 2007 |
Genre | : Entertainers |
ISBN | : 0415938538 |
New York Panorama
Author | : Federal Writers' Project |
Publisher | : Courier Dover Publications |
Total Pages | : 609 |
Release | : 2018-04-18 |
Genre | : Literary Collections |
ISBN | : 0486821005 |
"A joy." — The Nation. Vintage guide presents 26 essays capturing the mood of the metropolis during the 1930s. Themes range from the city's history, architecture, and museums to its music halls, theaters, other cultural attractions.
George Gershwin
Author | : Howard Pollack |
Publisher | : Univ of California Press |
Total Pages | : 938 |
Release | : 2007-01-15 |
Genre | : Music |
ISBN | : 0520933141 |
This comprehensive biography of George Gershwin (1898-1937) unravels the myths surrounding one of America's most celebrated composers and establishes the enduring value of his music. Gershwin created some of the most beloved music of the twentieth century and, along with Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, and Cole Porter, helped make the golden age of Broadway golden. Howard Pollack draws from a wealth of sketches, manuscripts, letters, interviews, books, articles, recordings, films, and other materials—including a large cache of Gershwin scores discovered in a Warner Brothers warehouse in 1982—to create an expansive chronicle of Gershwin’s meteoric rise to fame. He also traces Gershwin’s powerful presence that, even today, extends from Broadway, jazz clubs, and film scores to symphony halls and opera houses. Pollack’s lively narrative describes Gershwin’s family, childhood, and education; his early career as a pianist; his friendships and romantic life; his relation to various musical trends; his writings on music; his working methods; and his tragic death at the age of 38. Unlike Kern, Berlin, and Porter, who mostly worked within the confines of Broadway and Hollywood, Gershwin actively sought to cross the boundaries between high and low, and wrote works that crossed over into a realm where art music, jazz, and Broadway met and merged. The author surveys Gershwin’s entire oeuvre, from his first surviving compositions to the melodies that his brother and principal collaborator, Ira Gershwin, lyricized after his death. Pollack concludes with an exploration of the performances and critical reception of Gershwin's music over the years, from his time to ours.
Music in the USA
Author | : Judith Tick |
Publisher | : Oxford University Press |
Total Pages | : 920 |
Release | : 2008 |
Genre | : History |
ISBN | : 0195139887 |
Presents a compilation of primary source materials on American music, from 1540-2000, including some facsimiles.
Poor Gal
Author | : Dan Gutstein |
Publisher | : Univ. Press of Mississippi |
Total Pages | : 223 |
Release | : 2023-12-15 |
Genre | : Music |
ISBN | : 1496849361 |
Poor Gal: The Cultural History of Little Liza Jane chronicles the origins and evolution of a folk tune beloved by millions worldwide. Dan Gutstein delves into the trajectory of the “Liza Jane” family of songs, including the most popular variant “Li’l Liza Jane.” Likely originating among enslaved people on southern plantations, the songs are still performed and recorded centuries later. Evidence for these tunes as part of the repertoire of enslaved people comes from the Works Progress Administration ex-slave narratives that detail a range of lyrics and performance rituals related to “Liza Jane.” Civil War soldiers and minstrel troupes eventually adopted certain variants, including “Goodbye Liza Jane.” This version of the song prospered in the racist environment of burnt cork minstrelsy. Other familiar variants, such as “Little Liza Jane,” likely remained fixed in folk tradition until early twentieth-century sheet music popularized the melody. New genres and a slate of stellar performers broadly adopted these folk songs, bringing the tunes to far-reaching listeners. In 1960, to an audience of more than thirty million viewers, Harry Belafonte performed “Little Liza Jane” on CBS. The song was featured on such popular radio shows as Fibber McGee & Molly; films such as Coquette; and a Mickey Mouse animation. Hundreds of recognizable performers—including Fats Domino, Bing Crosby, Nina Simone, Mississippi John Hurt, and Pete Seeger—embraced the “Liza Jane” family. David Bowie even released “Liza Jane” as his first single. Gutstein documents these famous renditions, as well as lesser-known characters integral to the song’s history. Drawing upon a host of cultural insights from experts—including Eileen Southern, Carl Sandburg, Thomas Talley, LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka, Charles Wolfe, Langston Hughes, and Alan Lomax—Gutstein charts the cross-cultural implications of a voyage unlike any other in the history of American folk music.
Folk Songs of the Catskills
Author | : Norman Cazden |
Publisher | : SUNY Press |
Total Pages | : 694 |
Release | : 1982-01-01 |
Genre | : Music |
ISBN | : 9780873955805 |
Traditional songs from the Catskill area of New York State are accompanied by detailed discusssions of their roots, development, musical structure, and subject matter