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The Voices That are Gone: Themes in Nineteenth-Century American Popular Song
Jon W. Finson
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0195057503 |
Book Description
In this unique and readable study, Jon Finson views the mores and values of nineteenth-century Americans as they appear in their popular songs. The author sets forth lyricists' and composers' notions of courtship, technology, death, African Americans, Native Americans, and European ethnicity
by grouping songs topically. He goes on to explore the interaction between musical style and lyrics within each topic. The lyrics and changing musical styles present a vivid portrait of nineteenth-century America. The composers discussed in the book range from Henry Russell ("Woodman, Spare That
Tree"), Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna"), and Dan Emmett ("I Wish I Was in Dixie's Land"), to George M. Cohan and Maude Nugent ("Sweet Rosie O'Grady"), and Gussie Lord Davis ("In the Baggage Coach Ahead"). Readers will recognize songs like "Pop Goes the Weasel," "The Yellow Rose of Texas," "The
Fountain in the Park," "After the Ball," "A Bicycle Built for Two," and many others which gain significance by being placed in the larger context of American history.
Customer Reviews:
Capps' novel is rare treat.......2007-07-31
The basis for the film "A Love Song for Bobby Long," this novel by Ronald Everett Capps is a languid, halting look at the depths to which a man's soul can plummet from such great heights. While by no means a hero, but not quite a scoundrel deserving of such heartbreak, Capps' view of Bobby Long is a rich tapestry of wordplay, images -- surreal, carnal and otherwise -- that evoke episodes of longing, lamentation and, ultimately, just desserts. By no means a plodding read, but not a fast one, either, this is a work to be savored and enjoyed. If you've a front porch and a comfy chair, by all means, use them. If not, just be sure to take your time with this piece of contemporary southern literature.
A must-read for those who loved the movie AND a great book in its own right!.......2006-11-30
I bought this book because I really loved the movie "Love Song For Bobby Long." I, too, was an English major and I totally identify with Bobby and Byron, both in their high-falutin dreams and in their failure to move forward in their fields (writing, teaching, etc.). And I have a deep love for and knowledge of the city of New Orleans, which I felt the movie did a fair job of depicting. So, for me, the book had large shoes to fill.
The first part of the book disappointed me because [SPOILERS TO FOLLOW:::] it differed SO MUCH from the movie. Lorraine in the book is the polar opposite of the person described in the movie; not only did she not own a house or leave anything to her daughter in her will (including a dress that her daughter could wear), but she was far more pathetic than the the boys she left behind: Bobby and Byron.
But once the book introduced Lorraine's daughter into Byron and Bobby's lives, it started to loosely resemble the movie and, as I'd originally hoped, provided more insight into and a different perspective on the main characters. That's when I fell in love with the book, and I swear, from that point on, I literally could not put it down until I'd reached the end, and even then I didn't want it to stop.
I guess that's how I know I've read something really special -- the end of the book feels to me like the loss of a dear friend, and I mourn for it.
I can honestly say that I love this book every bit as as much as I love the movie based on the book, and I can't recommend one over the other. I DEFINITELY recommend that everyone read Capps' book AND rent the DVD. This story is a Love Song for Everyone, not just Bobby Long.
Great Book - If you read with open eyes.......2005-07-29
I struggled with this book at first, but time spent with the characters ends up being well spent.
Yes, it is an unusual book.
Yes, it blurs the boundries on what is considered "decent".
Just one thing to remember... the author puts a few clues in front of us at the beginning...the Tao is what it's all about. If you have any interest in taoist "philosophy" then you will easily understand.
No the book is not like the movie "A Love Song For Bobby Long". In its own way its far more moving.
Capps captures the world he intends to capture in this book.......2005-07-13
Meaning that he almost perfectly portrays the characters he writes about. He captures the setting, the southern element, the drunken states, the misery, the intellect, and the love that the main characters have to offer. This book is depressing but at the same time eye opening and somehow inspriring. This book offers a great, accurate picture of what New Orleans can be to folks outside the tourist realm. I've met the author and can honestly say this guy has some stories to tell...and has done quite well telling this one.
Worth reading.......2005-03-24
I enjoyed this book and got through it quickly. It's dark and sometimes depressing, but the writing is excellent. I felt I knew the characters and fell in love with them all.
Average customer rating:
- Vintage Cohen
- Happy Birthday to Me....
- Fantastic Collection & Perfect 1st Cohen Book to Buy
- songs and poems
- One Of A Kind Artist
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Stranger Music: Selected Poems and Songs
Leonard Cohen
Manufacturer: Vintage
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Binding: Paperback
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Book of Longing
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The Favorite Game
ASIN: 0679755411
Release Date: 1994-11-01 |
Book Description
For the first time in paperback--the selected work of the legendary singer, poet, and performer. Stranger Music presents a magnificent cross-section of Cohen's work--including 11 previously unpublished poems--and demonstrates definitively that Cohen is a writer of dazzling intelligence and a force that transcends genres.
Customer Reviews:
Vintage Cohen.......2007-01-27
More than once I've read poetry by favorite musicians and though, "Oh. Without music, this isn't very good." But Cohen was a writer first--the strength of his songs has always been the lyrics. This book is a collection of both poetry and lyrics (and a little poetic prose). It's vintage Cohen--dark and passionate and violent and melodramatic. It's about torrid love affairs and failed marriages and betrayal and war. If you like Cohen's lyrics, you'll like these poems, though you won't find any departures here.
Happy Birthday to Me...........2005-06-29
I had been introduced to Leonard Cohen in the late '80's through a high school boyfriend, and my roommate in college used to read his poetry when we had gatherings - when she read "Suzanne" aloud I realized for the first time how beautiful the lyrics were and, despite loving Cohen's music, I wanted to see more of his lyrics stripped bare so I could enjoy them on their own. I was in Austin on my birthday in th early 90's and was window-shopping the Tower Records on Guadelupe. Lo and behold, "Stanger Music" was on display. I remember it being expensive ( I was in college, $20.00 was a lot of money!) but heck, it was my birthday so I splurged. It's still one of my favorite gifts to myself and my all-time favorite book of poetry.
Cohen's writing reveals a lot of tenderness and soul while being very masculine. He writes about mundane things and makes them beautiful with his words, he observes everything with appreciation and is able to fully immerse himself in a moment - probably a quality honed during his monastic years. His poetry is very honest and unashamed, there is no fear of vulnerability. Some of it is deeply romantic and some is just downright sexy (but always tastefully so.) "My Room" is the most provocative two lines of poetry I've ever read. Truly amazing stuff, highly recommended.
Fantastic Collection & Perfect 1st Cohen Book to Buy.......2004-08-25
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One of my top gift items: Turn people on to this book. It is a terrific, full anthology that includes much out-of-print material. The poetry is stylistically wide in scope (from how-did-he-do that perfect to sparse, intense, free-verse); it has unique, emotionally-driven language choices, rhythm and content. Its tenor is lugubrious, and its subject matter tends toward sex and religion.
This, as opposed to his individual books of poetry: The individual books are typically short and some are wonderful -- each is very different, thus liked by different tastes. If you don't own any Cohen books, buy this first -- it's got great poems (plus clips of prose, as from "Beautiful Losers"). The chapters are laid out by book and album title (lyrics are here, too); therefore, if/when you want another book after, you will know which one. One thing I don't like about it is the change in poem titles from their originals.
This books ends when Cohen is in his 50's, at least in the previously unpublished poems at the end -- so, before the monastery part of his life, though religion is well part of him (he is Orthodox Jewish and views his Buddhism as compatible with his Judaism). I'm not much a fan of his post-monastery work, and if I have one regret it's that I discovered Leonard Cohen within the past ten years, and never got to see him live.
Know, too, that Cohen was a published poet--well-known in Canada--before he recorded music. He began to play guitar while reading poetry -- it went over well!
songs and poems.......2004-03-19
Some people who listen to Leonard Cohen's music hardly realize that he was (or is) well-known as a poet for a very long time. There was a real tradition of songwriters who were poets, especially starting back in the '50s and '60s, like Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, Jim Morrison, etc. I think Cohen's classic work however is "Beautiful Losers", especially excerpts like "All Right, Edith" and "Believe Me, Edith". It's in here. As well as lotsa poems and the lyrics to some of his songs that pass for poetry.
David Rehak
author of "Poems From My Bleeding heart"
One Of A Kind Artist.......2003-12-03
I would not be the writer that I am today if I hadn't discovered the works of Leonard Cohen when I was a 16 yr old kid.
Leonard Cohen's poetry is beatiful and scary and sensual. No one writes like him; he is truly one of a kind.
Book Description
Song is an enthralling compilation of songwriting wisdom from 100 of the biggest names in music. From country to rock to folk to alternative, this genre-spanning collection of interviews captures the anecdotes, history, and wisdom of the best songwriters aroundInside, you'll find entertaining and enlightening interviews from great songwriters such as Smokey Robinson, Willie Nelson, Jewel, Kenny Chesney, Cat Stevens, Jack Johnson, Sheryl Crow, John Legend, John Mellencamp, Ray Charles, Clint Black, Rob Thomas, Dolly Parton, Rufus Wainwright, Bob McDill, Lyle Lovett, Keith Urban, Beck, M.Ward, Lou Reed, Roger Miller, Grant-Lee Phillips, and John Denver.
Book Description
Picture a world intricately entwined with our own yet separate, pulsing with the raw energy and vivid color of Celtic myth come to life. Picture Albion. And enter Lewis Gillies, an Oxford student whose search for a missing friend leads him through a door to another reality- and unimagined discoveries about life, good and evil, and his own identity and destiny. In an ancient cairn in the wilds of Scotland, Oxford student Simon Rawson vanishes, seemingly into thin air. Where has he gone? Unsettling signs -- a mysterious Green Man, a Celtic circle chalked on the sidewalk -- point his roommate, Lewis Gillies, to an impossible answer . . . and an incredible destiny on the other side of a doorway between worlds. There, where Celtic champions, magic, and treachery weave the beautiful and brutal land called Albion, Lewis finds Simon. And there, schooled as a warrior, he is thrust to the front of a titanic struggle between light and darkness -- a hideous, onrushing darkness that would devour not merely a kingdom, but two worlds.
Customer Reviews:
Eh, why such good reviews?.......2007-09-13
Another series created out of the idea that a run of the mill dude discovers an alternate world, where he all a sudden becomes courageous and forgets his past. Besides that, the build up of a great magical climax is greatly over hyped, as it falls flat. Dont buy this novel if you are looking for your next great fantasy read
Super Reader.......2007-08-27
A solid fantasy trilogy, with the often useful hook of placing a modern man into the setting - with the twist that he becomes one of the great Celtic heroes, but not quite how you expect. The other thing is that he is an arts grad student nerd, too, so even more surprising. Not remarkable though, certainly would not read it again. A grad student and friend go on a wild trip, and find a supposedly extinct prehistoric ox, then follow it, and end up in a Celtic mythic Albion, and have to adapt fast.
I Screamed.......2007-08-13
Getting lost in Albion is a rare treat. This is the first (and only) book I have read as an adult that made me feel as if I had managed to step into a realm far more beautiful then anything that could be known in this.
This is a book that engages on many levels with a story that can be read as simple mind candy or with a careful disection of symbols, either way the story only disappoints in that it must end.
In fact, I was so engrossed in the story I did not realize the pages were running out! The shock of such an abrupt ending literally made me scream at Mr. Lawhead for leaving me hanging until I could get the next two books (which I read within two days of recieving them).
Awesome!.......2007-06-27
I love Trilogies and when I saw all three of the Song of Albion series on sale together I decided to give them a try. I had never read SRL before, but the concept of this series really caught my attention. Needless to say I was hooked. I have since read just about everything SRL has written, since March!
As was mentioned in a previous review, the book takes a little while to get started (most Lawhead's books do), but it was all necessary backround and character development. I guess he could have just created a "time machine", but that wouldn't have been anywhere nearly as interesting a storyline Lawhead has created here. Part Fantasy, part historical fiction/speculation, I found this whole series both entertaining and educational and really created a good foundation for his other Celtic based storylines (i.e. Pendragon series, Hood, Celtic Crusades etc.) I don't know if it's just because this is first series of Lawhead's I read or what, but this is still my favorite SRL series, one which no doubt I will re-read more than once.
The First of an incredible Fantasy Trilogy!.......2007-06-10
Okay, this book starts off my absolute, all-time favorite trilogies by Stephen R. Lawhead - who is one of my favorite authors because of how stinking awesome the trilogy is. The trilogy is called the Song of Albion. And it is a must read for any and all fantasy readers, especially if you love Celtic fantasy, of which Lawhead is a supreme master.
Anyways, Paradise War starts off a little slow, at least in comparison to all that happens over the span of the trilogy. But I would suggest some patience and for you to just enjoy how Lawhead sets up and transitions into the primary story, because he really is setting the stage and establishing characters which you will see grow, mature, and change throughout the entire trilogy.
I would also warn anyone who's got a squeamish stomach about Lawhead's books in general - he doesn't flinch at violence or describing the results thereof. It's not that he's overly gory or anything, but if a character has a wound inflicted on them and they have to deal with it, he describes it in, well, almost explicit detail.
I love Lawhead, also, because he's stylistic in his writing and very character driven. You see the main character go through a very drastic transition.
Overall, though I love Paradise War, it really only gets the story rolling and introduces you to a cast of characters which you will come to love. The Song of Albion is an amazing trilogy, and I highly recommend it to all fantasy lovers. I would suggest to parents that this book (and trilogy) are more for senior high students due to mature content.
Average customer rating:
- Proulx Pulls No Punches
- I can never get enough
- Images Abound in Proulx's Style
- Brutal, Passionate Stories
- Gritty stories told in flinty-sharp prose!
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Heart Songs and Other Stories
Annie Proulx
Manufacturer: Scribner
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Close Range: Wyoming Stories
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Bad Dirt : Wyoming Stories 2
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ASIN: 0020360754 |
Book Description
Before she wrote her Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller The Shipping News, E. Annie Proulx was already producing some of the finest short fiction in the country. Here are her collected stories, including two new works never before anthologized.
These stories reverberate with rural tradition, the rites of nature, and the rituals of small-town life. The country is blue-collar New England; the characters are native families and the dispossessed working class, whose heritage is challenged by the neorural bourgeoisie from the city; and the themes are as elemental as the landscape: revenge, malice, greed, passion. Told with skill and profundity and crafted by a master storyteller, these are lean, tough tales of an extraordinary place and its people.
Customer Reviews:
Proulx Pulls No Punches.......2007-08-16
One thing you must realize about Annie Proulx--she pulls no punches. Heart Songs and Other Stories is absolutely no exception to the rule.
In this collection of short stories, Proulx give us characters that are not terribly intelligent, sophisticated, attractive, or even likable. But, what they are is real. We've all met at least one of the characters in this book, and that's the magic of Proulx's writing. She's not interested in creating a romantic hero; she's interested in telling real stories about real people ... who happen to be fictional. And, like so many of us, they have moments that aren't exactly shining.
I've read quite a bit of Proulx, and this book is one of her earlier efforts. It's not quite as stylistically refined as her later work, but it is still a magnificent read. The fact she is absolutely so willing to spit in beauty's face makes her no-nonsense stories and rough and tumble characters all the more beautiful.
If you haven't read any Proulx yet, you really should.
I can never get enough.......2006-11-10
Nothing will ever top Annie Proulx's THE SHIPPING NEWS, but everything this
talented woman writes is a jewel. Her short story collections are just
riveting. The stories stay with me long after I've read them. Her characters
are rich and real. Many people have said they reread her sentences because
they are so dazzling and breathtaking. It's true. I look forward to anything she
she writes, as her fiction is the best.
Images Abound in Proulx's Style.......2006-02-22
Along with the use of active voice, something else jumped out at me the moment I had read a few pages of Proulx. She's loaded with images. Her images come mostly from apt and surprising similes. (That's not email "smilies.") As we learned in school, a simile is a figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds--usually formed with 'like' or 'as.'
Her similes bring to life her descriptions of people and enhance the concrete "feel" of things and places in her stories. The first sentence of the book has two of them, maybe not the best she has to offer, but two that immediately create images that pile up as she goes along: "Hawkheel's face was as finely wrinkled as grass-dried linen, his thin back bent like a branch weighted with snow." Another reviewer (Library Journal) has pointed out how she refers to a character as "thin as a folded dollar bill, her hand as narrow and cold as a trout." Maybe these images account for some of the appeal her style has for many readers. I for one find them satisfying and stimulating, here in the short stories even more than in Shipping News.
Brutal, Passionate Stories.......2005-04-29
If you want to read short stories about mad, cantakerous and passionate characters, read this collection of short stories. Annie Proulx astonished us with her remakable and refreshingly original novel, "The Shipping News," and while she has stated that she is not as proficient in writing short stories as in writing novels, I disagree. I could not put down these stories of the brutal and grotesque rural landscape, and none of the stories disappoints. I look forward to reading her other collections, "Close Range: Wyoming Stories" and "Bad Dirt: Wyoming Stories 2." Ms. Proulx is fast becoming one of America's leading authors of fiction.
Gritty stories told in flinty-sharp prose!.......2004-07-30
Excellent collection of short stories by one of the very best short story writers, set in a rural community where poor country folk struggle to eke out a living. Tough, gritty stories with a deep-rooted connection to the land that give full play to the author's gift for capturing rugged, rural landscape in all its moods. Hunting and fishing provides an unusual backdrop for some of the human dramas played out: revenge, ill-will, greed, infidelity, passion and jealously, violence and death are all strong presences in these stringent stories so don't be misled by the tame hunting and fishing reference. Annie Proulx creates a cast of vivid characters - eccentric, downtrodden, down and out, malicious and conniving - bringing them alive in the space of a striking image or phrase.
A strong theme threading through several stories is the clash of values of two very different worlds: the world of wealthy outsiders from the city with their flash guns, flash hunting gear, flash cars, flash houses and unwelcome improvements impinging on the land, customs and traditions of the poor rural community, the actions of the outsiders often appearing naive, clumsy, even foolish. My personal favourite is Stone City: a hunter stumbles on a remote, derelict farm high up on the snow-covered wooded hillsides but senses an atmosphere of evil pervading the abandoned ruin, Stone City, once owned by the Stone family, old man Stone and his brood of wild, unruly offspring. Gradually, more shocking revelations about the Stones and the grim past of Stone City come to light. Try also Annie Proulx's other superb short story collection of Wyoming stories, Close Range. Both books highly recommended!
Book Description
When Alec Wilder's American Popular Song first appeared, it was almost universally hailed--from The New York Times to The New Yorker to Down Beat--as the definitive account of the classic era of American popular music. It has since become the standard work of the great songwriters who dominated popular music in the United States for half a century. Now Wilder's classic is available again, with a new introduction by Gene Lees. Uniquely analytical yet engagingly informal, American Popular Song focuses on the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic qualities that distinguish American popular music and have made it an authentic art form. Wilder traces the roots of the American style to the ragtime music of the 1890s, shows how it was incorporated into mainstream popular music after 1900, and then surveys the careers of every major songwriter from World War I to 1950. Wilder devotes desparate chapters to such greats as Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, and Harold Arlen. Illustrated with over seven hundred musical examples, Wilder's sensitive analyses of the most distinctive, creative, and original songs of this period reveal unexpected beauties in songs long forgotten and delightful subtleties in many familiar standards. The result is a definitive treatment of a strangely unsung and uniquely American art.
Customer Reviews:
Gershwin Pretentious Gimme a Break! Bach Must be Zues on Pluto.......2006-03-14
Richard Rogers The Greatest Composer Of His Time?Let's get clear folks Espically you low brows who call porgy and bess Pretentious,Rogers "Might" be The Greatest Songwriter(NOT COMPOSER-There,s A big distinction)of his time(personally i pick Porter then Gershwin Then Arlen for Bluesiness And Sexiness-and ground zero is the blues sorry Gang not the vieniese waltz that Rogers was so fond of)depending on what lyricist he worked with(his most heart felt ones are with Hart).He might have had the Greatest fund of pure melody then any one-Granted.But there is an slickness And Artificial & Superficial Aspect to much Of his Work That over time looses it power,and certainly appeal.Mabe this under the surface aspect to Rogers Work Is Reflective Of The Fact That As A Person, He Was A Complete SOB- an autocratic homophobic womanizing self serving A hole.Not One Of Rogers "Serious" Works Like Ellingtons Can Hold A Candel To Gershwins.Europeans Take Gershwins Greatness as a composer Musican & Pianist(another area where no one including Rogers in the pop field{as well as classical}of that time could compete with George)as a matter of course(Americans and american critics should do the same and put to bed this stupid debate of GG Songwriter? or Composer?-and get with the fact that the closest thing America has produced to the level of anything like a Mozart is called GERSHWIN-PERIOD-just look at the high level gifts he had in abbudance as an innovater- melody,Harmony,rhythm,pianist,theatre & Drama.And the two most rare,originality & Humor-gimme a break Rogers or any one else for that matter can't even compare or compete.It Seems It's even A Gift To begin to Grasp And Appriciate the enormity of G.G's Genius.Levant Got It,When He Was Consigned By George On A Train Road Trip To The Lower Berth(Talent)to Georges Upper Berth(Genius)Levant's Words And Appraisal.Koussivitsky Got It "he's a genius to great to be real"His Exact words.Ravel Certainly got it it's well documented,hell his piano concertos were directly inspired by Gershwin's Own.Hambitzer-Gershwins only beloved music-piano teacher got it as early as 1912 when he wrote his sister with the words "The Boy Is A Genius Without A doubt",And Yet He Still Get's Snubbed and slighted by Envious low-brow & High-brow Snobs alike.Just Look As one of the reviews opines below(to be Read Snidley."i can't stand Porgy & Bess & American In Paris,They Are So Pretentious"all I can say Is BLOW ME!Certainly you are entitled to your(mis- informed)opinions(diversity Is The Spice of Life)But be honest as to why you don't like Porgy Before invoking the "P" word as Your Decree(and defense)against This Masterwork-and what is the honest answer?you don't get it,it's over your head,you have lazy ears,it doesen't fit with your world view which prefers charming "Rogers" Bon Bons-it intimidates you,you are envious-pick one or all of the above.Again Evauluating and grasping the true aspect and significance(and moving beyond all the pedigogical brainwashing and propaganda)of G.G.is an Art In Itself.And The Point Needs To Be RAMMED Home Time And Again.And I Here To Ram It.The GREENess of the Heart Chakra Makes many uncomfortable(Genius Has That Effect on those that don't want to be ennobeled or inspired by it-(And If Ever There Was a Pop Genius It's Gershwin-Two choices With Genius-you can let it wash over you and grow as a result or project upon it all your own petty offenses opinions And Predjudices).Gershwin and Porgy Pretentious? Overated? hell i guess That leaves Bach Right Out.The use of the word Pretentious is just an example of these soclaly engineered(thank you Edward Bernaise You A-hole) downloadable"buzz"words and or phrases("COOL" being the Prime One)For Fuzzy Thinkers Who's Minds are not their own and indulge and defend a Kind Of pervasive UN-critical thinking that is really just a laziness of mind and heart,(a lack of feelings based connectedness & desire for TRUTH seeking within and without)the same kind of automatic pre conditoned cognative dissonant Parrot like responses can be found in other areas as well I.e. "you think Oswald didn't act alone? that sounds like a CONSPIRACY THEORY",or this one "You're a Vegan?,How Do You Get Your PROTEIN?"And The Gem Below "Porgy & Bess Strikes Me As Artifical And PRETENTIOUS" Back to the Gist and Thrust of my thesis,Rogers was Green With Envy Over Porgy as were most of the worlds other composers and songwriters of the time.Rogers tried to compete with Gershwin with the likes of "Victory At Sea" & "Slaughter on tenth ave",which are wonderfull pieces of fluff in their own way,and get ocasional hearings over the CONSTANT and Steady programing of the Gershwin Staples World Wide(Rhap in blue,the Concerto in F,A In P,Preludes,Cuban Overture,2nd Rhap,I got Rhythm V's And Porgy).Pretentiuous Is When You Try For The Big Gesture And Fall Flat On Your Face(George Never Fell On His Face On This Score Quite The Opposite-and time and time again,He Pulled It Off Marvelously-And All Without A Net).From This Stand Point the "serious" Rogers fare is More Guilty Of Pretention And Cloyingness And Insincerity then any thing George Ever Wrote.The Jurys in,like it or not,Gershwins Music Is The Epitome Of Brillance Timelessness,Sincerity,Originality And Honesty.As For Mr Wilder's(with his two minor song hits for posterity And numerous-some actually quite good-quirky Jazzy lyrical Chamber pieces-a kind of American Hindemith-though no Gershwin Or Copland Barber Or Ives-)estimation of Songwriters After 1950 as all being amateurs(what a Curmudgeon)I got News for him in his astral home(where he's still writing for angelic brass and woodwinds i hear)-That's where the "BLUES"(Rock & Pop & R&B) went.All inspired Artists should get on with their work,be Courageous, And Fudge The OPINIONS Of ALL OTHERS-and listen ONLY! to the dictates and demands of their Hearts-the true home of the Creator.Peace.And While Your At It Keep It All Joyfull And Fun-George Did,he Never Made A Distinction Between His Serious And Pop hats -wearing both without judgment or justifacation,and that's why he is the worlds supreme crossover GENIUS!At a time when that was possible,let the pundits whimper on while Gershwin continues to Bang,and thereby doing his part to continue to keep the world from ending.
4 1/2* Excellent Ref. Book for the Musically Inclined.......2002-12-05
Yes, the man is opinionated, and one may argue with some of his more controversial and unsparing critiques. His analyses are grounded in a thorough understanding of music, and he does not retreat from criticizing the most popular. I think that the whole topic is perhaps more subjective than Wilder lets on, but at least he's forthright about his opinions, and provides hundreds of musical annotations to illustrate his views. I'll also agree with the reviewer who criticizes Wilder's view that post-50's popular music was written by "amateurs." Still, this is widely regarded as a must-have for the student of popular music, and it's an excellent, albeit somewhat technical critique of popular music's "golden age." Recommended!
proves that the worthiest critic is the practitioner.......2001-08-31
Lord knows there is a place for criticism in music. The problem is that too often the most ill-qualified, wrongest people practice it, and are rewarded with the bully pulpit of widely read publication and nice paychecks to boot. Alec Wilder is a "right" person, if ever there was one. He's no outsider or "wannabe". His insights on the procedures and content on the songwriting of his brethren come from his own long, hard struggle with the form. And he did it VERY well, giving his observations yet more credence. He has the courage of his convictions, putting a hard critical ear to the work of his peers, betters, "worsers"---whoever, while owning up to his prejudices and acknowledging that it is, after all, only his opinion. I'm glad he covered the people he did, and only disappointed and perplexed that he passed on Strayhorn (I suppose because his work was outside the theater/movie/pop song orbit of the others). I would have appreciated his insights. Such skill, courage, and honesty in criticism is at the very least a breath of fresh air.
Neither music lovers, nor especially fellow composers should take Wilder's words as the gospel, though, as I feel he'd be the first to implore. It's hard enough to compose and ignore the criticism in one's one head, let alone hear the muse over the strains of a duet. Another thing to consider in placing importance on even as eloquent and well-formed criticisms as these is Wilder's harrowing self-doubt about his OWN composing, and general worth (which comes through loud and clear in his autobiographical "Letters I Never Sent") And listeners should follow their own ears and hearts. Take Wilder's survey for what it is, very high quality opinion.
As for MY opinion, the only thing that leaves a bad taste in this and similar books (Copland's survey 20th century composers, for a much more egregious example) is a certain elitism cutting through that, at its worst, is downright snotty. According to the preface (by Gene Lees, a talented man and friend of good music, but himself no stranger to the banshee wail of the conservatively cranky)Wilder stated that "after 1955, the amateurs took over". I can understand the horror Wilder and other gifted musicians, weaned on European and even jazz traditions, felt when rock's arrival landed a knockout blow to their careers and values. But it wasn't and isn't all garbage---the best of it is as valid as anything. Perhaps its greatest virtue is that it doesn't take itself that seriously as "art". If nothing else, it loosened us all up a bit. Wilder's cynicism, however justified in his mind, peeks through these pages a bit, although not so much as to be harmful. It's just frustrating and a bit of a bore. I so want to believe that so rare a musical wit felt affection, not disdain toward the the race he wrote about and for. So with these things in mind, enjoy and learn as I have from a very valuable piece of writing.
FOR THOSE WHO LOVE AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC.......2001-08-06
ALEC WILDER himself a composer has written what is generally considered the bible of AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC.More than thirty years have gone by since the first édition of this book and it remains fresh.Like many i am proud to say that this book was really for me what i needed to start digging into the history of many songs before the rock era.From BERLIN and KERN to the often forgotten greats like DONALDSON and McHUGH they are all there and mister WILDER knows what he is talking about;he had talked to many writers and composers who were at the time of the first édition still with us.Personal opinions are of course a matter of taste;we are for example not obliged to believe everything he says.Most of the time mister WILDER is right:EXAMPLE:he believes that RICHARD RODGERS was perhaps the most gifted composer of his time.Few can really disagree with that.In fact,there is only one major problem with this book,if you don't read music it won't be too enjoyable for you,because there are many examples with sheet music to proves the points he wants to make.Everyone who has an interest in the history of AMERICAN popular music should buy that book.
I like Mr. Wilder's analysis.......2000-06-14
I agree with Mr. Wilder about Gershwin. While Gershwin undoubtedly wrote many great songs I find that he can also be very overrated. "Porgy and Bess" and "An American in Paris" have several pieces which I think are grandiose and pretentious. I cannot stand listening to those two musicals. The music seems to not quite be "pop" and not quite "operatic". The music in those two works also sound as if Gershwin is straining to sound important but somehow sounds artificial and shallow. I much prefer the gentler and timeless music written by Richard Rodgers and Jerome Kern. I also like Arlen whose music is always hip.
Book Description
Bestselling author B.J. Hoff will delight readers as her unforgettable characters from A Distant Music and The Wind Harp reunite for a dramatic conclusion to The Mountain Song Legacy trilogy.
When a shadow falls over the MacAuley family, newlyweds Jonathan and Maggie Stuart find their faith and newly discovered happiness tested in unforeseen ways. An abrupt summons to return from their honeymoon wrenches them from the joy of their early days of marriage and thrusts them into the midst of a family in anguish.
Responsible for helping their loved ones heal, while maintaining and nurturing their own relationship and their love for each other, the young couple faces a challenge that will ultimately define their marriage and decide their future.
About This Series: Based on her popular novella, The Penny Whistle, bestselling novelist B.J. Hoff has expanded the story of young Maggie MacAuley and her family into a heartwarming trilogy: A Distant Music, The Wind Harp, and The Song Weaver.
Customer Reviews:
OUTSTANDING!!!.......2007-08-05
I previously reviewed the first book in this series, 'A Distant Music' and this is the conclusion to the trilogy, but how I wish it were not the last. The author wraps up the story with this book and how I loved visiting with all the wonderful characters again. Hoff manages somehow to get you inside her novels and you feel the damp and cold of the mountain in the winter, you feel the wonderful moments in the school house and Maggie and Jonathan's home. This is a wonderful, fantastic series and you do not want to miss it at all. Be warned, though, you most definitely will need a box of tissues. You will feel the warmth and love of this story long after finishing it.
Another beautiful story by B.J. Hoff!.......2007-07-09
I just finished reading The Song Weaver, and I just hate to put it down! The continuation of Maggie and Jonathan's story had me hooked again the minute I opened the book. With a mix of humor, drama, suspense, and romance, this book was the perfect conclusion to The Mountain Song Legacy, although I am sad to admit that it did come to an end! This book will definitely leave you wanting more of B.J. Hoff's superb story-telling. Can't wait to see what the next series brings!
Vintage BJ Hoff.......2007-06-27
After reading the first two books in the Mountain Legacy series, Maggie McAuley, her family, and Jonathan Stuart had become very real to me. I was delighted to see Maggie and Jonathan fall in love, and was looking forward to how their story would conclude.
BJ Hoff doesn't disappoint. Maggie and Jonathan, now newly-married, face adversity together with a strong reliance on their faith. Heartwarming without being cloying, "The Song Weaver" draws the reader in with solid storytelling and nuanced characters. Hoff doesn't sugarcoat the realities of living in a coal-mining town in the early 1900's, but she doesn't skimp on hope and grace.
Like a warm visit with a good friend over a hot cup of tea, "The Song Weaver" offers comfort and satisfaction...and you don't want the visit to come to an end.
A Poignant and Tender Love Story.......2007-06-25
The Song Weaver wraps up the tale of Jonathan and Maggie Stuart, their life, their love, and the lives of those around them. The story is poignant and tender, leaving the reader with a deep sense of satisfaction. B.J. Hoff is a master at characterization, and her stories are rich with insight. I love the historical setting and learned something new about the role of women in that society. I highly recommend The Song Weaver and this Mountain Song Legacy series, and I look forward to any future works by author B.J. Hoff.
B.J. Hoff at her best........2007-06-23
Maggie MacAuley is married to Jonathan Stuart, her former teacher and the newlyweds are on a trip to Lexington to meet his family. Maggie is afraid they won't accept her,but they immediately make her feel right at home. Then they get a message that Eva Grace, Maggie's sister isn't likely to survive childbirth. They leave at once for home. Eva Grace's husband, Richard Barlow, a respected business man who is active in his church and a wife beater at home, has threatened to take the baby from his wife after it's birth. Now he is little Gracie's only surviving parent. Maggie is overwhelmed at the thought of handing her infant niece to her hated brother-in-law.
The Song Weaver is the last book in the Mountain Song Legacy Story, and I hate to see it end. I'll miss Maggie and Jonathan and all the others. I want to see little Gracie grow up. B.J. Hoff has created a warm story with compelling characters and a complex plot. A very satisfying end to a special series. She never disapoints
Book Description
Wonderful sing-along favorites with easy-to-play piano arrangements, guitar chords and complete lyrics. Greensleeves, Auld Lang Syne, Down in the Valley, My Wild Irish Rose, Yellow Rose of Texas, many more.
Customer Reviews:
For fun, nostalgia and reference.......2007-04-26
This book was originally published in 1964 and includes some (now nostalgic) references to typing up and making carbon copies of lyrics and such. I don't mind that it hasn't been updated.
A great collection of songs with some nice historical background. Includes very simple piano arrangements with chords identified above the piano notation, along with diagrams for chords on the guitar. Some songs are followed by words for several verses. The emphasis seems to be on encouraging everyone to sing in unison. Those who want to sing a harmony part may need to invent their own.
It's a fairly thick book. I wish it came in a sturdy spiral-bound version.
may not be for beginners.......2006-03-13
This is a very nice collection of classic American songs, arranged chronologically with a little introduction. I wanted a book like this as I'm just learning to play the guitar - I liked that it has the chord fingerings right in the song. My one complaint is minor - hopefully soon I'll be a better guitar player and this won't matter, but a lot of songs are in the key of F which I find a tricky chord still. I had to transpose lots of the songs into D or G or something else I could handle better.
A true treasure.......2001-10-03
I highly recommend this songbook, not only for the 100 wonderful songs, but also for the introduction to each song. Though each intro is brief, each tells a bit about the author or the song or the times in which it became popular. A great potpourri of Americana!
All of those wonderful, old favorites and more!.......1999-11-18
When my little girl was born, I found myself trying to remember the words to all of the songs I used to sing with my family when I was growing up. My memory just couldn't come up with some (most!) of them, though. Fortunately, this book has them all: Sweet Betsey From Pike, Oh Susanna, I've Been Working on the Railroad, Bicycle Built for Two, She'll be Comin' Round the Mountain, and so many more. What's even better is that the book also contains standard sheet music with each song, plus guitar chords, plus a brief history of each song. A great find and one I'm so glad I bought!
Book Description
Classic American Popular Song: The Second Half-Century, 1950-2000 addresses the question: "What happened to American popular song after 1950?" There are numerous books available on the so-called "Golden Age" of popular song, but none that follow the development of popular song styles in the second half of the 20th century. While 1950 is seen as the "end of an era," the tap of popular song creation hardly ran dry after that date. Many of the classic songwriters continued to work through the following decades: Porter was active until 1958; Rodgers until the later 1970s; Arlen until 1976. Some of the greatest lyricists of the classic era continued to do outstanding and successful work: Johnny Mercer and Dorothy Fields, for example, continued to produce lyrics through the early '70s. These works could be explained as simply the Golden Age's "last stand," a refusal of major figures to give in to a new reality. But then, how can we explain the outstanding careers of Frank Loesser, Cy Coleman, Jerry Herman, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, Fred Kander and John Ebb, Jule Styne, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, and several other major figures? Where did Stephen Sondheim come from?
For anyone interested in the development of American popular song -- and its survival -- this book will make fascinating reading.
Customer Reviews:
It's OK.......2006-10-29
Don't expect anything like Alec Wilder's AMERICAN POPULAR SONG, that's the first recommendation I'd make to you. The second is read sparingly, and disregard a lot of the analysis - it's often tedious. Oh, and do be prepared for an affront or two. Naturally we all have our different tastes but might we not worry a little about the book's sensibility when Burt Bacharach's work is dismissed in little under a page, Paul Simon barely rates a mention, and the achievement of Lerner & Loewe is judged to be stylistically "dead-end"?
Perhaps on the brighter side, this book has a sobering, generally right-headed approach to the subject. With a much greater range and a larger sweep than Wilder, the authors seem sure of themselves. But they don't write a twentieth as well, and it's something of a shame because style of expression is probably the greatest pleasure to be had from works like this. Wilder's uncommon elan and his tailored offhandedness make many pages in his great work sparkle. One could never say the same about this book, I'm afraid. The prose is wooden and the diction, especially the adjectival range, too restricted. I hope never to read "blithe" as a description for a song again.
Excellent .......2006-07-26
The book which is a kind of a sequel to an epochmaking book by Alec Wilder is simply indispensable to anyone who is interested in the field. It is both intelligent and entertaining, as a book on popular music should be. Highly recommended.
A college-level survey of what happened to American popular music post 1950.......2006-04-04
Classic American Popular Song: The Second Half-century, 1950-2000 is a college-level survey of what happened to American popular music post 1950: it continues the story of classic songwriters from Porter and Rodgers to Johnny Mercer and Fred Kander, exploring the ongoing (and sometimes surprising) popularity of their works over the decades and considering both the quality of pop song after 1950 and the efforts of writers who worked in an established yet fading musical style. From traditions maintained in popular song to the evolution of American song styles, colleges will find this a fine addition.
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