The voices that are gone : themes in nineteenth-century American popular song / Jon W. Finson.
| Author/creator | Finson, Jon W. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | New York : Oxford University Press, 1994. |
| Description | xiii, 336 pages : illustrations, music ; 25 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | The distant beloved: genteel romance before the Civil War -- Realism and national industry: courtship in the gilded age -- Familiar journey: protocols of dying in the nineteenth century -- The social faith: popular views of technology -- Antebellum minstrelsy and the carnivalesque -- Postbellum blackface song: authenticity and the minstrel demon -- The romantic savage: American Indians in the parlor -- Out of many, one? Western European ethnicity. |
| Abstract | In this unique and readable study, Jon Finson views the mores and values of nineteenth-century Americans as they appear in their popular songs. Presenting a guided tour of topically arranged, select songs, he points out the most important landmarks, as well as lesser sights that provide color and context, and obscure but treasurable parts of the scenery previously overlooked. Setting forth lyricists' and composers' notions of courtship, technology, death, African Americans, Native Americans, and European ethnicity, Finson explores the interaction between musical style and lyrics within each topic, offering a vivid and novel 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, 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. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 315-321) and indexes. |
| LCCN | 93028889 |
| ISBN | 0195057503 (acid-free paper) |
| ISBN | 9780195057508 (acid-free paper) |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Closed Stacks - Ask at Circulation Desk | ML3477 .F55 1994 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |