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Roland Hayes: The Legacy of an American Tenor
by Robert Sims Christopher A. BrooksA &“gripping, sensitive&” biography of the trailblazing singer who carved a path for African American artists including Marian Anderson and Paul Robeson (The Atlanta Voice). Performing in a country rife with racism and segregation, the tenor Roland Hayes was the first African American man to reach international fame as a concert performer. He became one of the few artists in the world who could sell out Town Hall, Carnegie Hall, Symphony Hall, and Covent Garden. Performing the African American spirituals he was raised on, his voice was marked with a unique sonority which easily navigated French, German, and Italian art songs. A multiculturalist both on and off the stage, he counted among his friends George Washington Carver, Eleanor Roosevelt, Ezra Pound, Pearl Buck, Dwight Eisenhower, and Langston Hughes. This &“substantial and well-documented&” biography spans the history of Hayes&’s life and career and the legacy he left behind as a musician and a champion of African American rights (BBC Music Magazine). It is an authentic, panoramic portrait of a man who was as complex as the music he performed. &“Like many generations of celebrated African American concert artists, I am an inheritor of the legacy left by the great Roland Hayes. Yet, we hardly know his name today. With this long overdue book, the oversight is now remedied.&” —Lawrence Brownlee, Metropolitan Opera &“A wonderful journey through Hayes&’ performances, racial plight and acceptance.&” —Examiner.com
Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die: Musings from the Road
by Willie Nelson“Nelson’s unmistakable voice shines through . . . funny, inspirational and bawdy, with a well-honed sense of humor.” —Kirkus ReviewsIn Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die, Willie Nelson muses about his greatest influences and the things that are most important to him, and celebrates the family, friends, and colleagues who have blessed his remarkable journey. Willie riffs on everything, from music to poker, Texas to Nashville, and more. He shares the outlaw wisdom he has acquired over the course of eight decades, along with favorite jokes and insights from family, bandmates, and close friends. Rare family photographs, beautiful artwork created by his son, Micah Nelson, and lyrics to classic songs punctuate these charming and poignant memories.A road journal written in Willie Nelson’s inimitable, homespun voice and a fitting tribute to America’s greatest traveling bard, Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die—introduced by another favorite son of Texas, Kinky Friedman—is a deeply personal look into the heart and soul of a unique man and one of the greatest artists of our time, a songwriter and performer whose legacy will endure for generations to come.“An irreverent, entertaining read. Humble, optimistic, and quick to give credit to those around him for contributing to his success, Nelson is a charming narrator.” —Publishers Weekly“Nelson takes us for a rollicking ride along the highways and byways of his long life and career in this rambunctious, hilarious, reflective, and loving memoir.” —American Songwriter
Roll Over, Tchaikovsky!: Russian Popular Music and Post-Soviet Homosexuality
by Stephen AmicoCentered on the musical experiences of homosexual men in St. Petersburg and Moscow, this ground-breaking study examines how post-Soviet popular music both informs and plays off of a corporeal understanding of Russian male homosexuality. Drawing upon ethnography, musical analysis, and phenomenological theory, Stephen Amico offers an expert technical analysis of Russian rock, pop, and estrada music, dovetailing into an illuminating discussion of homosexual men's physical and bodily perceptions of music. He also outlines how popular music performers use song lyrics, drag, physical movements, images of women, sexualized male bodies, and other tools and tropes to implicitly or explicitly express sexual orientation through performance. Finally, Amico uncovers how such performances help homosexual Russian men to create their own social spaces and selves, in meaningful relation to others with whom they share a "nontraditional orientation."
Roll With It: Brass Bands in the Streets of New Orleans
by Matt SakakeenyRoll With It is a firsthand account of the precarious lives of musicians in the Rebirth, Soul Rebels, and Hot 8 brass bands of New Orleans. These young men are celebrated as cultural icons for upholding the proud traditions of the jazz funeral and the second line parade, yet they remain subject to the perils of poverty, racial marginalization, and urban violence that characterize life for many black Americans. Some achieve a degree of social mobility while many more encounter aggressive policing, exploitative economies, and a political infrastructure that creates insecurities in healthcare, housing, education, and criminal justice. The gripping narrative moves with the band members from back street to backstage, before and after Hurricane Katrina, always in step with the tap of the snare drum, the thud of the bass drum, and the boom of the tuba.
Roll With It: Oasis in Photographs 1994–2002
by Tom Sheehan'Sheehan captures the rise and fall of Oasis over a wild decade'-THE TIMES'Enough to make you mad fer it all over again'-ROLLING STONERELIVE ROCK 'N' ROLL HISTORY THROUGH THE LENS OF LEGENDARY PHOTOGRAPHER TOM SHEEHANMore than 200 images of Oasis, with many seen here for the very first time, in a stunning cloth-bound hardback.Renowned photographer Tom Sheehan (Melody Maker, NME, Uncut) worked with Oasis throughout their career. Starting with a wild trip to New York before the release of the band's debut album, this stunning book also documents seminal (What's the Story) Morning Glory? recording sessions as well as blistering live performances, intimate off-duty moments and portraits that graced iconic magazine covers down the years.Featuring Tom's memories from his time with Oasis and a new biography by acclaimed writer Sylvia Patterson - drawing on personal interviews with Liam and Noel Gallagher - Roll With It is a breathtaking celebration of a band that will live forever.
Roll With It: Oasis in Photographs 1994–2002
by Tom Sheehan'Sheehan captures the rise and fall of Oasis over a wild decade'-THE TIMES'Enough to make you mad fer it all over again'-ROLLING STONERELIVE ROCK 'N' ROLL HISTORY THROUGH THE LENS OF LEGENDARY PHOTOGRAPHER TOM SHEEHANMore than 200 images of Oasis, with many seen here for the very first time, in a stunning cloth-bound hardback.Renowned photographer Tom Sheehan (Melody Maker, NME, Uncut) worked with Oasis throughout their career. Starting with a wild trip to New York before the release of the band's debut album, this stunning book also documents seminal (What's the Story) Morning Glory? recording sessions as well as blistering live performances, intimate off-duty moments and portraits that graced iconic magazine covers down the years.Featuring Tom's memories from his time with Oasis and a new biography by acclaimed writer Sylvia Patterson - drawing on personal interviews with Liam and Noel Gallagher - Roll With It is a breathtaking celebration of a band that will live forever.
Rollaresque: The Rakish Progress of The Rolling Stones
by Simon GoddardLondon 1962. Five young hooligans have formed a band and are on a collision course with the austere and intolerant values of post-war Britain. From their beginning in a scummy flat off the Kings Road to the notorious Redlands scandal, this is the anarchic rollercoaster ride of the Stones’ first five years.We follow our heroes in a rags-to-riches romp of sex, scandal, mischief and uproarious behaviour as they challenge the establishment, invent the archetype of the rebellious, parent-scaring rock star lothario and, eventually, receive their comeuppance from the powers that be. Presented with the audacious wit and bawdy humour of a vintage novel, complete with Dickensian illustrations, Rollaresque celebrates the young Stones in the grand English literary tradition of lovable rogues. This is the music biography reinvented as a ripping yarn.
Rolling Fields
by David TruebaWINNER OF AN ENGLISH PEN AWARD'Effortlessly readable and fizzing with energy, this novel is by turns quirky, funny and thoughtful'Mail on Sunday Dani Mosca is 40 and his father has just died. Fulfilling his father's last wishes, Dani embarks on a road trip back to his childhood village, a three-hour hearse journey from Madrid. Leaving behind the busy streets of the city for the deserted, archaic heart of Spain, Dani revisits the key junctions of his life: his conflicted relationship with a pragmatic and authoritarian father; the mystery of his birth; his school years in the repressed atmosphere of Catholic Spain; the origin of his band and its early successes; the emptiness left by a tragically lost friendship; his great loves. Laugh-out-loud funny, deeply moving and featuring an unforgettable cast of characters - from Ecuadorian drivers to Spanish Bowie lookalikes - Rolling Fields is a novel full of the grace and messiness of life: brave, exciting and completely irresistible.Translated from Spanish by Rahul Bery
Rolling Fields
by David TruebaWINNER OF AN ENGLISH PEN AWARD'Effortlessly readable and fizzing with energy, this novel is by turns quirky, funny and thoughtful'Mail on SundayDani Mosca is 40 and his father has just died. Fulfilling his father's last wishes, Dani embarks on a road trip back to his childhood village, a three-hour hearse journey from Madrid. Leaving behind the busy streets of the city for the deserted, archaic heart of Spain, Dani revisits the key junctions of his life: his conflicted relationship with a pragmatic and authoritarian father; the mystery of his birth; his school years in the repressed atmosphere of Catholic Spain; the origin of his band and its early successes; the emptiness left by a tragically lost friendship; his great loves. Laugh-out-loud funny, deeply moving and featuring an unforgettable cast of characters - from Ecuadorian drivers to Spanish Bowie lookalikes - Rolling Fields is a novel full of the grace and messiness of life: brave, exciting and completely irresistible.Translated from Spanish by Rahul Bery
Rolling Stones All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track (All the Songs)
by Jean-Michel Guesdon Philippe MargotinComprehensive visual history of the "World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band" as told through the recording of their monumental catalog, including 29 studio and 24 compilation albums, and more than a hundred singles.Since 1963, The Rolling Stones have been recording and touring, selling more than 200 million records worldwide. While much is known about this iconic group, few books provide a comprehensive history of their time in the studio. In The Rolling Stones All the Songs, authors Margotin and Guesdon describe the origin of their 340 released songs, details from the recording studio, what instruments were used, and behind-the-scenes stories of the great artists who contributed to their tracks. Organized chronologically by album, this massive, 704-page hardcover begins with their 1963 eponymous debut album recorded over five days at the Regent Studio in London; through their collaboration with legendary producer Jimmy Miller in the ground-breaking albums from 1968 to 1973; to their later work with Don Was, who has produced every album since Voodoo Lounge. Packed with more than 500 photos, All the Songs is also filled with stories fans treasure, such as how the mobile studio they pioneered was featured in Deep Purple's classic song "Smoke on the Water" or how Keith Richards used a cassette recording of an acoustic guitar to get the unique riff on "Street Fighting Man."
Rolling Stones on Air in the Sixties: TV and Radio History As It Happened
by Richard HaversThe first official, in-depth history of the Rolling Stones told through the band’s television and radio broadcasts—appearance by appearance—published to tie in with the global release of a DVD containing recently discovered, never-before-released footage of the Stones on TV, in front of and behind the cameras.The Rolling Stones on Air in the Sixties is a unique chronicle of the band’s rise to fame during the 1960s. It begins with a letter the BBC received from Brian Jones in January 1963, politely requesting an audition for "The Rollin’ Stones Rhythm and Blues Band," and ends with the story of the group’s performance of "Let It Bleed" for BBC’s end-of-the-decade celebration television program Ten Years of What.From their first television appearance on Thank Your Lucky Stars!, sporting matching houndstooth suits at the insistence of manager Andrew Loog Oldham, to the louche rockers who performed at a televised free concert in London’s Hyde Park in 1969, The Rolling Stones on Air in the Sixties reveals, year-by-year, how the group rose from obscurity to dominate rock-and-roll. Throughout, the Stones look back at their career-defining broadcasts, sharing their individual recollections about the music, the clothes, the fans, the rivals and friends, and the impact they had on the generational divide and the world around them. This remarkable collection features previously unseen facsimile documents from the BBC and commercial archives, exclusive interviews with directors and producers who worked with the band during their rise, and showcases many stunning images never before seen. This is history as it happened, both in front of and behind the camera, and on and off the studio mic. Viewing the band from a fresh and unusual viewpoint that makes their story both immediate and vivid, The Rolling Stones on Air in the Sixties offers invaluable insights into one of the greatest great rock ’n’ roll bands the world has ever seen.
Roman Catholic Church Music in England, 1791–1914: A Handmaid of the Liturgy? (Music in Nineteenth-Century Britain)
by T.E. MuirRoman Catholic church music in England served the needs of a vigorous, vibrant and multi-faceted community that grew from about 70,000 to 1.7 million people during the long nineteenth century. Contemporary literature of all kinds abounds, along with numerous collections of sheet music, some running to hundreds, occasionally even thousands, of separate pieces, many of which have since been forgotten. Apart from compositions in the latest Classical Viennese styles and their successors, much of the music performed constituted a revival or imitation of older musical genres, especially plainchant and Renaissance Polyphony. Furthermore, many pieces that had originally been intended to be performed by professional musicians for the benefit of privileged royal, aristocratic or high ecclesiastical elites were repackaged for rendition by amateurs before largely working or lower middle class congregations, many of them Irish. However, outside Catholic circles, little attention has been paid to this subject. Consequently, the achievements and widespread popularity of many composers (such as Joseph Egbert Turner, Henry George Nixon or John Richardson) within the English Catholic community have passed largely unnoticed. Worse still, much of the evidence is rapidly disappearing, partly because it no longer seems relevant to the needs of the modern Catholic Church in England. This book provides a framework of the main aspects of Catholic church music in this period, showing how and why it developed in the way it did. Dr Muir sets the music in its historical, liturgical and legal context, pointing to the ways in which the music itself can be used as evidence to throw light on the changing character of English Catholicism. As a result the book will appeal not only to scholars and students working in the field, but also to church musicians, liturgists, historians, ecclesiastics and other interested Catholic and non-Catholic parties.
Romantic Anatomies of Performance
by James Q. DaviesRomantic Anatomies of Performance is concerned with the very matter of musical expression: the hands and voices of virtuosic musicians. Rubini, Chopin, Nourrit, Liszt, Donzelli, Thalberg, Velluti, Sontag, and Malibran were prominent celebrity pianists and singers who plied their trade between London and Paris, the most dynamic musical centers of nineteenth-century Europe. In their day, performers such as these provoked an avalanche of commentary and analysis, inspiring debates over the nature of mind and body, emotion and materiality, spirituality and mechanism, artistry and skill. J. Q. Davies revisits these debates, examining how key musicians and their contemporaries made sense of extraordinary musical and physical abilities. This is a history told as much from scientific and medical writings as traditionally musicological ones. Davies describes competing notions of vocal and pianistic health, contrasts techniques of training, and explores the ways in which music acts in the cultivation of bodies..
Romantic Music Aesthetics: Creating a Politics of Emotion
by Matthew PritchardThis book reassesses the place of politics and emotion within Romantic music aesthetics. Drawing together insights from the history of emotions, cultural history, and studies of philosophical idealism, 'affective relationality' – the channelling of emotion through music's social and cultural synergies – emerges as key to Romantic aesthetic thought. Now familiar concepts such as theatrical illusion, genius, poetic criticism, and the renewed connection of art to mythology and religion opened new spaces for audiences' feelings, as thinkers such as Rousseau, Herder, Germaine de Staël, Joseph Mainzer, Pierre Leroux and George Sand sought alternatives to the political status quo. Building on the sentimental tradition in eighteenth-century art and politics, the Romantics created ways of listening to music imbued not just with melancholic longing for transcendence but also with humour, gothic fantasy, satire, and political solidarity. The consequences have extended far beyond the classical concert hall into numerous domains of popular culture from melodrama, romances and political songwriting to musical theatre and film.
Rome (Solo Motets from the Seventeenth Century Series)
by Anne SchnoebelenThe appearance of the solo voice in church music in 1602, in Lodovico da Viadana’s Cento concerti ecclesiastici, initiated a development that would soon parallel secular solo song. This series of Italian solo motets makes available for the first time many of these rich sources of seventeenth-century sacred music. The series spans the major part of the seventeenth century, from 1621 to 1695. It includes works by composers from major cities and provincial towns. Three composers are represented by multiple collections: Maurizio Cazzati (6); Bonifazio Graziani (6); and Isabella Leonarda (5). In each case, the solo motet forms a major component in that composer’s oeuvre; their collections provide comprehensive "textbooks" for the study of the genre.
Romper una canción: Así se escribió el disco Vinagre y rosas, de Joaquín Sabina
by Benjamín PradoUn día, a principios del año 2009, Joaquín Sabina y Benjamín Prado decidieron irse a Praga a escribir canciones y siete meses después habían acabado el disco Vinagre y rosas. Este libro cuenta esa aventura que fue puro rock and roll, llena de versos y versos tachados, chicas que vienen y que se van, viajes, música, alcohol, risas y, sobre todo, lleno de una amistad sin fronteras ni direcciones prohibidas. Y también nos deja ver los talleres de cada canción y nos hipnotiza haciéndonos mirar las vueltas que dieron todas ellas antes de quedar acabadas. Benjamín Prado rememora en Romper una canción la intensidad de aquellos meses de trabajo en los que Sabina y él pelearon a muerte por cada palabra y llegaron a lograr una combustión y una simbiosis tan profundas que hoy día ninguno de ellos sabe quién escribió qué, porque no hay una coma sin negociar en todo el disco. Así se escribió Vinagre y rosas.
Rompiendo el molde, la historia de Bono
by Kim WashburnLA HISTORIA DE UN MUCHACHO DE DUBLÍN QUE SE CONVIRTIÓ EN UNA DE LAS MAYORES ESTRELLAS DE ROCK DEL PLANETA Y NO SE CONFORMÓ CON SER SOLAMENTE UN CANTANTE Premios, fama, riquezas… ¡Bono pareciera tenerlo todo! Pero la mayor estrella de rock del mundo confiesa tener algo todavía más importante que ha guiado cada uno de sus pasos hacia el éxito: la fe en Dios. Desde su crianza en Irlanda en tiempos realmente peligrosos, hasta tocar en los mayores escenarios del mundo, las creencias de Bono lo han mantenido arraigado y enfocado en lo que verdaderamente importa. Ya sea usando su voz para cautivar a la audiencia o luchando por la justicia y la salud en África, el mundo sabe que además de cantar, Bono es un defensor de los perdidos y un héroe para los que pelean por un mundo más justo.
Ronnie
by Ronnie DrewThe late great Dubliner, Ronnie Drew, was six months into writing his biography when he was diagnosed with cancer. He had produced warm, witty and insightful material that made it clear that he was a wonderful writer as well as a great singer and storyteller. With the encouragement of his wife Deirdre and his family, he continued to think about the book and conducted a number of interviews to keep things ticking over until he was well enough to resume work on it. But sadly, much as he wanted to, Ronnie did not get to finish his story.However, with the whole-hearted co-operation of his daughter and son, Cliodhna and Phelim, it has been possible to put together Ronnie's work on his memoir along with his other writings, interviews with Cliodhna and Phelim, a wealth of photographs and other material from the family archive, and contributions from close friends, to create a book that is a wonderful portrait of, and a fitting and loving tribute to, the man Bono called 'the king of Ireland'.
Ronnie Gilbert
by Ronnie GilbertRonnie Gilbert had a long and colorful career as a singer, actor, playwright, therapist, and independent woman. Her lifelong work for political and social change was central to her role as a performer. Raised in Depression-era New York City by leftist, working-class, secular Jewish parents, Gilbert is best known as a member of the Weavers, the quartet of the 1950s and '60s that survived the blacklist and helped popularize folk music in America. Her joyous contralto and vibrant stage presence enriched the celebrated group and propelled Gilbert into a second singing career with Holly Near in the 1980s and '90s. As an actor, Gilbert explored developmental theater with Joseph Chaikin and Peter Brook and wrote and performed in ensemble and solo productions across the United States and Canada.Ronnie Gilbert brings the political, artistic, and social issues of the era alive through song lyrics and personal stories, traversing sixty years of collaborations in life and art that span the folk revival, the Cold War blacklist, primal therapy, the back-to-the-land movement, and a rich, multigenerational family story. Much more than a memoir, Ronnie Gilbert is a unique and engaging historical document for readers interested in music, theater, American politics, the women's movement, and left-wing activism.
Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix
by Charles R. CrossNow in paperback, the national bestselling biography of American musical icon Jimi HendrixIt has been more than thirty-five years since Jimi Hendrix died, but his music and spirit are still very much alive for his fans everywhere. Charles R. Cross vividly recounts the life of Hendrix, from his difficult childhood and adolescence in Seattle through his incredible rise to celebrity in London's swinging sixties. It is the story of an outrageous life--with legendary tales of sex, drugs, and excess--while it also reveals a man who struggled to accept his role as idol and who privately craved the kind of normal family life he never had. Using never-before-seen documents and private letters, and based on hundreds of interviews with those who knew Hendrix--many of whom had never before agreed to be interviewed--Room Full of Mirrors unlocks the vast mystery of one of music's most enduring legends.
Roomanitarian
by Henry RollinsIn Roomanitarian, popular author, actor, musician, and spoken-word artist Henry Rollins returns to the combative prose that has won him critical acclaim and a legion of devoted fans. The book is divided into three parts: The first section, "Walking the Chasm," written in the form of a poem, epitomizes Rollins's beautifully stark, hard-hitting style. The second part, "Ended," is a series of short prose pieces reminiscent of Solipsist. Finally, the biting humor and social commentary Rollins is renowned for is on full display in "To Ann Hitler with Love," a series of mock love letters to a fictional woman who bears a striking resemblance to conservative pundit Ann Coulter.
Roots Punk: A Visual and Oral History (American Made Music Series)
by David A. EnsmingerPunk rock evokes dissent and disruption, abrasive and anarchic musicality, and a host of countercultural aesthetics. Featuring original interviews and over one hundred images, Roots Punk: A Visual and Oral History by longtime music journalist and author David A. Ensminger focuses on how punk merged with roots music to create a rich style that incorporated honky-tonk, rockabilly, doo-wop, reggae, ska, jazz, folk, blues, and labor ballads. This engagement transformed the notion of punk to include a wide array of vintage source material that seems more aligned with bolo ties and Stetsons than Doc Martens and safety pins. Ensminger explores the music’s aesthetics, traits, and themes. He contextualizes, clarifies, maps, and probes roots punk’s hybrid nature as well as its diverse, queer-inclusive, and multicultural strains. By painting a broad, nuanced, and well-documented picture of the genre from its earliest incarnation, he forms a kind of people’s history of the movement. Roots Punk features original interviews with members of Minutemen, MDC, the Dicks, the Plimsouls, Tex and the Horseheads, Dils/Rank and File, X, the Flesh Eaters, Beatnigs, Alejandro Escovedo, Robert “El Vez” Lopez, Blasters, and more. Whether covering sarcastic novelty forms or sincere embraces, Ensminger reveals and revels in a punk tradition lined with blues records, acoustic ballads, country, and hillbilly romp. In a time of growing conformity, replication, and commercialization, roots punk (sometimes dubbed cow-punk) offers a tantalizing revitalization and reimagination of the American songbook.
Roots and Rhythm: A Life in Music
by Charlie PeacockA beautifully crafted memoir unveiling the ancestral, musical, and spiritual roots of Grammy Award-winning music producer Charlie Peacock. In this artful memoir, Grammy Award–winning music producer Charlie Peacock flexes his literary chops and gives readers the gritty backstage stories they crave: biographical anecdotes, geeky trivia, and how the hits were written and recorded (from jazz to rock and pop). Threaded throughout is Peacock&’s unique ancestral and spiritual story—the roots. Like Coltrane, Dylan, and Bono before him, Peacock reveals a Christ-affection while refusing genres too small for his music. Peacock, the great-grandson of a Louisiana fiddler, is an American musical polymath. He&’s been the young jazz musician sitting at the feet of trumpeter Eddie Henderson and pianist Herbie Hancock; the singer-songwriter plucked from the Northern California punk/pop underground by legendary impresarios Bill Graham and Chris Blackwell; a pioneering, innovative contributor to the nascent rise of gospel rock in the 1980s; and the genre-busting producer behind such diverse artists as Al Green, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Chris Cornell, Audio Adrenaline, The Civil Wars, Switchfoot, Turtle Island Quartet, and John Patitucci.Roots and Rhythm includes Peacock&’s seminal NorCal days, the story of indie labels Exit and re:think, his first decade as a Nashville producer (1989–1999), and his essential role in the 21st-century folk/Americana boom (The Civil Wars, Holly Williams, The Lone Bellow). While his exploits and achievements grace the book (including the story of Amy Grant&’s &“Every Heartbeat&” and the evergreen &“In the Light&”), Peacock is hardly the only character. Instead, he writes as a Joan Didion-style essayist, weaving together a quintessential American story. Beat poet Gary Snyder, evangelist Billy Graham, producer T Bone Burnett, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and writers Wendell Berry and Isabel Wilkerson all appear in this sweeping tale where ancestry, migration, teenage love, Jesus, and Miles Davis collide. The book is an invitation to all, including aspiring musicians: embrace the roots and rhythm of our own lives, letting the music and God&’s insistent love lead us to gratitude and wonder.
Roots of the Revival: American and British Folk Music in the 1950s (Music in American Life)
by Ronald D Cohen Rachel Clare DonaldsonIn Roots of the Revival: American and British Folk Music in the 1950s, Ronald D. Cohen and Rachel Clare Donaldson present a transatlantic history of folk's midcentury resurgence that juxtaposes the related but distinct revivals that took place in the United States and Great Britain. After setting the stage with the work of music collectors in the nineteenth century, the authors explore the so-called recovery of folk music practices and performers by Alan Lomax and others, including journeys to and within the British Isles that allowed artists and folk music advocates to absorb native forms and facilitate the music's transatlantic exchange. Cohen and Donaldson place the musical and cultural connections of the twin revivals within the decade's social and musical milieu and grapple with the performers' leftist political agendas and artistic challenges, including the fierce debates over "authenticity" in practice and repertoire that erupted when artists like Harry Belafonte and the Kingston Trio carried folk into the popular music mainstream. From work songs to skiffle, from the Weavers in Greenwich Village to Burl Ives on the BBC, Roots of the Revival offers a frank and wide-ranging consideration of a time, a movement, and a transformative period in American and British pop culture.
Rosa Newmarch and Russian Music in Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth-Century England (Royal Musical Association Monographs #18)
by PhilipRoss BullockPhilip Ross Bullock looks at the life and works of Rosa Newmarch (1857-1940), the leading authority on Russian music and culture in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century England. Although Newmarch's work and influence are often acknowledged - most particularly by scholars of English poetry, and of the role of women in English music - the full range of her ideas and activities has yet to be studied. As an inveterate traveller, prolific author, and polyglot friend of some of Europe's leading musicians, such as Elgar, Sibelius and Jan�k, Newmarch deserves to be better appreciated. On the basis of both published and archival materials, the details of Newmarch's busy life are traced in an opening chapter, followed by an overview of English interest in Russian culture around the turn of the century, a period which saw a long-standing Russophobia (largely political and military) challenged by a more passionate and well-informed interest in the arts Three chapters then deal with the features that characterize Newmarch's engagement with Russian culture and society, and - more significantly perhaps - which she also championed in her native England; nationalism; the role of the intelligentsia; and feminism. In each case, Newmarch's interest in Russia was no mere instance of ethnographic curiosity; rather, her observations about and passion for Russia were translated into a commentary on the state of contemporary English cultural and social life. Her interest in nationalism was based on the conviction that each country deserved an art of its own. Her call for artists and intellectuals to play a vital role in the cultural and social life of the country illustrated how her Russian experiences could map onto the liberal values of Victorian England. And her feminism was linked to the idea that women could exercise roles of authority and influence in society through participation in the arts. A final chapter considers how her late interest in the music of Czechoslovakia pi