GLE 205: American Soundscape

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.

Intimate, anecdotal, and spell-binding, Singing Out offers a fascinating oral history of the North American folk music revivals and folk music. Culled from more than 150 interviews recorded from 1976 to 2006, this captivating story spans seven decades and cuts across a wide swath of generations and perspectives, shedding light on the musical, political, and social aspects of this movement.

In this book, David Brandt examines the legal, psychological, and cultural issues relevant to understanding antisocial behaviour in adolescence. Based on his own research and a broad analysis of recent work in the field, Brandt identifies the factors that are common in cases of delinquency. The discussion considers the long-term effects of social issues such as poverty as well as psychological issues such as the high levels of stress and anxiety suffered during childhood by many delinquents. He shows how a failure to meet the developmental needs of children - at both the family level and at a broader social and political level - is at the core of the problem of juvenile delinquency. Brandt concludes with an inquiry into how best to prevent delinquency. Programmes that address the developmental needs of children, Brandt argues, are more effective than policing, juvenile courts, or incarceration.

Music is the most popular and dynamic aspect of Caribbean expressive culture. As Caribbean music has evolved from its traditional roots to its contemporary forms, it has developed a rich variety of styles. From the well-known genres-salsa, merengue, reggae, calypso, and bachata-to more localized forms like chutney and kaseko, this wide-ranging book surveys Caribbean music's prodigious diversity and colorful historyEnhanced with numerous illustrations and musical examples, Caribbean Currents is an up-to-date overview of the region's music, covering Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad, Suriname, and smaller islands like Martinique and Guadeloupe. The authors provide an overview of Caribbean music-its forms and innovations, its musicians, its festivals and dance halls, and its fans-and trace its primarily African and European roots. They explore the modern genres' relationship to issues of race, regional diversity, gender, and socio-political conflicts.Given the international popularity of such Caribbean genres as reggae and salsa, this book is a critical resource for understanding musical styles that have become a dynamic part of world culture. Author note:Peter Manuel is Associate Professor of Music at John Jay College and the CUNY Graduate Center.Kenneth Bilby is a Research Associate in the Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institute.Michael Largey is Assistant Professor of Music at Michigan State University, East Lansing.

Like Abbeville's Country: The Music and the Musicians, Nothing but the Blues is an illustrated, comprehensive history of music and musicians, also covering promoters, producers and others who have shaped this powerful and enduringly popular American musical art form. A guide to the best discography is included at the back of the book which will appeal to blues fans and record collectors.