Four Parts, No Waiting

A Social History of American Barbershop Harmony
Erscheinungsjahr 2003
ISBN: 978-0-19-511672-4
Verlag: Oxford University Press

Buch, Englisch, 248 Seiten, Format (B × H): 161 mm x 240 mm, Gewicht: 543 g

Reihe: American Musicspheres

Four Parts, No Waiting investigates the role that vernacular, barbershop-style close harmony has played in American musical history, in American life, and in the American imagination. Starting with a discussion of the first craze for Austrian four-part close harmony in the 1830s, Averill traces the popularity of this musical form in minstrel shows, black recreational singing, vaudeville, early recordings, and in the barbershop revival of the 1930s. In his exploration of barbershop, Averill uncovers a rich musical tradition--a hybrid of black and white cultural forms, practiced by amateurs, and part of a mythologized vision of small-town American life. This engagingly-written, often funny book critiques the nostalgic myths (especially racial myths) that have surrounded the barbershop revival, but also celebrates the civic-minded, participatory spirit of barbershop harmony. The text is accompanied by an audio CD.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Averill, Gage

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Musikwissenschaft Musikgattungen Vokalmusik, Chormusik
• Geisteswissenschaften Musikwissenschaft Musikgattungen Volksmusik

Über Autor(innen)

Gage Averill is Professor of Ethnomusicology and Chair of the Music Department at New York University.