Description
Book SynopsisPublished 50 years after the last major treatment of American art song, the first edition of the three-volume American Art Song and American Poetry was the first work to fully consider the musical settings of American poetry. Ruth Friedberg''s monumental study was undertaken as a partial remedy to examine American song, from Edward Macdowell up through 1980. In the first edition, Friedberg focused on the interrelationship between the composer and the poet and the ways in which this influenced the completed song. Pieces selected for inclusion had the dual function of recognizing the importance of contributions to the performing literature as well as illuminating phases of America''s cultural past.In this second edition, now published in a convenient, one-volume format, Ruth Friedberg and Robin Fisher have updated the entries on composers and poets from the first edition and added new individuals to both categories. New composers appearing in this volume include Florence Price, Lee Hoiby
Trade ReviewFor the second edition of this critically acclaimed work on the American art song, Friedberg and Fisher have combined all three volumes of Friedberg's earlier work (v. 1, CH, Mar'82; v. 2, CH, Mar'85; v. 3, CH, Sep'87) into one large book, supplemented by the addition of ten composers born after the midcentury mark. The make-up of each chapter remains the same: short biographical sketches of composer and poet, followed by a discussion of one or more poems and their musical settings. Although the limited number of works by each composer is hardly sufficient to gain insight into his or her style or aesthetic, the important addition of some of the most popular song composers currently working today--among them Libby Larsen, Jake Heggie, and Ricky Ian Gordon--makes the acquisition of the new edition worthwhile. The revised format--the pages and font are bigger--also improves the readability of the work. This book can easily lay claim to being the most important work on the subject available today. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. * CHOICE *
Performers, vocal and instrumental, will find this volume useful. * American Reference Books Annual *
American Art Song and American Poetry is an outstanding resource. The research is exemplary, the information is shared in a clear and eloquent style, and it is convenient to have all the information contained in a single compendium. Singers who have only a nodding acquaintance with this literature will be piqued to explore it, while those familiar with this repertoire will be tempted to revisit these milestones of American song, and perhaps discover composers and settings new to them. * Journal of Singing *
The book could serve as an ideal textbook for university song literature courses focused on the American art song. It would also function well as a resource guide for singers and pianists who are studying or performing works from the genre. Those with an appreciation for the art song, American music or American poetry, and who might wish to survey the literature, would also benefit greatly from the book. . . .The authors’ knowledge of the subject matter is unequivocally excellent, and the book is expertly put together. * American Music Teacher *
Table of ContentsForeword Introduction 1 A Nation Finds Its Voice Edward MacDowell William Dean Howells Charles M. Loeffler Edgar Allan Poe Charles Griffes John Tabb Sidney Lanier 2 Charles Ives Henry Wadsworth Longfellow John Greenleaf Whittier Oliver Wendell Holmes Charles Sprague Ralph Waldo Emerson Walt Whitman Vachel Lindsay Henry David Thoreau Louis Untermeyer James Fenimore Cooper, Jr. Thomas Bailey Aldrich 3 Settings by Six “Americanists” Douglas Moore Stephen Vincent Benét Theodore Roethke William Grant Still Paul Laurence Dunbar Langston Hughes Arna Bontemps Countee Cullen iv Contents Florence Price Paul Laurence Dunbar Langston Hughes Ernst Bacon Emily Dickinson Roy Harris Carl Sandburg Aaron Copland Emily Dickinson 4 Two American Originals Mary Howe Elinor Wylie Amy Lowell Virgil Thompson Marianne Moore 5 John Duke Adelaide Crapsey Edna St. Vincent Millay E. A. Robinson Elinor Wylie Sara Teasdale Robert Frost e.e. cummings Mark Van Doren Emily Dickinson 6 Into the New Century Ross Lee Finney Benjamin Franklin Charles Naginski Walt Whitman Carl Sandburg Sara Teasdale Sergius Kagen Walt Whitman Carl Sandburg Sara Teasdale Paul Nordoff Conrad Aiken Elinor Wylie Samuel Barber James Agee Frederic Prokosch Paul Bowles Tennessee Williams 7 The Second Decade Hugo Weisgall Adelaide Crapsey e.e. cummings Contents v Herman Melville Norman Dello Joio Stark Young David Diamond Herman Melville Vincent Persichetti Wallace Stevens Emily Dickinson 8 The Third Decade I Jack Beeson Edgar Allan Poe Abraham Lincoln Peter Viereck Richard Owen Stephen Crane Robert Frost Amy Lowell Jean Eichelberger Ivey Sara Teasdale William Flanagan Edward Albee Howard Moss 9 Ned Rorem Paul Goodman Theodore Roethke 10 The Third Decade II Ruth Schonthal Walt Whitman Lee Hoiby Ezra Pound Emma Lazarus Emma Lou Diemer Dorothy Diemer Hendry Dorothy Parker Richard Cumming Philip Minor 11 The Fourth and Fifth Decades Richard Hundley Kenneth Patchen James Purdy John Corigliano, Jr. William Hoffman Helen Greenberg Kenneth Patchen Flicka Rahn Amy Lowell 12 Half Century and Beyond vi Contents Libby Larsen Willa Cather John Musto Edna St. Vincent Millay Louise Bogan Lori Laitman William Carlos Williams Ricky Ian Gordon Langston Hughes Jake Heggie Vachel Lindsay Epilogue Selected Bibliography Index About the Authors
