Description
Book SynopsisThe American musical has achieved and maintained relevance to more people in America than any other performance-based art. This history of the genre, intended for readers of all stripes, offers discussions of how American musicals, especially through their musical numbers, advance themes related to American national identity.
Trade ReviewWinner of the 2004-2005 George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism Finalist for the 2004 George Freedley Memorial Award, The Theatre Library Association "Knapp does an excellent job of tracing the roots of the musical, avoiding much of the received wisdom... When Knapp focuses on the structure of musicals, and how it works to move us and persuade us, he is very effective... "--Michael Friedman, London Review of Books "The breadth of Knapp's reading is astonishing, and his discussion of the historical background of the musical is admirable... Knapp writes extremely well, and not only his thoughts but also his suggestions for further study are well organized. So, too, is his consideration of the growth of the American union in the context of Oklahoma!, Guys and Dolls, and The Music Man."--Andrew Lamb, BBC Music Magazine "Knapp's well-researched and comprehensive presentation transcends the purely musical point of view. In his exploration of the underlying sociocultural fabric of a number of works, he puts the American musical theater on a par with its contemporary arts of jazz and film."--Ken McCoy, History "This is an intelligent, extremely well-written study which ... is as valuable for its demonstration of how musicals may be read as for its own insightful readings."--Charles Hamm, Kurt Weil Newsletter "This close musical analysis, combined with broad cultural comments about the power of the American musical, is highly original and much needed, especially as a teaching textbook."--Alisa Clapp-Itnyre, The Historian "This is an intelligent, extremely well-written study which ... is as valuable for its demonstration of how musicals may be read as for its own insightful readings."--Charles Hamm, Kurt Weill Newsletter "Raymond Knapp shows that while some musicals have served to reinforce the way people feel about America, many others have helped to challenge aspects of our culture that needed to be changed."--Stephen Peithman, Stage Directions "[Knapp] offers new insights on each work and writes in an accessible, engaging style... Knapp is ... most effective ... at negotiating the tensions ... between work and context, and between part and whole."--Walter Frisch, Current Musicology "Raymond Knapp has an extraordinarily perceptive ear. As he surveys the history of the American musical, he hears things--important things, revelatory things--that earlier writers who have attempted, systematically, to traverse this vast territory have missed. Hardly a page goes by without a 'Gee, I didn't realize that' moment... One of the loveliest features of these books is the generosity of the musical examples. Coordinated with the text are hundreds of musical excerpts which Princeton University Press has made available to readers through easy downloading from the Internet... It is clear that there is much to praise about Raymond Knapp's work, beginning with his vast knowledge of the subject and his infectious enthusiasm for it."--Edward Green, Popular Music and Society
Table of ContentsList of Figures xi Explanatory Note about Audio Examples xiii Preface xv Part One INTRODUCTIONS 1 Chapter 1: Contexts and Strategies 3 Chapter 2: Nineteenth-Century European Roots: Models and Topics 19 Paris (and Berlin) 20 The Black Crook (1866) 20 London: W.S. Gilbert (1836-1911) and Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) 29 H.M.S. Pinafore; or,The Lass That Loved a Sailor (1878) 34 Chapter 3: Early American Developments: Minstrelsy, Extravaganza, Pantomime, Burlesque, Vaudeville 47 Minstrelsy 49 Extravaganza 59 Pantomime 60 Burlesque 61 Vaudeville 62 A Gilbert and Sullivan Postscript on American Minstrelsy 63 Chapter 4: American Song through Tin Pan Alley 67 Minstrel Songs 67 The Early Tin Pan Alley Era 70 Classic Tin Pan Alley 77 Anything Goes (1934) 88 Part Two DEFINING AMERICA 101 Chapter 5: Whose (Who's) America? 103 Little Johnny Jones (1904) 104 The Cradle Will Rock (1938) 110 Chapter 6: American Mythologies 119 Oklahoma!(1943) 122 Guys and Dolls (1950) 134 The Music Man (1957) 144 Chapter 7: Counter-mythologies 153 Hair (1967-68) 154 Assassins (1991) 162 Part Three MANAGING AMERICA'S OTHERS 179 Chapter 8: Race and Ethnicity 181 Show Boat (1927) 185 Porgy and Bess (1935) 194 West Side Story (1957) 204 Fiddler on the Roof (1964) 215 Chapter 9: Dealing with the Second World War 228 The Sound of Music (1959) 230 Cabaret (1966) 239 Chapter 10: Exoticism 249 The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu (1885) 250 The King and I (1951) 261 Pacific Overtures (1976) 268 Chapter 11: Afterword: Other Directions, Other Identities 282 Appendix A: Art and Commerce: The Business of Making Musicals 285 Appendix B: Additional Resources 289 Notes 319 Bibliography 341 Index 351
