The American Musical: And The Formation of National Identity

Raymond Knapp

Princeton University Press, 2005 - Music - 361 pages

The American musical has achieved and maintained relevance to more people in America than any other performance-based art. This thoughtful history of the genre, intended for readers of all stripes, offers probing discussions of how American musicals, especially through their musical numbers, advance themes related to American national identity. Written by a musicologist and supported by a wealth of illustrative audio examples (on the book's website), the book examines key historical antecedents to the musical, including the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, nineteenth and early twentieth-century American burlesque and vaudeville, Tin Pan Alley, and other song types. It then proceeds thematically, focusing primarily on fifteen mainstream shows from the twentieth century, with discussions of such notable productions asShow Boat(1927),Porgy and Bess(1935),Oklahoma!(1943),West Side Story(1957),Hair(1967),Pacific Overtures(1976), andAssassins(1991). The shows are grouped according to their treatment of themes that include defining America, mythologies, counter-mythologies, race and ethnicity, dealing with World War II, and exoticism. Each chapter concludes with a brief consideration of available scholarship on related subjects; an extensive appendix provides information on each show discussed, including plot summaries and song lists, and a listing of important films, videos, audio recordings, published scores, and libretti associated with each musical.

What people are saying

Review: The American Musical: And the Formation of National Identity

User Review  - Rachel - Goodreads

This is not a good book to read if you're someone unfamiliar with the history of musical theater and want a general overview (for that, see Our Musicals, Ourselves), but it's fascinating if you ...

About the author

Raymond Knapp is professor of musicology at the University oRaymond Knapp is professor of musicology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the author of "The American Mf California, Los Angeles, and the author of "The American Musical and the Formation of National Identity" (Princeton), usical and the Formation of National Identity" (Princeton), winner of the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticiswinner of the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism. He has also published books on Brahms and Mahler. m. He has also published books on Brahms and Mahler.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The American Musical: And The Formation of National Identity
• Author: Raymond Knapp
• Edition: 2, illustrated
• Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2005
• ISBN: 0691118647, 9780691118642
• Length: 361 pages
• Subjects: History / United States / 20th Century; Music / Genres & Styles / Musicals; Music / History & Criticism