- Hardcover: 360 pages
- Publisher: Princeton University Press (3 Dec 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0691118647
- ISBN-13: 978-0691118642
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,659,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Review
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... hael 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. 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
Product Description
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 as Show Boat (1927), Porgy and Bess (1935), Oklahomal (1943), West Side Story (1957), Hair (1967), Pacific Overtures (1976), and Assassins (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.
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First Sentence
THE AMERICAN MUSICAL is one of three distinctively American and widely influential art forms that took shape in the first half of the twentieth century. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
THE AMERICAN MUSICAL is one of three distinctively American and widely influential art forms that took shape in the first half of the twentieth century. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is on my reading list for Uni next year, it only took two days for delivery after I ordered it & is a very useful book. Highly recommended to anyone who is studying Drama & Performance at University level.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
Beyond a simple chronology
17 Mar 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Raymond Knapp's talent is teasing out the underlying socio-political significance of Broadway musicals. His goal with this book was not to provide a history of musicals or a chronology of what happened when and by whom, but rather to explore the ways musicals respond to and reflect cultural issues and tensions. The book provides many thoughtful insights which emerged from solid research and a sound interpretive stance.
One of my favorite aspects of this book is the companion website, which provides audio and some visual examples that greatly enrich the text.
I highly recommend this book as an alternative to so many of the musical theater chronologies out there.
One of my favorite aspects of this book is the companion website, which provides audio and some visual examples that greatly enrich the text.
I highly recommend this book as an alternative to so many of the musical theater chronologies out there.
4 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Brush Up Your Simple Declarative Sentences
2 Dec 2008
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I wanted to like this book. Really, I did. I'm a UCLA alum (he's a UCLA prof); I love musical theatre; and [in all modesty], I'm pretty knowledgeable about it, too. Knapp knows a lot - unfortunately, he's of the view that the more impenetrable the prose, the more important the book. Both this and its companion volume must be important; they are written in the sort of self-important academic-speak that gives the social sciences a bad name. I like that music clips are available to illustrate his points; I just wish his points were expressed more elegantly and accessibly.
3 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Not interested in authors political leanings
27 Dec 2008
Format:Paperback
Raymond Knapp spends more time peddling his political views than writing about musical theatre. He also fills the book with personal opinions. If there is little information on a playwright and why they wrote the play there would be some understanding as to why Knapp would do this. But Knapp writes his own opinions even though they stand in direct contradiction to the playwrights' own words. For political commentary buy this book, for American musical theatre history look elsewhere.
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