American Song

The Complete Musical Theatre Companion, 1877-1995. Volumes 1 and 2
Author Ken Bloom
Published by Schirmer Reference

Covering every major musical production, American Song is the seminal reference book on the American musical theater. The two volumes, painstakingly researched, focus on 4,863 shows from Broadway musicals to regional productions, from television musicals to ice shows, from nightclub scores to foreign shows by American writers, and many others.

Each entry in the first volume contains not only more commonly known information -- such as the name and type of show, the cast list, composer, librettist, lyricist, director, producer, and choreographer -- but also lesser-known facts. In addition, each entry contains a complete list of all the songs in the show -- including those that were cut or written but not performed.

The second volume provides three indexes to the set. The first index lists all the songs of the American musical, totaling over 42,000 entries. The second index lists over 58,000 people connected with all aspects of the American musical theatre; and the third lists, by year, all the show titles contained in volume one.

Review:

"This second edition of Bloom's comprehensive reference work on musical theater adds 34 years of coverage, with new entries dating back to 1877 and up to 1995... (W)ith more comprehensive coverage than (the competition) this remains essential for most music collections." -- Library Journal

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