American Musical Traditions

Edited by: Jeff Todd Titon and Bob Carlin
Published by Schirmer Reference

Prepared in conjunction with the Smithsonian/Folkways Archives, this set highlights the contributions of Native American, European-American, African American and immigrant groups (including Asian, Hispanic, Western and Eastern European cultures) to our rich musical heritage. Within each volume, different groups or genres of music are examined in terms of how they are performed. Maps, charts and photos show how the music has grown and spread and the interrelationships between musical cultures. Biographies of musicians are included in sidebars, and terms are defined throughout the text.

Included in the set are five volumes:

Volume I: Native American Music
Volume II: African-American Music
Volume III: British Isles Music
Volume IV: European American Music
Volume V: Latino and Asian-American Music

For more information on this product click here.

Review:

"The first three volumes of this set, which will be welcome to a variety of collections, represent areas that have received the most attention from musical scholars: Native American, African American, and the British Isles. Increased research on the music of European, Spanish American, and Asian American immigrant groups provides material for the fourth and fifth volumes. The work reflects both recent research by folklorists and ethnomusicologists and previously published information from the holdings of the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Many essays are drawn from booklets that accompany the Smithsonian recordings and program guides from the Festival of American Folklife. Each volume contains a comprehensive index and glossary, along with many maps and photographs. The CIP record catalogs this set in juvenile literature, and while many high school students will gain useful knowledge from it, the writing is pitched for older general readers and college students. Recommended."
-- CHOICE (April 2002)

See more reviews >>