Music in the United States: A Historical Introduction

Prentice Hall History of Music Series

by H. Wiley Hitchcock

This book provides a chronological look at American music from colonial times to the end of the 20th century revised and updated to reflect the latest scholarship and critical views. It uses extensive citation of phonorecordings, especially CD's from New World Records, Composers Recordings, Inc., and the Smithsonian Institution (all of which maintain catalogs in print). Readers will find a comprehensive treatment of both “serious” and “popular” music in the United States with a final chapter on contemporary American music from composer/critic, Kyle Gann. Part of the highly acclaimed Prentice Hall History of Music Series. the colonial and federal eras to 1820, the romantic century (1820-1920), between the wars (1920-1945) and World War II through the present. Musicians especially those interested in American music.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

Reviews

[Rob Bridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good introduction. Follow it with Crawford.

[Jo Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can tell that Hitchcock knows his material by the structure of his prose. In fact, his diction the thought this volume is such that I could paint a fairly accurate physical description of him, then learned I was almost exactly correct. Seriously, this is a wonderful guide for class purposes, though it is tinged with bias in the last chapters regarding popular music genres and compositional practices in each. Still, I found those judgmental statements amusing to read. Mostly, I'm so glad to be finished with this class!

[Aimee J Martin]

Required read for 400 level electives... Not too bad thus far..