Musicians & Composers of the 20th Century - Hardcover

9781587655128: Musicians & Composers of the 20th Century

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1587655128 ISBN 13: 9781587655128

Publisher: Salem Pr Inc, 2009

Musicians and Composers of the 20th Century examine individuals from all over the world who gained significance as composers, performers, instrumentalists, vocalists, and teachers. These are the people who have shaped the history of a number of musical genres, including blues, classical, country, gospel, jazz, Latin, musical theater, opera, punk, rap, reggae, rock, and many more.

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From Booklist:

The new set offers biographies of musicians active and influential between the years 1901 and 2000. More than 200 contributors, most associated with academic institutions, provide articles ranging from three to five pages in length for more than 600 artists. In his introduction, editor Cramer offers interesting comparisons of music, musicians, performance, and music consumption in 1900 versus later in the century. He also discusses how music and musicians were affected by historical events like wars and the Great Depression. The essays are well written and well organized, each consisting of birth and death dates, biography, discography (if applicable), bibliography, and a final section describing the “musical legacy” of the artist. Many of the entries are accompanied by a black-and-white photograph; and a glossary, a chronological listing of musicians by date of birth, an annotated list of electronic resources, and several indexes round out the set. Works that cover many musical genres are often limited in their coverage of each. For example, of the 608 essays, 111 are on classical composers and 57 are on classical musicians. This represents the “top tier” from the period but is hardly exhaustive. Also notable is the prominence of artists from the U.S. and England (481 entries), especially in the popular genres. The result is an interesting juxtaposition of artists of strikingly different styles and periods. One is unlikely to find other reference works containing consecutive entries for Ice-T, Julio Iglesias, and Burl Ives, for example. There are many genre-specific music biographical reference works and several important general ones, most notably the 29-volume New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2d ed., 2001), whose online component allows for editing and adding new entries. In terms of numbers of articles, this new set cannot compare, but it does present many artists that the editors of Grove have chosen to exclude, especially from the popular-music genres. Currency and inclusiveness make this new set valuable to general music researchers and enthusiasts. For purchasers, free online access is available until 12/31/11 through the Salem History platform. --Steven York

From School Library Journal:

Grade 6 Up—Composers, instrumental and vocal performers, and teachers who "made an enduring impact" on the field during the last century are covered in this solid set. The 614 alphabetically arranged entries list their principal works and associations, provide brief biographical summaries, and focus on the subjects' works and legacies, in 1500–2500 words each. While world music is included, the emphasis is on American and European music, with 428 of the biographees coming from the United States. Genres covered range from classical to New Age, folk to opera, country to musical theater, and rock to avant garde. Clearly written essays, illustrated with black-and-white photographs, put the musicians in historical context, with an end result that is enjoyable for browsing and useful for reference. Suggestions for further reading and related entries close each article. Volume 5 incorporates an extensive general bibliography arranged by genre, a thorough glossary, a chronological list of musicians arranged by decade, and a list of pertinent Web sites, as well as indexes by subject; geographical region; and names of musicians, groups, and works.—Joyce Adams Burner, National Archives at Kansas City, MO END

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