Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
98-046164
Reviews
America's Instrument lavishly details the banjo from the pegface to tailpiece hanger bolt. Journal of American History, [This book] makes it clear that the banjo is an essential constituent of what Greil Marcus once called 'that old, weird America.Times Literary Supplement, America's Instrument lavishly details the banjo from the pegface to tailpiece hanger bolt.Journal of American History, We are given not only the rich history of the banjo but also a remarkable study of the American marketplace.Southern Cultures, A clear and extremely detailed account of the banjo in nineteenth-century America. American Historical Review, We are given not only the rich history of the banjo but also a remarkable study of the American marketplace. Southern Cultures, [This book] makes it clear that the banjo is an essential constituent of what Greil Marcus once called 'that old, weird America. Times Literary Supplement, A clear and extremely detailed account of the banjo in nineteenth-century America.American Historical Review
Dewey Edition
21
CLASSIFICATION_METADATA
{"IsNonfiction":["Yes"],"IsOther":["No"],"IsAdult":["No"],"MuzeFormatDesc":["Hardcover"],"IsChildren":["No"],"Genre":["HISTORY","MUSIC"],"Topic":["Musical Instruments / Strings","Genres & Styles / Country & Bluegrass","History & Criticism","United States / 19th Century"],"IsTextBook":["Yes"],"IsFiction":["No"]}
Dewey Decimal
787.8/81973/09034
Table Of Content
CONTENTS Preface A Note on Early Photography Introduction 1. From the Plantation to the Stage: Bringing the Banjo to Market 2. An Expanding Market: The Dobson Brothers and the Rise of Banjo Culture 3. Selling the Banjo to All America: Philadelphia's S. S. Stewart 4. Manufacturing the Real Thing: Fairbanks, Cole, and the Golden Age of Boston Banjo Making Conclusion Glossary Notes Selected Bibliography IndexSelections of color illustrations follow pages.
Synopsis
An illustrated history of "America's instrument," the five-stringed banjo, from its origins in the gourd instruments of enslaved Africans to the sophisticated musical machine so loved by Americans at the turn of the 20th century., This handsome illustrated history traces the transformation of the banjo from primitive folk instrument to sophisticated musical machine and, in the process, offers a unique view of the music business in nineteenth-century America. Philip Gura and James Bollman chart the evolution of "America's instrument," the five-stringed banjo, from its origins in the gourd instruments of enslaved Africans brought to the New World in the seventeenth century through its rise to the very pinnacle of American popular culture at the turn of the twentieth century. Throughout, they look at how banjo craftsmen and manufacturers developed, built, and marketed their products to an American public immersed in the production and consumption of popular music. With over 250 illustrations--including rare period photographs, minstrel broadsides, sheet music covers, and banjo tutors and tune books-- America's Instrument brings to life a fascinating aspect of American cultural history.
LC Classification Number
ML1015.B3G87 1999
Copyright Date
1999
ebay_catalog_id
4