Author Description
In The Decades Leading Up To The Civil War, Most Americans Probably Encountered European Classical Music Primarily Through Hymn Tunes. Hymnody Was The Most Popular And Commercially Successful Genre Of The Antebellum Period In The United States, And The Unquenchable Thirst For New Tunes To Sing Led To A Phenomenon Largely Forgotten Today: In Their Search For Fresh Material, Editors Lifted Hundreds Of Tunes From The Works Of Major Classical Composers To Use As Settings Of Psalms And Hymns. The Few That Remain Popular Today Millions Have Sung Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee To Beethoven And Hark, The Herald Angels Sing To Mendelssohn Are Vestiges Of One Of The Most Distinctive Trends In Antebellum Music-making. Gems Of Exquisite Beauty Is The First In-depth Study Of The Historical Rise And Fall Of This Adaptation Practice, Its Artistic Achievements, And Its Place In Nineteenth-century American Musical Life. It Traces The Contributions Of Pioneering Figures Like Arthur Clifton And The Impact Of Bestsellers Like The Handel And Haydn Society Collection, Which Helped Turn Lowell Mason Into America's Most Influential Musician. By Telling The Tales Of These Hymns And Those Who Brought Them Into The World, Author Peter Mercer-taylor Reveals A Central Part Of The History Of How The American Public First Came To Meet And Creatively Engage With Europe's Rich Musical Practices.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the historical practice of adapting European classical music into American hymnody during the antebellum period. Peter Mercer-Taylor, a scholar of music history, examines the commercial and artistic motivations behind this widespread trend. By analyzing the work of editors and composers like Arthur Clifton and Lowell Mason, the author argues that this adaptation process served as the primary vehicle through which the American public engaged with European classical traditions before the Civil War.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of the Handel and Haydn Society Collection and its influence on American musical standards.
- Historical documentation of the rise and decline of classical-to-hymn adaptation practices.
- Biographies of key figures such as Arthur Clifton and Lowell Mason.
Scope Limits
- The study focuses primarily on the antebellum era and does not cover post-Civil War developments in American hymnody.
- The text does not provide a comprehensive musicological analysis of every adapted tune, focusing instead on the cultural and historical context.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of 19th-century American musical life and the democratization of classical music. Readers frequently note the academic rigor of the prose while appreciating the clear historical narrative regarding how European compositions were integrated into American religious practice.
Page Count:
336
Publication Date:
2020-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190842806
ISBN-13:
9780190842802
Music History
American History
19th Century
Religious Music
Community Tags
Similar Books
