Whether referred to as mermaid, usalka, mami wata, or by some other name, and whether considered an imaginary being or merely a person with extraordinary abilities, the siren is the remarkable creature that has inspired music and its representations from ancient Greece to present-day Africa and Latin America. This book, co-edited by a historical musicologist and an ethnomusicologist, brings together leading scholars and some talented newcomers in classics, music, media studies, literature, and cultural studies to consider the siren and her multifaceted relationships to music across human time and geography.

An impressive range of views and analyses of the pervasive archetype of sirens and their music

About the Author

Linda Phyllis Austern is Associate Professor of Musicology in the School of Music, Northwestern University.

Inna Naroditskaya is Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology in the School of Music, Northwestern University.

Reviews

"... The editors are to be applauded for bringing together in such a coherent fashion in one volume essays exploring such widely divergent empirical material as classical Greek texts, nineteenth century Russian operas, contemporary ethnography in highland Bolivia, and album covers by Mariah Carey." -Thomas Solomon, University of Bergen, Journal of Folklore Research, 1/19/09

"... This is a thorough review of a fascinating, although somewhat esoteric, topic.... Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, and faculty." -Choice

Book Information
ISBN 9780253218469
Author Linda Austern
Format Paperback
Page Count 440
Imprint Indiana University Press
Publisher Indiana University Press