Description
This unique anthology assembles primary documents chronicling the development of the phonograph, film sound, and the radio. These three sound technologies shaped Americans' relation to music from the late nineteenth century until the end of the Second World War, by which time the technologies were thoroughly integrated into everyday life. There are more than 120 selections between the collection's first piece, an article on the phonograph written by Thomas Edison in 1878, and its last, a column advising listeners "desirous of gaining more from music as presented by the radio." Among the selections are articles from popular and trade publications, advertisements, fan letters, corporate records, fiction, and sheet music. Taken together, the selections capture how the new sound technologies were shaped by developments such as urbanization, the increasing value placed on leisure time, and the rise of the advertising industry. Most importantly, they depict the ways that the new sound technologies were received by real people in particular places and moments in time.
This anthology of primary documents collects material from the end of the 19th century up through World War II on the material history of sound technologies and music in America. The book is divided into three sections: on the phonograph, sound in the cinema (including musical accompaniment), and music on radio. Each section includes advertisements, articles from the popular and trade press, and other documents and primary materials, including some amusing and surprising selections. There is an introduction to each section, and a general introduction that urges readers to attend to what the selections say through their implied assumptions and audience.
About the Author
Reviews
"Measuring the cultural importance and metaphysical weirdness of that change is part of the project of Music, Sound, and Technology in America, an anthology of fascinating artifacts whose prosaic title belies its insights into the early years of the recorded-sound era. . . . [T]he editors of Music, Sound, and Technology in America exhibit a canny ear for the electrifying echoes between then and now." - Andy Battaglia, Wall Street Journal
"A fascinating new book on early media. . . . A delightful read." - Steve Ramm, In the Groove
"The editors have selected and assembled their material with perspicuity and wit, and anybody interested in the infancy of sound recording, cinema, and radio is guaranteed to experience frequent 'aha!' moments that transport them with a simple turn of phrase to the mind-set of an earlier age." - James M. Keller, Santa Fe New Mexican
Taylor, Katz, and Grajeda have culled print and visual materials from the popular press, trade journals, and company archives that neatly capture the excitement of the new enterprises of radio, sound recordings, and film and the quandaries surrounding these media. . . . Highly Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty." - N. Newman, Choice
"Part history of technology, part reception studies, this anthology gathers advertisements, sales agents' scripts, personal accounts, editorials and letters from hobbyist journals of the early days of recorded sound... At its best, the selections convey an eyewitness sense of first reactions to new technologies, before users' expectations ossified... What shines through the book is how new technologies have opened up cultural battlegrounds for creativity, access and control." - Emily Bick, The Wire
"As a resource, the collection is very usable and particularly student-friendly. The introductions are insightful without being exhaustive, which encourages further inquiry and discussion by providing guidance and direction to sound studies, cultural studies, and technological studies. This approach creates a versatile collection that is not only useful for research and scholarship, but which is also strikingly teachable." - Victoria Willis, Popular Music and Society
"This is a much needed anthology.... We owe the three editors a considerable debt for doing the necessary research and for organizing and explaining the value of what they have unearthed." - European Journal of Communication
"Music, Sound, and Technology in America provides a useful overview of the impact of technologies on American music and musical culture. It is a valuable resource, an engaging, well-organized anthology that will raise provocative questions for students of American cultural history."-Michele Hilmes, author of Radio Voices: American Broadcasting, 1922-1952
"A fascinating new book on early media. . . . A delightful read." -- Steve Ramm * In the Groove *
"As a resource, the collection is very usable and particularly student-friendly. The introductions are insightful without being exhaustive, which encourages further inquiry and discussion by providing guidance and direction to sound studies, cultural studies, and technological studies. This approach creates a versatile collection that is not only useful for research and scholarship, but which is also strikingly teachable." -- Victoria Willis * Popular Music and Society *
"Measuring the cultural importance and metaphysical weirdness of that change is part of the project of Music, Sound, and Technology in America, an anthology of fascinating artifacts whose prosaic title belies its insights into the early years of the recorded-sound era. . . . [T]he editors of Music, Sound, and Technology in America exhibit a canny ear for the electrifying echoes between then and now." -- Andy Battaglia * Wall Street Journal *
"Part history of technology, part reception studies, this anthology gathers advertisements, sales agents' scripts, personal accounts, editorials and letters from hobbyist journals of the early days of recorded sound... At its best, the selections convey an eyewitness sense of first reactions to new technologies, before users' expectations ossified... What shines through the book is how new technologies have opened up cultural battlegrounds for creativity, access and control." -- Emily Bick * The Wire *
"The editors have selected and assembled their material with perspicuity and wit, and anybody interested in the infancy of sound recording, cinema, and radio is guaranteed to experience frequent 'aha!' moments that transport them with a simple turn of phrase to the mind-set of an earlier age." -- James M. Keller Santa Fe * Santa Fe New Mexican *
Taylor, Katz, and Grajeda have culled print and visual materials from the popular press, trade journals, and company archives that neatly capture the excitement of the new enterprises of radio, sound recordings, and film and the quandaries surrounding these media. . . . Highly Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty." -- N. Newman * Choice *
"Although the book is aimed at scholars and students (the book would work admirably as a reader for any number of courses in music, media studies, or history), Music, Sound, and Technology in America will appeal to nearly anyone who has an interest in exploring further the fascinating early history of phonography, cinema, and radio from the perspective of its founders, critics, and consumers. Truly a landmark documentary in every way, this collection should go a long way in stimulating further historical work in the field." -- Rob Haskins * ARSC Journal *
Book Information
ISBN 9780822349464
Author Timothy D. Taylor
Format Paperback
Page Count 432
Imprint Duke University Press
Publisher Duke University Press
Weight(grams) 612g
This anthology of primary documents collects material from the end of the 19th century up through World War II on the material history of sound technologies and music in America. The book is divided into three sections: on the phonograph, sound in the cinema (including musical accompaniment), and music on radio. Each section includes advertisements, articles from the popular and trade press, and other documents and primary materials, including some amusing and surprising selections. There is an introduction to each section, and a general introduction that urges readers to attend to what the selections say through their implied assumptions and audience.
About the Author
Timothy D. Taylor is Professor of Ethnomusicology and Musicology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of The Sounds of Capitalism: Advertising, Music, and the Conquest of Culture and Beyond Exoticism: Western Music and the World, which is also published by Duke University Press.
Mark Katz is Associate Professor of Music at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is the author of Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music and Groove Music: The Art and Culture of the Hip-Hop DJ.
Tony Grajeda is Associate Professor of Cultural Studies in the Department of English at the University of Central Florida. He is an editor of Lowering the Boom: Critical Studies in Film Sound.
Reviews
"Measuring the cultural importance and metaphysical weirdness of that change is part of the project of Music, Sound, and Technology in America, an anthology of fascinating artifacts whose prosaic title belies its insights into the early years of the recorded-sound era. . . . [T]he editors of Music, Sound, and Technology in America exhibit a canny ear for the electrifying echoes between then and now." - Andy Battaglia, Wall Street Journal
"A fascinating new book on early media. . . . A delightful read." - Steve Ramm, In the Groove
"The editors have selected and assembled their material with perspicuity and wit, and anybody interested in the infancy of sound recording, cinema, and radio is guaranteed to experience frequent 'aha!' moments that transport them with a simple turn of phrase to the mind-set of an earlier age." - James M. Keller, Santa Fe New Mexican
Taylor, Katz, and Grajeda have culled print and visual materials from the popular press, trade journals, and company archives that neatly capture the excitement of the new enterprises of radio, sound recordings, and film and the quandaries surrounding these media. . . . Highly Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty." - N. Newman, Choice
"Part history of technology, part reception studies, this anthology gathers advertisements, sales agents' scripts, personal accounts, editorials and letters from hobbyist journals of the early days of recorded sound... At its best, the selections convey an eyewitness sense of first reactions to new technologies, before users' expectations ossified... What shines through the book is how new technologies have opened up cultural battlegrounds for creativity, access and control." - Emily Bick, The Wire
"As a resource, the collection is very usable and particularly student-friendly. The introductions are insightful without being exhaustive, which encourages further inquiry and discussion by providing guidance and direction to sound studies, cultural studies, and technological studies. This approach creates a versatile collection that is not only useful for research and scholarship, but which is also strikingly teachable." - Victoria Willis, Popular Music and Society
"This is a much needed anthology.... We owe the three editors a considerable debt for doing the necessary research and for organizing and explaining the value of what they have unearthed." - European Journal of Communication
"Music, Sound, and Technology in America provides a useful overview of the impact of technologies on American music and musical culture. It is a valuable resource, an engaging, well-organized anthology that will raise provocative questions for students of American cultural history."-Michele Hilmes, author of Radio Voices: American Broadcasting, 1922-1952
"A fascinating new book on early media. . . . A delightful read." -- Steve Ramm * In the Groove *
"As a resource, the collection is very usable and particularly student-friendly. The introductions are insightful without being exhaustive, which encourages further inquiry and discussion by providing guidance and direction to sound studies, cultural studies, and technological studies. This approach creates a versatile collection that is not only useful for research and scholarship, but which is also strikingly teachable." -- Victoria Willis * Popular Music and Society *
"Measuring the cultural importance and metaphysical weirdness of that change is part of the project of Music, Sound, and Technology in America, an anthology of fascinating artifacts whose prosaic title belies its insights into the early years of the recorded-sound era. . . . [T]he editors of Music, Sound, and Technology in America exhibit a canny ear for the electrifying echoes between then and now." -- Andy Battaglia * Wall Street Journal *
"Part history of technology, part reception studies, this anthology gathers advertisements, sales agents' scripts, personal accounts, editorials and letters from hobbyist journals of the early days of recorded sound... At its best, the selections convey an eyewitness sense of first reactions to new technologies, before users' expectations ossified... What shines through the book is how new technologies have opened up cultural battlegrounds for creativity, access and control." -- Emily Bick * The Wire *
"The editors have selected and assembled their material with perspicuity and wit, and anybody interested in the infancy of sound recording, cinema, and radio is guaranteed to experience frequent 'aha!' moments that transport them with a simple turn of phrase to the mind-set of an earlier age." -- James M. Keller Santa Fe * Santa Fe New Mexican *
Taylor, Katz, and Grajeda have culled print and visual materials from the popular press, trade journals, and company archives that neatly capture the excitement of the new enterprises of radio, sound recordings, and film and the quandaries surrounding these media. . . . Highly Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty." -- N. Newman * Choice *
"Although the book is aimed at scholars and students (the book would work admirably as a reader for any number of courses in music, media studies, or history), Music, Sound, and Technology in America will appeal to nearly anyone who has an interest in exploring further the fascinating early history of phonography, cinema, and radio from the perspective of its founders, critics, and consumers. Truly a landmark documentary in every way, this collection should go a long way in stimulating further historical work in the field." -- Rob Haskins * ARSC Journal *
Book Information
ISBN 9780822349464
Author Timothy D. Taylor
Format Paperback
Page Count 432
Imprint Duke University Press
Publisher Duke University Press
Weight(grams) 612g
