America's Music, from the Pilgrims to the Present

First published in 1955, this account of music in America, presents "the music made or continuously used by the people of the United States, people who have come from many parts of the earth to build a new civilization and to create a new society in a new world." Chase perceives music as a cultural statement and writes to celebrate American musical pluralism. He seeks to enter into the motives and beliefs of each of his subjects, and believes that America's music is a counterpoint of ideas, trends, voices, and sounds, issuing from many different layers of society. Chase begins with the musical Puritans who settled in New England, and the various religious movements that dominated American musical expression. He also devotes greater attention to jazz, folk music and popular music. ISBN 0-252-00454-X (alk. paper): $29.95.