Purchase
The Surprising History of an Iconic Song
Oxford University Press
June 2013
On Sale: May 21, 2013
224 pages
ISBN: 0199919771
EAN: 9780199919772
Kindle: B00CX1CADO
Hardcover / e-Book
Add to Wish List
Non-Fiction
"God Bless America" is a song most Americans know well. It
is taught in American schools and regularly performed at
sporting events. After the attacks on September 11th, it was
sung on the steps of the Capitol, at spontaneous memorial
sites, and during the seventh inning stretch at baseball
games, becoming even more deeply embedded in America's
collective consciousness.
In God Bless
America, Sheryl Kaskowitz tells the fascinating story
behind America's other national anthem. It begins with the
song's composition by Irving Berlin in 1918 and first
performance by Kate Smith in 1938, revealing an early
struggle for control between composer and performer as well
as the hidden economics behind the song's royalties.
Kaskowitz shows how the early popularity of "God Bless
America" reflected the anxiety of the pre-war period and
sparked a surprising anti-Semitic and xenophobic backlash.
She follows the song's rightward ideological trajectory from
early associations with religious and ethnic tolerance to
increasing uses as an anthem for the Christian Right, and
considers the song's popularity directly after the September
11th attacks. The book concludes with a portrait of the
song's post-9/11 function within professional baseball,
illuminating the power of the song - and of communal singing
itself - as a vehicle for both commemoration and coercion. A
companion website offers streaming audio of recordings
referenced in the book, links to videos of relevant
performances, appendices of information, and an opportunity
for readers to participate in the author's survey.
Based on extensive archival research and fieldwork,
God Bless America sheds new light on cultural
tensions within the U.S., past and present, and offers a
historical chronicle that is full of surprises and that will
both edify and delight readers from all walks of life.
Comments
No comments posted.
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
| 
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy