Four parts, no waiting : a social history of American barbershop harmony
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Four parts, no waiting : a social history of American barbershop harmony
（American musicspheres / series editor: Mark Slobin）
Oxford University Press, 2002
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 211-218) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Four Parts, No Waiting investigates the role that vernacular, barbershop-style close harmony has played in American musical history, in American life, and in the American imagination. Starting with a discussion of the first craze for Austrian four-part close harmony in the 1830s, Averill traces the popularity of this musical form in minstrel shows, black recreational singing, vaudeville, early recordings, and in the barbershop revival of the 1930s. In his
exploration of barbershop, Averill uncovers a rich musical tradition-a hybrid of black and white cultural forms, practiced by amateurs, and part of a mythologized vision of small-town American life. This engagingly-written, often funny book critiques the nostalgic myths (especially racial myths) that have
surrounded the barbershop revival, but also celebrates the civic-minded, participatory spirit of barbershop harmony. The text is accompanied by an audio CD.
Table of Contents
- Preface: "I Don't Know Why (I love You Like I Do)"
- Introduction: Past Perfect
- 1. "A Little Close Harmony": A medley of nineteenth-century harmony
- 2. The "golden era": Quartets, show business, & the music industry
- 3. The lost chords: The early barbershop revival
- 4. On Main Street, U.S.A.
- 5. Romancing the Tone: Song, sound & significance in barbershop harmony
- Conclusion Afterglow
by "Nielsen BookData"