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Providing information about American composers
from the 19th century,
such as the best known Professional Song Composer,
to the 20th century,
including the Dean of American Composers,
The Celebrity Composers
[Aaron Copland with Leonard Bernstein]
We live in a time when more emphasis is given to celebrities and that includes certain composers. Is it fair to concentrate on just a few well-known composers?
Over the past fifty years or so, most of the attention has been paid by record companies and concertgoers to only a handful of American composers from the 20th century who might be called...
"The Famous Five"
These five composers are all worthy of great respect and admiration, yet there are those composers that are worth discovery and appreciation.
The Overlooked OthersThere are additional American composers who have some of their music available on recordings, such as Amy Beach, Howard Hanson, William Schuman, William Grant Still, and Randall Thompson, but today they are often overlooked by listeners.
Also, there are other composers from the past who deserve more attention. Among them are these overlooked composers all born in the 1850s:
George Whitefield Chadwick (1854-1931)
And these two as well:Dudley Buck (1839-1909)
Charles T. Griffes (1884-1920)There are also many additional composers, especially during the 20th century, who could be added to this list of overlooked others -- for a few CD examples featuring more recent composers, see Songs in Transit:An American Expedition and music by Roger Lee Hall.
Among most classical record labels, there is a tendency to pay attention to only The Famous Five and neglect The Overlooked Others.
One of the few exceptions is Naxos Records which has had an excellent American music series [see the CD review links below].
To help correct this deficiency there is a need to encourage research and performances of lesser known American composers and their music in colleges, universities and music schools.
Another way is to distribute information, such as on this web site.
One formerly neglected area now receiving more attention is film music.
For more information on this subject, go to Film Composers and SoundtracksSee also the list of rare music and interviews with classical composers available in the American Music Recordings Archive [AMRA]
See also
Recommended For Your Bookshelf...
A Composer's Notes: Remembering Miklós Rózsa - A Personal Recollection by Jeffrey Dane
And They All Sang: Adventures of an Eclectic Disc Jockey by Studs Terkel
For The Love of Music: Invitations to LISTENING by Michael Steinberg and Larry Rothel
George Gershwin: His Life and Work by Howard Pollack
A Guide To Film Music: Songs and Scores by Roger Hall
Hallelujah Junction: Composing an American Life by John Adams
A History of Film Music by Mervyn Cooke
Hitchcock's Music by Jack Sullivan
The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century by Alex Ross
NEW!
PIANO MUSIC I: CIRCLES OF FIRE -- music of George Rochberg
THE RED VIOLIN CONCERTO / PHANTASMAGORIA -- music by John Corigliano
SERENADA SCHIZOPHRANA -- music by Danny ElfmanSONGS IN TRANSIT - music by Tom Cipullo, Lori Laitman, Lee Hoiby, Melanie Mitrano, Beth Anderson, Gene Pritsker, Allen Jaffe, Paul Moravec, David Del Tredici
SYMPHONIES NOS. 5 and 6/ ACCELERATION -- music by Roy HarrisSYMPHONY NO. 8 -- William Schuman/ VARIATIONS ON "AMERICA" by Charles Ives (arr. Schuman)
VINTAGE AMERICA -- Callico Winds
Web Submissions
Essay: Leonard Bernstein: The Total Musician by Jeffrey Dane
Essay: The Vanishing American Composer by Steven A. Kennedy
If you have researched or performed music by an American composer from the past and would like to submit a short essay or report, click on this link for the
AMP Web Links
American Music Recordings Archive [AMRA]
Essential American Recordings Survey [EARS]
Film Music Review (online magazine)
New England Music Archive [NEMA
Society for Earlier American Music [SEAM]
Associate Web Links
If you have a website and would like to be listed as an Associate Web Link,
send all pertinent information to:
Society for American Music (Resources)
The mission of the Society for American Music is to stimulate the appreciation, performance, creation and study of American musics of all eras and in all their diversity, including the full range of activities and institutions associated with these musics throughout the world.
Song of America - directed by Thomas Hampson
We invite all lovers of song to explore connections between poetry and music, between history and culture, through the work of American composers and poets. Song of America is a database resource where you can listen to songs, learn more about them, read their lyrics, find scores, and link to relevant Web sites.
Please remember to credit this website!
If you use any information from this web site
for a class or a publication,
please give credit toAmerican Music Preservation.com
For any questions, write to:
Please help support the mission of
American Music Preservation.com
Use this handy Search Box for your purchases...
American Music Recordings Archive
American Music Timeline (1640-1890)
Essential American Recordings Survey
New England Composers No. 1: Edwin Arthur Jones
New England Composers No. 2: George Whitefield Chadwick
New England Music Archive [NEMA]
Society for
Earlier American Music [SEAM]
Leonard Bernstein:
The Total Musician
Tribute to
George
Templeton Strong
Top Ten
American Composers Web Poll
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