Musical Metropolis
Subtitle: Los Angeles and the Creation of a Music Culture, 1880-1940
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: December 23, 2004
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 292
ISBN-13: 9781403964182
Subjects: Music/Songbooks; Los Angeles; General; Music; Social aspects; History & Criticism - General; Music / General; California; 19th century; 20th century; History and criticism
Description: This fascinating history of music in Los Angeles focuses on orchestral performance from the late nineteenth century through World War II. Decentralization defined Los Angeles's growth since the late nineteenth century, and because the central city did not dominate the city's music culture as was the case in cities of the East and Midwest, a greater diversification of music emerged. Performers and audiences included Latinos, European Americans, Asian Americans, and African Americans, but the notion of diversity in the late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century city went well beyond ethnicity -- it also included a "media diversity," as the city's musical output was presented through a variety of channels including recordings, radio, and film. These media strongly influenced the musical culture of Los Angeles, which in turn influenced the musical culture of America at large as the city grew into the nation's epicenter of entertainment. This book features a CD providing examples of much of the music examined.