Music and History: Bridging the Disciplines

Music and History: Bridging the Disciplines edited by Jeffrey H. Jackson and Stanley C. Pelkey with essays by Michael A. Antonucci, James A. Davis, Charles Freeman, Helen Marsh Jeffries, Michael J. Kramer, Lawrence W. Levine, Sandra Lyne, Laura Mason, Stanley C. Pelkey, Burton W. Peretti, Dorothy Potter, and William Weber and Donald Burrows This book begins with a simple question: Why haven't historians and musicologists been talking to one another? Historians frequently look to all aspects of human activity, including music, in order to better understand the past. Musicologists inquire into the social, cultural, and historical contexts of musical works and musical practices to develop theories about the meanings of compositions and the significance of musical creation. Both disciplines examine how people represent their experiences. This collection of original essays, the first of its kind, argues that the conversation between scholars in the two fields can become richer and more mutually informing. The volume features an eloquent personal essay by historian Lawrence W. Levine, whose work has inspired a whole generation of scholars working on African American music in American history. The first six essays address widely different aspects of musical culture and history ranging from women and popular song during the French Revolution to nineteenth-century music publishing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Two additional essays by scholars outside of musicology and history represent a new kind of disciplinary bridge using the methods of cultural studies. The last four essays offer models for collaborative, multidisciplinary research with a special emphasis on popular music. Jeffrey H. Jackson is assistant professor of history at Rhodes College. Stanley C. Pelkey is assistant professor of music at Western Michigan University.