Prizes

This anthology of primary documents collects material from the end of the 19th century up through World War II on the material history of sound technologies and music in America. The book is divided into three sections: on the phonograph, sound in the cinema (including musical accompaniment), and music on radio. Each section includes advertisements, articles from the popular and trade press, and other documents and primary materials, including some amusing and surprising selections. There is an introduction to each section, and a general introduction that urges readers to attend to what the selections say through their implied assumptions and audience.

Reviews

"Filled with great selections, Music, Sound, and Technology in America is a salutary addition to a media studies literature lacking in such sourcebooks. It provides a ready-made trove of primary source material to use in classroom discussions of historical interpretation and methodology. In addition, by juxtaposing materials on diverse aspects of sound, the editors avoid the persistent habit of segmenting sound studies by medium or mode." Jonathan Sterne, author of The Audible Past: Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction "Music, Sound, and Technology in America provides a useful overview of the impact of technologies on American music and musical culture. It is a valuable resource, an engaging, well-organized anthology that will raise provocative questions for students of American cultural history." Michele Hilmes, author of Radio Voices: American Broadcasting, 1922-1952