Tin Pan Alley (el. knyga) (skaityta knyga) | John Shepherd | knygos.lt

Aprašymas

'Most of my songs that sold were written in less than fifteen minutes. "Tea for Two" was written in less than four minutes ... that's what a pro had to be able to do. I wrote songs any time, on a bet.' Alleyman Irving Caesar sums up how the music industry really started to adopt the outlook and methods of big business.

In 'Tin Pan Alley' we see the beginnings of the pop world as we now know it: commercial, constantly capturing, exploiting or even occasionally creating a public mood.

The Alleymen were workers as much as artists. John Shepherd, in a book that is rich in anecdote and detail, explores how this change occurred, the ways in which songwriters organised themselves to get greater control over their products, the social circumstances that influenced their choice of subject-matter, the new forms, such as the integrated musical, developed for maximum appeal, the vast publicity structure built to market the merchandise, and, of course, the many stars who came to fame by taking a walk down the Alley.

The book is illustrated with photgraphs and posters that bring the times alive again, through ragtime to the heyday of Frank Sinatra and Johnny Ray.

A glossary of musical terms is included, designed to facilitate teaching, and suggestions for further reading and listening should open up new possibilities for classroom activity.