The Cambridge Companion to the Singer-Songwriter (Cambridge Companions to Music) - Hardcover

Hamilton, Katy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1107063647 ISBN 13: 9781107063648

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2016

Synopsis

Most often associated with modern artists such as Bob Dylan, Elton John, Don McLean, Neil Diamond, and Carole King, the singer-songwriter tradition in fact has a long and complex history dating back to the medieval troubadour and earlier. This Companion explains the historical contexts, musical analyses, and theoretical frameworks of the singer-songwriter tradition. Divided into five parts, the book explores the tradition in the context of issues including authenticity, gender, queer studies, musical analysis, and performance. The contributors reveal how the tradition has been expressed around the world and throughout its history to the present day. Essential reading for enthusiasts, practitioners, students, and scholars, this book features case studies of a wide range of both well and lesser-known singer-songwriters, from Thomas d'Urfey through to Carole King and Kanye West.

About this title

Review:

'... lead[s] the reader to analyse big themes in music: genre, race, gender, societal trends and industry machinations.' Jeanette Leach, Shindig!

'There is emphasis on singer-songwriters from the LGBTQ community. Including detailed notes, this fascinating survey will have something for anyone interested in the topic.' R. D. Cohen, Choice

'The editors are clear in their introduction that this companion is aimed both at readers who like and perform and engage with popular music and also at students and teachers and researchers involved with formal (and informal) study of popular music. By this token, implied themes such as gender and sexuality, race and politics emerge regularly throughout the work, and these are used to explain and illuminate the singing-songwriting creative act itself.' Stuart Hannabuss, Reference Reviews

Book Description:

The term singer-songwriter refers to a musician who writes and performs their own music and lyrics. Essential reading for enthusiasts, practitioners, students, and scholars, this Companion explains the historical contexts, musical analyses, and theoretical frameworks of the singer-songwriter tradition, and includes case studies of singer-songwriters from Thomas d'Urfey through to Carole King and Kanye West.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1107063647
• ISBN 13: 9781107063648
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 386
• Editor: Williams Katherine, Williams Justin A.