Product Description

American musical theatre has developed as an idigenous art form, with a long history, amazing vitality, and a variety of expression. Julian Mates is the first to show the musical stage in all its guises--from burlesque to musical comedy to grand opera--from its beginning in pre-Revolutionary America to the present day. In addition, this book is the first to explore the relationships between the various forms of musical theatre.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2217290 in Books
• Published on: 1987-08-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 264 pages

Review
"In this history Mates stresses the long tradition of musical theater in the US, reaching back to the pre-Revolutionary period. This tradition has incorporated, over the years, elements from all other forms of theatrical entertainment--opera, melodrama, circus, ballet, vaudeville, minstrel shows, and burlesque.... Through his emphasis on early theater--an outgrowth of his The American Musical Stage Before 1800 (1962)--Mates refutes histories that begin their accounts with The Black Crook of 1866.... The work is well documented, and the author provides a bibliographical essay as well as a short index.... With its wealth of information about the musical's earlier years and its scholarly approach, the volume is recommended for academic libraries and larger public libraries." -- Choice

Review
“[This book is] a comprehensive illustrated history of the U.S. musical from its colonial origins to the present, tracing the connections and influences of the minstrel show, operetta, burlesque, melodrama, revues, circus, dance, musical comedy, the Broadway opera, the book musical and other forms.... Author Julian Mates deals also with the recurrent aesthetic question of popular versus highbrow art, noting many serious American composers and performers have contributed to the popular musical stage. Further, Mates introduces readers to inside stuff--the various types of musical companies, changing repertories, the many kinds of musical performers.”–Variety

About the Author
JULIAN MATES is Professor of English at C.W. Post College.