All the Sad Songs

Songwriters often use lyrics to describe the current events and social attitudes of a particular period or people. An examination of America's popular songs—and the stories behind ...

Relationships are a wonderful, mysterious, often elusive, sometimes painful part of the human experience. The most intimate of all human relationships, according to the Bible, is t...

This chapter considers how the lyrics and music of Cole Porter songs might be thought of in relation to one another in essentially musical and poetic structural terms. The goal is ...

Islands are concentrated “instances” of place, in every sense of the term. As such, there are no better candidates for observing and critiquing the dynamics of globalization. Throu...

The key to understanding the vast majority of sacred expression in country music is understanding the gospel song and the religious developments for which it was the primary musica...

Abstract Harold Arlen and His Songs is the first full-length study of the work of one of the great composers of the American Songbook. Although he created many stand...

Like all double albums, Songs in the Key of Life is imperfect but audacious. If its titular concern - life - doesn’t exactly allow for rigid focus, it’s still a fiercely inspired c...

Abstract A Performance Guide to the Songs of Jean Sibelius is a resource for singers, pianists, and music educators who wish to study and perform the songs of Fin...