Unsung: A History of Women in American Music [Paperback]

Christine Ammer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2003

In this new edition of the classic text in the field, Christine Ammer surveys a full 200 years of women active in American music. From the earliest organists to contemporary innovators in jazz, succinct biographical sketches show the influences of and influences on hundreds of musicians. Adding significantly to the list, Ammer now chronicles important strides women musicians have made in the last 20 years.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Discrimination against women in music goes back centuries to the all-male chapel choir with its ecclesiastical injunction: "Women must be silent in church." Unsung: A History of Women in American Music discusses the place of women in every musical field, their successes and failures, and most especially the obstacles they have always faced--and still face--in gaining artistic recognition and professional acceptance, and what they have done to overcome and circumvent them. First published in 1980, now revised and expanded, this is an excellent, comprehensive survey of an all-too-little-known aspect of American music from the times of the Puritans to the present.

Ammer writes in a clear, lively, often ironically humorous, and very readable style, displaying impressive knowledge of a great variety of techniques and instruments, including electronics and beyond. Thoroughly researched, scholarly but never dry, the book is admirably inclusive, but it almost overwhelms the reader with names, facts, and figures. We do not really have to know the date, place, program, and reception of every concert and premiere performance. There are also too many "firsts" gained by women: appearances, awards, prizes, etc. However, Ammer makes her subjects' stories moving and absorbing. Her account of the composers of the New England school reveals that, sadly, most of the women, though quite successful during their lifetimes, have been totally forgotten.

Ammer sometimes takes feminism too far: surely, it cannot be denied that the greatest composers have been men, even if only for reasons of social convention. She quotes composer Libby Larsen's complaint that "kids in school are still taught that Beethoven is the greatest composer" and that "the compositional canon" in the school orchestras "is overwhelmingly male." But she also quotes conductor Margaret Hillis: "There is only one woman I know who could never be a symphony conductor, and that's the Venus de Milo." She proves that the best, most prestigious orchestras still hire the fewest women, and that far fewer women than men receive foundation support. In conclusion, Ammer acknowledges a slow but significant improvement in the status of women musicians, crediting both changing social conditions and their own determined, vigorous activism. --Edith Eisler

From Library Journal

Revised and expanded from the 1980 version (Greenwood), this "Century Edition" of the first book to survey the role of women in American music history from 1800 to 2000 reflects the information explosion in the field as evidenced by the bibliography, which includes about five dozen sources appearing after 1979. In terms of revisions, Ammer (The HarperCollins Dictionary of Music, 3d ed.) has gracefully rewritten unclear passages and corrected facts. Expansions include 18 halftone photos (not seen), updated information about women included in the first edition, and the addition of more women and more subjects: blues, jazz, ragtime, and "international fusion." Two new chapters cover electronic music, mixed media, film, performance art, and women as advocates and patrons of serious American music-making. This second edition follows the first's suit and omits women singers because "[t]hey only compete with other women in their own voice parts, and hence are immune to the gender discrimination faced by women composers, instrumentalists, and conductors." This excellent reworking of an indispensable title is highly recommended. Bonnie Jo Dopp, Univ. of Maryland Libs., College Park
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Amadeus Press; 2nd edition (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574670611
• ISBN-13: 978-1574670615
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,329,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ammer's amazing history brings women to center stage!, March 20, 2001

By 

Liane Curtis (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unsung: A History of Women in American Music (Paperback)

This revolutionary and influential volume is now reprinted and updated. In 1980, when it was first published, it was the starting point of interest in the vital historic role that American women have had in all genres of music in America. Ammer's book bore rich fruit in so many recordings and performances, as well as other studies. Ammer's searching curiosity and the range of her interests makes for fascinating reading. Armed with extensive documentation including interviews, she investigates women's roles in the traditions of classical, jazz, and folk traditions. Liane Curtis, Ph. D., Musicology, Brandeis University.