The Unsung Songwriters [Hardcover]

Warren W. Vaché (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0810835703 | ISBN-13: 978-0810835702 | Edition: 1ST

The Unsung Songwriters is dedicated to a period in the history of American music that author Warren Vaché calls the "Golden Age of Songwriting," and to the men and women who made it great.

Contrary to the widely held opinion that most of our hit and standard songs were composed by a handful of top writers--Berlin, Gershwin, Kern, Porter, and Rodgers--the fact is that the vast majority of them were written by relatively unknown composers.

In this definitive reference work to the "unsung songwriters," you will find Al Neiberg, the author of "It's the Talk of the Town," Maceo Pinkard, the mind behind "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Sugar," Harry Woods for "Try a Little Tenderness," J. Fred Coots for "You Go to My Head," and many more.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

A tribute to the relatively unknown composers who were churning out songs for Broadway, Hollywood, radio, and early television during the "Golden Age of Songwriting," roughly 1917 to 1950. REVWR
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

The highly readable, almost breezy style should find favor with the general public, while the wealth of information makes The Unsung Songwriters desirable to even the most serious scholars. All in all, a well-executed good idea. (Jazztimes )

...a scholarly work happily written in Warren Vache's usual conversational manner. (Jazz Journal International )

...a work of seminal scholarship and exhaustive research which brings a long overdue and well deserved recognition to the men and women who created the cultural legacy of the nation (and in the world) that is American music. The Unsung Songwriters is a seminal core title for all professional, academic and community music history reference collections. (Bookwatch )

...this book should be on a shelf in every library in the nation. It makes no difference which department, music, popular culture, history of whatever, because within the covers of Unsung Songwriters there is as much to learn about America's history as you are likely to find anywhere else... (Jersey Jazz )

It is a joy to open this book at any place and begin reading. The knowledgeable author writes with a captivating style that makes it hard to put down before you read about just one more person who may have written one of your favorite songs. (Iajrc Journal )

The Unsung Songwriters brings long overdue recognition to these influential writers, and at the same time highlights a neglected but important segment of our American musical heritage. (New York Sheet Music Society )

The entire volume is a fine effort to bring out facts not well known. There are many songwriting books out there, but this one rises to the top because of its research and the author's emphatic love for the songs. I wish more composer books were like this. (Classic Images )

...a rarely worked on area has an ideal first point of approach in The Unsung Songwriters... (Rezensionen )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 784 pages
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press; 1ST edition (April 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810835703
• ISBN-13: 978-0810835702
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,496,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A seminal, comprehensive, core reference title., August 4, 2000

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Unsung Songwriters (Hardcover)

The idea that during the last century of American most "hit" tunes were generated by a relative handful of writers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Kern, Porter and Rodgers is a common misconception. In fact, American popular music from "Tin Pan Alley" creations to Broadway Musical compositions were the work of a vast roster of relatively unknown composers who contributed melodies and lyrics ranging from the Broadway stage to the Hollywood sound studio. The Unsung Songwriters: America's Masters Of Melody is a work of seminal scholarship and exhaustive research which brings a long overlooked and well deserved recognition to the men and women who created the cultural legacy of the nation (and the world) that is American music. The Unsung Songwriters is a seminal, core title for all professional, academic, and community library music history reference collections.