Singing the New Nation

by E. Lawrence Abel

From the recruiting songs that celebrated early war efforts to the 'lost cause' songs of the Confederacy's last days, this study chronicles how music helped the South discover and celebrate its... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811702286
• ISBN13: 9780811702287
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Stackpole Books
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A History Book That's a Pleasure to Read!

I have to admit- I only acquired this book to do a little research and extract a few things from it but went on to read it cover to cover. Very enjoyable and I'd recommend it for historians, Civil War buffs and re-enactors, American music scholars and anyone else who likes a well researched history book on a subject overlooked for far too long!

singing the new nation

I wrote this book to show how Confederate music during the war reveals the social history of the South during the war. The book is not a bibliogrpahy of sheet music nor simply a collection of lyrics. Instead, it uses the lyrics and covers from various pieces of sheet music to illustrate what Southerns believed they were fighting for and the feelings they had about their families, homes and their fate. These songs bound Southerners from different classes and different regions together, thereby creating a collective sense of nationalism. The songs also provided an outlet for people who were otherwise restrained in their emotions, to express their feelings in public. It also traces the history of some of the better known Southern songs such as "Dixie" and the "Bonnie Blue Flag" and describes the integral place of field music and brass bands in the war effort.

A delightful look at the music that inspired a generation

Never before has a work so enchanted me. My grandfather used to sing the delightful ditties contained in this broad work by E. Lawrence Abel. From Goober Peas to John Brown's Body this book invoked my memories of the past and told me the history behind the songs I only knew before by name. Bruce Catton was be proud.