The Rose & the Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad
by Sean Wilentz
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The ballad has been part of American history since before the country had a name. In this book, the editors have assembled an astonishing group of writers and artists--novelists, essayists, performers, and critics--to explore the ineffable power of the American ballad. In words and in drawings, the collaborators have tapped the veins of America's most imaginative and expressive form. From "Barbara Allen," one of the earliest, through "The Wreck of the Old 97," to contemporary ballads by Bob show more Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, The Rose & the Briar presents a rich new patch of art and commentary--like the ballads, no two the same, but all of a piece, about stories, storytellers, and American death, love, and liberty.--Publisher show lessTags
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Inevitably a bit of mixed bag. Some of the essays on individual ballads take a relatively 'straight' approach, while others are more experimental and poetic - and the latter in particular vary from semi-successful to, well, unsuccessful. It will help a great deal if you know or can hear the songs referred to in the book. There is a companion CD, but I've also compiled a playlist of public domain recordings.
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Author Information
22+ Works 3,240 Members
Robert sean Wilentz was born in 1951 in New York City. He earned his first B.A. from Colunbia University in 1972 and his second from Oxford University in 1974 on a Kellett Fellowship. He continued his education at Yale University where he earned his M.A. degree in 1975 and his PhD. in 1980. His writings are focused on the importance of class and show more race in the early national period. He has also co-authored books on nineteenth-century religion and working class life. His book The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln, won the Bancroft Prize. He has also written about modern U.S. history in his book, The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974-2008. He has been the Sidney and Ruth Lapidus Professor of History at Princeton University since 1979. Robert Wilentz is also a contributing editor at The New Republic. He writes on music, the arts, history and politics. He received a Grammy nomination and a 2005 ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for musical commentary on the musician Bob Dylan. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Classifications
- Genres
- Music, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, History
- DDC/MDS
- 782.4 — Arts & recreation Music Vocal music [formerly: Dramatic music and production of musical drama] Secular forms of vocal music
- LCC
- ML3551 .R67 — Music Literature on music Literature on music History and criticism Folk, national, and ethnic music
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 170
- Popularity
- 191,739
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.73)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook
- ISBNs
- 3
