Oregon Festival of American Music

Explore the life stories and driving forces behind 15 American musical pioneers ranging from Louis Armstrong, George Gershwin, Frank Sinatra to Henry Mancini. How did these figures influence each other? And what role did they play in defining the cultural identity of America? “In his exquisitely structured Songbook Summit, Fifteen Pioneers of American Sound, William Reardon-Anderson quotes Oscar Hammerstein’s view of Jerome Kern: “Even though the audience might not be completely conscious of the little detail Kern put in, an accumulation of details makes a big difference.” Songbook Summit has an accumulation of details that illuminate the relationships among 15 performers and composers who, together, wove the rich fabric of American musical theater and jazz in the first half of the 20th century. A series of four- to nine-page vignettes from the lives of musicians ranging from Louis Armstrong to Frank Sinatra, Jerome Kern to Henry Mancini, offers a judicious selection of details that gives concise yet vivid descriptions of their musical achievements, personalities, foibles, and interrelationships. As a group, they had strong egos, but also immense respect for each other. Rarely will you find as much fascinating information in such a succinct volume. I couldn’t put it down, and you won’t be able to, either.” Michael Webster International Clarinet Association Honorary Member, 2024 “This is an excellent book for the student of classic songs who’d like to get an overview of the masters. The writing is easygoing, not at all academic, and this would be a good jumping-off point for further reading”” B.A. Nilsson The Syncopated Times, 2024

Uniquely analytical yet engagingly informal, American Popular Song focuses on the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic qualities that distinguish American popular music and have made it an authentic art form. Wilder traces the roots of the American style to the ragtime music of the 1890s, shows how it was incorporated into mainstream popular music after 1900, and then surveys the careers of every major songwriter from World War I to 1950. Wilder devotes desparate chapters to such greats as Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, and Harold Arlen. Illustrated with over seven hundred musical examples, Wilder's sensitive analyses of the most distinctive, creative, and original songs of this period reveal unexpected beauties in songs long forgotten and delightful subtleties in many familiar standards. The result is a definitive treatment of a strangely unsung and uniquely American art.

Furia's history is the current "bible" on the subject and a great resource for either setting the stage for OFAM or for in-depth vignettes on your favorite writers.