The music of Texas and the American Southwest is as diverse and
distinctive as the many different groups who have lived in the region
over the past several centuries,” writes Gary Hartman in his
introduction to this refreshingly different look at various genres of
Texas music. Roots of Texas Music celebrates the diverse sources
of the music of the Lone Star State by gathering chapters by specialists
on each of them—specialists whose views may not have dominated the
perception of Texas music to date.
Editor Lawrence Clayton
conceived this project as one that would not simply repeat the common
wisdom about Texas music traditions, but rather would offer new
perspectives. He therefore called on contributors whose work had been
well-grounded but not necessarily widely published. The result is a
lively, captivating, and original look at the musical traditions of
Texas Germans and Czechs, black Creoles and Chicanos, and blues and
gospel singers.
Hartman’s introduction places these repertoires
within the larger picture of one of the most fertile musical seedbeds
the nation knows. The diverse genres included in the anthology also
provide an introduction to the classes, cultures, races, and ethnic
groups of Texas and highlight the ways in which the state’s musical
wealth has influenced the listening habits of the nation.
Looks good, thanks.
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