Lexington Books
Pages: 294
Trim: 6¼ x 9⅜
978-1-4985-3738-4 • Hardback • April 2016 • $108.00 • (£83.00)
978-1-4985-3739-1 • eBook • April 2016 • $102.50 • (£79.00)
Bill F. Faucett is director of development at the College of the Arts at The University of South Florida.
Prologue: Beethoven’s Statue
1. “Something to Represent the Movement”
2. “Running after Strange Gods”
3. Forging Boston’s Musical Atmosphere
4. Varieties of American Music
5. Modern Music Comes to Boston
6. The Lure of Opera
7. Musical Boston and the Great War
Epilogue: “Bear us into Realms Ideal”
Faucett has an enjoyable and approachable writing style, and his vivid turns of phrase skillfully weave in quotes from primary sources. . . Scholars and enthusiasts interested in the development of Bostonian art music culture during this time period, and anyone searching for a supplement to existing historical studies on music in Boston with a fresh take that focuses on the interconnected nature of musical works and institutions, should find that Faucett's Music in Boston provides an eloquent and accessible perspective.
— The Bulletin of the Society for American Music
Bill Faucett has fashioned an extraordinary journey through 'the Athens of America.' His fascinating and eminently readable account brings to life the personalities and events which established a classical music culture in our young country. Much of this story has never been told, and none of it has been told so coherently and convincingly.— Keith Lockhart, Conductor, The Boston Pops
This book is a compelling, elegantly written narrative of Boston’s musical apostles of high art and their mission to provide great music for a great city. Within this context, Faucett provides a veritable playlist of major classical repertoire by leading Boston composers, such as Edward MacDowell, George Chadwick, and Amy Beach, illuminating works that deserve to be rediscovered by today’s concert audiences. Through describing these largely forgotten compositions, he recaptures the sounds of American music.— Marian Wilson Kimber, University of Iowa
Bill F. Faucett's kaleidoscopic overview of concert music in Boston from 1852 to 1918 is rich with contextual detail, inviting readers into a vibrant era when music was central to cultural life in the United States, and when Boston aspired to be the country's beacon of musical culture.— E. Douglas Bomberger, Elizabethtown College