Music of the United States of America (MUSA)

FAIN: RQ-279732-21

American Musicological Society, Inc. (New York, NY 10012-1502)
Andrew Kuster (Project Director: November 2020 to present)

Preparation for publication of five volumes in the series Music of the United States of America. (36 months)

Music of the United States of America (MUSA) is a series of scholarly editions of music that aims to represent the depth and diversity of our nation's heritage by publishing musical works of exemplary artistic quality and historical significance, for the benefit of scholars, performers, students, and the general public. Since 1993, MUSA has published 31 editions (5 are multi-volume sets) and 21 sets of associated performance parts, making its editions available world-wide for study and performance. MUSA intends to reach its goal of 40 editions in print by 2026. The AMS requests funding from the NEH for MUSA to move forward the publication of 5 new critical editions of music over 3 years. NEH funds will help pay the salary and benefits of the Executive Editor (who is responsible for executing the MUSA project) and wages for Editorial Assistant student workers at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.

Associated Products

Early Published Blues and Proto-Blues (1850-1915) (Book)
Title: Early Published Blues and Proto-Blues (1850-1915)
Author: Peter Muir
Abstract: This critical edition of early blues-related sheet music includes all known blues songs and instrumental compositions (forty-three total) from the first four years of the blues industry, 1912–15, and twenty-four pre-1912 proto-blues, that is, published works stylistically related to the emerging blues style (for instance, using a twelve-bar blues sequence) from 1850–1912. The purpose of the edition is to present in systematic form, and for the first time, the rise of popular blues culture. Up until 1920, sheet music rather than recordings was the dominant medium of blues dissemination. The first blues recordings did not appear until 1914, two years after the appearance of sheet music and furthermore, almost all the recordings of blues that did appear before 1920 were of pre-existent published compositions. This situation changed with the rise of the race record industry in the 1920s when the identity of blues became increasingly linked to recordings. For this earliest period of blues history, the documentation offered by sheet music is crucial. A majority of this music has not been reissued since its original publication, while some has never been published at all, and exists only as copyright deposits in the Library of Congress. As a body of work, it is little known to historians and musicians despite its importance to the understanding of the evolution of blues and popular music.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://www.areditions.com/early-published-blues-and-proto-blues-1850-1915-mu33-a093.html
Primary URL Description: Publisher's link for the book.
Secondary URL: https://search.worldcat.org/title/1442059393
Secondary URL Description: worldcat.org link for the book.
Access Model: Purchase, subscription, open access at subscriber libraries.
Publisher: A-R Editions, Inc.
Type: Edited Volume
Type: Scholarly Edition
ISBN: 9781987208856
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

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