Sounding Authentic

Sounding Authentic considers the influences of nationalism, modernism, and technological innovation on representations of ethnic and national identities in twentieth-century art music. Author Joshua S. Walden discusses these forces through the prism of the “rural miniature”: short violin and piano pieces based on folk song and dance styles. He examines the genre’s origins in Europe as well as its reception in European diaspora communities in America, where it evoked memories of life before immigration, and he traces how many rural miniatures were assimilated to the styles of American popular song and swing. Scholars interested in musicology, twentieth-century European art music, the culture of the Jewish Diaspora and more will find Sounding Authentic an essential addition to their library.