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The Resource The banjo : America's African instrument, Laurent Dubois

The banjo : America's African instrument, Laurent Dubois

Creator
Author
Summary
"The banjo has been called by many names over its history, but they all refer to the same sound--strings humming over skin--that has eased souls and electrified crowds for centuries. The Banjo invites us to hear that sound afresh in a biography of one of America's iconic folk instruments. Attuned to a rich heritage spanning continents and cultures, Laurent Dubois traces the banjo from humble origins, revealing how it became one of the great stars of American musical life. In the seventeenth century, enslaved people in the Caribbean and North America drew on their memories of varied African musical traditions to construct instruments from carved-out gourds covered with animal skin. Providing a much-needed sense of rootedness, solidarity, and consolation, banjo picking became an essential part of black plantation life. White musicians took up the banjo in the nineteenth century, when it became the foundation of the minstrel show and began to be produced industrially on a large scale. Even as this instrument found its way into rural white communities, however, the banjo remained central to African American musical performance. Twentieth-century musicians incorporated the instrument into styles ranging from ragtime and jazz to Dixieland, bluegrass, reggae, and pop. Versatile and enduring, the banjo combines rhythm and melody into a single unmistakable sound that resonates with strength and purpose. From the earliest days of American history, the banjo's sound has allowed folk musicians to create community and joy even while protesting oppression and injustice."--Jacket
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
364 pages
Contents
  • Sounding Africa
  • The first African instrument
  • Three leaves
  • The sound of freedom
  • The banjo meets blackface
  • Rings like silver, shines like gold
  • Black banjo
  • Sounding America
Isbn
9780674047846
Instance
Label
The banjo : America's African instrument
Title
The banjo
Title remainder
America's African instrument
Statement of responsibility
Laurent Dubois
Creator
Author
Subject
Language
eng
Summary
"The banjo has been called by many names over its history, but they all refer to the same sound--strings humming over skin--that has eased souls and electrified crowds for centuries. The Banjo invites us to hear that sound afresh in a biography of one of America's iconic folk instruments. Attuned to a rich heritage spanning continents and cultures, Laurent Dubois traces the banjo from humble origins, revealing how it became one of the great stars of American musical life. In the seventeenth century, enslaved people in the Caribbean and North America drew on their memories of varied African musical traditions to construct instruments from carved-out gourds covered with animal skin. Providing a much-needed sense of rootedness, solidarity, and consolation, banjo picking became an essential part of black plantation life. White musicians took up the banjo in the nineteenth century, when it became the foundation of the minstrel show and began to be produced industrially on a large scale. Even as this instrument found its way into rural white communities, however, the banjo remained central to African American musical performance. Twentieth-century musicians incorporated the instrument into styles ranging from ragtime and jazz to Dixieland, bluegrass, reggae, and pop. Versatile and enduring, the banjo combines rhythm and melody into a single unmistakable sound that resonates with strength and purpose. From the earliest days of American history, the banjo's sound has allowed folk musicians to create community and joy even while protesting oppression and injustice."--Jacket
Cataloging source
MH/DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorDate
1971-
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Dubois, Laurent
Dewey number
787.881909
Illustrations
  • illustrations
  • facsimiles
Index
index present
LC call number
ML1015.B3
LC item number
D83 2016
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Banjo
  • Banjo music
  • African Americans
  • Music
  • Music
  • Banjoists
  • Minstrel shows
  • Blackface entertainers
  • Popular music
Label
The banjo : America's African instrument, Laurent Dubois
Instantiates
Publication
Bar code
  • 31223118838219
  • 31223114757595
  • 31223114757587
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Sounding Africa -- The first African instrument -- Three leaves -- The sound of freedom -- The banjo meets blackface -- Rings like silver, shines like gold -- Black banjo -- Sounding America
Dimensions
25 cm
Extent
364 pages
Isbn
9780674047846
Lccn
2015031048
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Other physical details
illustrations, facsimiles
System control number
  • 918562916
  • (OCoLC)918562916
Label
The banjo : America's African instrument, Laurent Dubois
Publication
Bar code
  • 31223118838219
  • 31223114757595
  • 31223114757587
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Sounding Africa -- The first African instrument -- Three leaves -- The sound of freedom -- The banjo meets blackface -- Rings like silver, shines like gold -- Black banjo -- Sounding America
Dimensions
25 cm
Extent
364 pages
Isbn
9780674047846
Lccn
2015031048
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Other physical details
illustrations, facsimiles
System control number
  • 918562916
  • (OCoLC)918562916

Subject

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