Expect no apologies for American music

by Nancy Moen

Michael Budds

Neil Minturn

Some harmonious work by two MU music faculty members and an art student has resulted in a new series of books on American music.

Musicologist and Associate Professor Michael Budds developed the idea for CMS Sourcebooks in American Music and serves as editor of the monograph series. The books are written in an engaging style that appeals to general readers as well as students and scholars. Pendragon Press publishes the series for The College Music Society.

"We are trying to paint a broad picture of American music," Budds says of the subject material. "The Americanists have come of age in my lifetime. We no longer make apologies for American music."

Associate Professor Neil Minturn, who teaches music theory, wrote the newly released second volume, The Last Waltz of the Band. Minturn’s book explores the music of the celebrated rock and roll ensemble featured in the documentary film The Last Waltz, directed by Martin Scorsese.

"The opportunity to study great American music, great rock and the history of The Band — virtually coextensive with the early history of rock and roll — and Scorsese’s film was simply irresistible," Minturn says.

Michael Graves, BFA ’02 art, of Kansas City, Mo., created the cover art for a graphic design course when he was a student. His work was selected from among the more than 20 entries. The cover, which has an arty, post-modern look, will appear on all books in the series.

At MU the first course in music history that students take is Budds’ American music class, followed by a grand tour of Western music. "There’s all this marvelous American music that we are embracing for study at universities: jazz, fine art, rock and roll, country, and film," Budds says. "This series could go on forever."

Future volumes will focus on the music of American artists such as Louis Armstrong, Leonard Bernstein, Miles Davis, Samuel Barber, Jerome Kern and Ruth Crawford Seeger. Some of the books will contain CDs of the music being discussed. Larry Starr of the University of Washington wrote the first volume, The Dickinson Songs of Aaron Copland.

Minturn and Budds both are award-winning teachers.

Links:

Michael Budds
Neil Minturn
School of Music

The College Music Society
Pendragon Press