Musical Metropolis : Los Angeles and the Creation of a Music Culture, 1880–1940

This fascinating cultural history of music in Los Angeles focuses on orchestral performance from the late nineteenth century through World War II. Decentralization defined Los Angeles's growth since the late nineteenth century, and because the central city did not dominate the city's music culture as was the case in cities of the East and Midwest, a greater diversification of music emerged. Performers and audiences included Latinos, Euro-Americans, Asian Americans, and African Americans, but the notion of diversity in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century city went well beyond ethnicity--it also included a "media diversity," as the city's musical output was presented through a variety of channels including recordings, radio, and film. These media strongly influenced the musical culture of Los Angeles, which in turn influenced the musical culture of America at large as the city grew into the nation's epicenter of entertainment. The book features a CD providing examples of much of the music examined. In addition, there are further support materials on the author's website: http: //faculty.ulv.edu/ marcusk

As Tennyson said of Camelot, Los Angeles was a city built to music. Choirs, touring opera companies, a symphony orchestra, musical pageants, the Hollywood Bowl, film scores of surprising power, and radio provided building blocks of identity for the City of Angels equal to aqueduct, automobile, or freeway. Comprehensively, Kenneth H. Marcus has assembled the story and scores of the music that helped build a city.—Kevin Starr, University Professor of History, University of Southern California and State Librarian Emeritus

Musical Metropolis is a skillfully researched account which addresses the relatively unexamined subject of music in the cultural life of Los Angeles between 1880 and 1940. It examines the unique aspects of the city's regional culture distinguished by geographic and ethnic differences. This richly detailed study also highlights the local development of film, radio, and recorded music, noting its consequent impact on worldwide audiences. Readers will benefit from the fact that examples of the broad range of musical genres discussed are represented on the accompanying CD.—Gloria Ricci Lothrop, Professor of History Emerita, California State University, Northridge

Musical Metropolis is a terrific book: both a history of musical expression in Los Angeles and an insightful cultural history of the city.—William Deverell, Director, Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West

This fascinating history of music in Los Angeles focuses on orchestral performance from the late nineteenth century through World War II. Decentralization defined Los Angeles's growth since the late nineteenth century, and because the central city did not dominate the city's music culture as was the case in cities of the East and Midwest, a greater diversification of music emerged. Performers and audiences included Latinos, European Americans, Asian Americans, and African Americans, but the notion of diversity in the late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century city went well beyond ethnicity -- it also included a "media diversity," as the city's musical output was presented through a variety of channels including recordings, radio, and film. These media strongly influenced the musical culture of Los Angeles, which in turn influenced the musical culture of America at large as the city grew into the nation's epicenter of entertainment. This book features a CD providing examples of much of the music examined. Decentralization and diversity characterized much of the performance of art music in Los Angeles. Decentralization defined the city's growth since the late-nineteenth century, and because the central city did not dominate music culture, as in the East and Midwest, a greater diversification of music emerged in the communities of Greater Los Angeles. Performers and audiencesincluded Latinos, Euro-Americans, Asian Americans, and African Americans, but the notion of diversity goes beyond ethnicity; it also includes 'media diversity', the presentation of music through a variety of media. recording, radio, film media strongly influenced music performance in the city as it grew into the epicenter of entertainment in America. Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Introduction....Pages 1-10 Theater Music During the Boom Years....Pages 11-35 “Making Friends with Music”: Music Education in the Classroom and Concert Hall....Pages 37-63 “Symphonies Under the Stars”: The Romance of the Hollywood Bowl....Pages 65-86 The Art of Pageants, Plays, and Dance....Pages 87-117 Leaving a Legacy: Early Recordings of Indigenous, Classical, and Popular Music....Pages 119-142 “An Invisible Empire in the Air”: Broadcasting the Classics during the Golden Age....Pages 143-163 Music on Film: Hollywood and the Conversion to Sound....Pages 165-190 Epilogue....Pages 191-198 Back Matter....Pages 245-259 Kenneth H. Marcus. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [245]-259) And Index.