Musical Highlights From The White House

Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing Company, 1992. Original Edition [Stated], based on of 'Music at the White House: A History of the American Spirit. Second printing [stated]. [Also stated as New Edition per Preface to New Edition]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. xvi, 242 pages. Decorative endpapers. Illustrations (some in color). Appendixes (including a chronology of selected musical programs held at the White House for visiting Heads of State).. Notes. Bibliographic Essay, Index. Inscribed by the author on the title page. Inscription read To Art with warmest best wishes, Elise. Musicologist Elise Kirk has been writing about music at the White House for more than a decade. She writes about the role of the president in the musical life of the America. Kirk has written several books on the subject, including Musical Highlights from the White House. The book details the musical tastes of American presidents and the special performances of classical, jazz and pop music at the White House. A lyrical history of the American presidency and people, this is the story of a show that goes on. Elise Kirk traces the story of more than 200 years of musical performance in the White House to present the tale of the American process of music-making-how music in a democracy has been absorbed, shaped, transformed, and perceived from the period of George Washington to the modern day. Whether dramatic or abstract, vernacular or cultivated, music can mold the political process and shape a historic event in a manner like no other. The White House, America's oldest showcase for the performing arts, has offered a uniquely private yet highly public setting for ballads, instrumental music, opera, musical theater, jazz, and dance. In this eminently readable book, the author tells the story of the mansion's richly diverse ceremonial traditions and festive guest performances, as well as the cultural interests of our presidents and their first ladies from George Washington to George Bush. Entertaining and enlightening, Kirk's study provides fresh insights into the presidency, the performing arts, and the gradual emergence of America's unique national character. It is a must for anyone interested in American culture.