Great American Music: Broadway Musicals

By: Bill Messenger, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Bill Messenger

Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Rodgers and Hart. George and Ira Gershwin. Cole Porter. Lerner and Loewe. For most people who've grown up with and shared America's musical heritage, great songs open the floodgates to memories and feelings. Perhaps nowhere is this more profound than in the world of Broadway musicals, with their iconic melodies and memorable lyrics.

Revisit the standards, originally written for the stage, that have both delighted and helped mend the broken hearts of Americans for decades. These 16 delightful lectures immerse you in the world of Broadway, exploring the intricacies of musical composition and song construction-and how they were used to create specific effects - as well as the social and historical backdrop against which musical theater must be considered.

Much as we often concentrate on the so-called "golden age" of the 1950s, American musical theater spans the history of two vibrant centuries: the era of the minstrel show-whose contributions to American music were immense, in spite of the embarrassment we still feel at many of its images-vaudeville, ragtime, the revue; and the age of fully integrated book musicals launched by the 1927 production of Show Boat.

With examples at the piano, Professor Messenger shows you the soundtrack of America - and for millions of us, the soundtrack of our lives. This insightful and sublimely enjoyable learning experience can forever change the way you experience musical theater.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2006 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2006 The Great Courses

Enchanting!!!

What did you love best about Great American Music: Broadway Musicals?

the integration of the the words with the music.

What does Professor Bill Messenger bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

MUSIC!!!

Any additional comments?

A most enjoyable romp through the history of the musical. Such nostalgia and enjoyment all rolled into a great listening experience. The anecdotes about little know facts combined with the stories make for an unforgettable experience. NOT TO ME MISSED by anyone who enjoyed the classical Broadway plays then and now..
This story could not have been told with such impact without the music integrated into the read by Prof Messenger. Dont miss it. You will not be disappointed.

Wonderful history of musicals

I found this a fascinating history of American musical theater. As other reviewers have noted, there’s definitely an emphasis on the origins of the musical and the more remote history of musical theater. There’s not as much about the musicals most of us grew up with. I really enjoy this professor’s approach and speaking voice. I would also recommend his series on Jazz.

You ain't heard nothing yet!

Beginning with shows I never heard of, through shows I didn't care for to shows I can't get enough of, this has been as enjoyable and entertaining as educatioal.

For People with Wide Interests

Wasn't grueling like other histories of American music. Informative and entertaining. For some reason I spent most of the book waiting to see if he'd cover Funny Girl...

Sing Along Worthwhile

I learned more about music theory than I ever expected. I learned more about Black-Face and minstrel shows than I would have thought possible. Without the rights, the lecturer was unable to present "all the classics" but he found remarkable ways through interviews and related content to present an astonishing amount of material. An exceptionally informative overview for both novice and fan.

Why Speak the Songs?

This is an excellent course if you have interest in The American Songbook and the history of Vaudeville and Broadway musicals. The lecturer, Professor Bill Messenger, is an award-winning pianist and he plays a lot of samples of many of the discussed songs. I just don't understand why he chose to speak most of the lyrics in a sing-songy style a la Rex Harrison. He sings occasionally, proving he can certainly carry a tune, and has an acceptable singing voice for the short samples he plays, in fact, I wouldn't mind listening to him sing complete songs. So why did he make this inexplicable choice? It is very distracting because as a listener, and lover of some of these songs, I want to hear them sung. The speaking of the lyrics is not only distracting, it detracts from the excellent piano playing. Fortunately there are contemporary recordings, and some excellent, fully produced, reproductions used for many of the tunes discussed. Where Professor Messenger really shines is in the telling of the history and the many anecdotes. It's all very fascinating and never boring. His delivery is very conversational and doesn't sound scripted. Unfortunately, the choice to speak the songs' lyrics was such an important issue for me, and interfered with my enjoyment of the course to such a degree, I had no choice but to give the performance a rating of only three stars. It's a shame he made a choice that keeps this course from just crossing the finish line.

This was fun!

It was a little embarrassing that I knew the words to all the songs, even the oldest. Still, most of them were fun and had me singing to my garden as I worked. Thank goodness no one could hear me.

Engaging speaker, love the detail.

What made the experience of listening to Great American Music: Broadway Musicals the most enjoyable?

The history and detail made it most enjoyable, especially on long trips. Comprehensive back story greatly added to the recording.

What did you like best about this story?

Historical details were excellent and brought the stories to relevance.

Have you listened to any of Professor Bill Messenger’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

this was my first recording, and I would enjoy others by him.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The history of theatre ended too soon, in the 70s. Even then, the "history" was sparse. I would have enjoyed bringing his high level of detail to the present day composers and how they relate to the older.

Any additional comments?

The segments were well arranged and logically made sense. Thanks!!

Well Done

Bill Messenger does a great job of adding interest through his insites and piano renditions. Wish it could have been longer.

Informative and captivating for musical lovers!

I am a choir girl from my school days. The love of musical theater goes hand in hand with that and this course was perfect! I was fascinated by the details the course brought to light and felt I had a backstage pass to Broadway!