Fifth Avenue Famous: The Extraordinary Story of Music at St. Patrick's Cathedral
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Victorian-era divas who were better paid than some corporate chairmen, the boy soprano who grew up to give Bing Crosby a run for his money, music directors who were literally killed by the job—the plot of a Broadway show or a dime-store novel? No, the unique and colorful history of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Since its inception more than 125 years ago, the Cathedral Choir has been considered the gold standard of liturgical music—an example of artistic excellence that has garnered worldwide renown. Yet behind this stately facade lies an intriguing mix of New York history, star secrets, and high-level office politics that has made the choir not only a source of prime musical entertainment but also fodder for tabloids and periodicals across the nation. In this unique and engaging book, readers are treated to a treasure trove of vibrant characters, from opera stars from around the world to the thousands of volunteer singers who brought their own hopes and dreams—and widely varying musical abilities—to the fabled choir.
As the city’s preeminent Catholic institution, St. Patrick’s Cathedral has served one of the most dynamic and diverse communities in the world for well over a century. It has been intimately entwined with the history of New York: a major center of culture in the nation’s cultural capital. The Cathedral Choir provides an extraordinary and largely overlooked insight into this history, and in Salvatore Basile’s pitch-perfect
exploration it becomes a microcosm for the larger trends, upheavals, and events that have made up the history of the city, the nation, and even the world.
Basile also illuminates the choir’s important role in New Yorkers’ responses to some of the most momentous events of the past one hundred years, from world wars to world’s fairs, from the sinking of the Titanic to 9/11, as well as its central role in the rituals and celebrations that have made life in the city more joyful—and bearable—for millions of people over the decades.
While the phrase “church choir” usually evokes the image of a dowdy group of amateurs, the phrase “Choir of St. Patrick’s Cathedral” has always meant something quite different. Salvatore Basile’s splendid history shows just how different, and just how spectacular, the music of St. Patrick’s is.
Salvatore Basile
SALVATORE BASILE was educated at the Boston Conservatory and The Juilliard School and began his career as a professional musician. After penning various music-related articles, he entered the field of social commentary with his history Fifth Avenue Famous: The Extraordinary Story of Music at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Fordham).
Read more from Salvatore Basile
Cool: How Air Conditioning Changed Everything Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fifth Avenue Famous: The Extraordinary Story of Music at St. Patrick's Cathedral Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Fifth Avenue Famous
Related ebooks
Let It All Fall: Underground Music and the Culture of Rebellion in Newfoundland, 1977–95 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Story of Music Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5History of Public School Music - In the United States Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Short History of English Music Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBarn Dances & Jamborees Across Kentucky Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lost World of Music Hall: A celebration of ten greats Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cello Suites: J. S. Bach, Pablo Casals, and the Search for a Baroque Masterpiece Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Decadent Enchantments: The Revival of Gregorian Chant at Solesmes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Songs of the Gold Rush Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Musical Human: A History of Life on Earth – A BBC Radio 4 'Book of the Week' Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Singers: A Potteries Tale Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSounds of liberty: Music, radicalism and reform in the Anglophone world, 1790–1914 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKika Kila: How the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Changed the Sound of Modern Music Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPurcell Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Classical Music Map of Britain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhy Britain Rocked: How Rock Became Roll and Took over the World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmazing Grace: A Cultural History of the Beloved Hymn Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStories Behind the World's Great Music Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSan Francisco Jazz Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Women & Music: A History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Music for a City Music for the World: 100 Years with the San Francisco Symphony Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPunk Ethnography: Artists & Scholars Listen to Sublime Frequencies Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black & White, Body and Soul in American Music Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sound Diplomacy: Music and Emotions in Transatlantic Relations, 1850-1920 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGathered From Coincidence: A Singular history of Sixties’ pop Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJoyful Singing: A Story of Lutheran Sacred Music in Texas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPast Sounds: An Introduction to the Sonata Idea in the Piano Trio Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Greatest Music Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from Music History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Divas in the Convent: Nuns, Music & Defiance in 17th-Century Italy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Music For You
Weird Scenes Inside The Canyon: Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops & The Dark Heart Of The Hippie Dream Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn Jazz Piano: book 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Me: Elton John Official Autobiography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Strange Loop Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Music Theory For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Songwriting For Dummies Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Circle of Fifths: Visual Tools for Musicians, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bowie: An Illustrated Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Open Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Easyway to Play Piano: A Beginner's Best Piano Primer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn Your Fretboard: The Essential Memorization Guide for Guitar (Book + Online Bonus) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Songwriting: Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure: Tools and Techniques for Writing Better Lyrics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Learn Guitar A Beginner's Course Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Singing Coach Secrets Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming a Great Sight-Reader–or Not! Learn From My Quest for Piano Sight-Reading Nirvana Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hal Leonard Pocket Music Theory (Music Instruction): A Comprehensive and Convenient Source for All Musicians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Meaning of Mariah Carey Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Music Theory For Beginners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dear Evan Hansen (TCG Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/588 Piano Classics for Beginners Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rememberings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Big Keyboard and Piano Chord Book: 500+ Keyboard and Piano Chords in a Unique Visual Format Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Fifth Avenue Famous
0 ratings0 reviews