'Twas only an Irishman's dream
the image of Ireland and the Irish in American popular song lyrics, 1800-1920
by W. H. A. Williams
The image of the Irish in the United States changed drastically over time, from that of hard-drinking, rioting Paddies to genial, patriotic working-class citizens. In 'Twas Only an Irishman's Dream, William H. A. Williams traces the change in this image through more than seven hundred pieces of sheet music - popular songs from the stage and for the parlor - to show how Americans' opinions of Ireland and the Irish went practically from one extreme to the other.
Because sheet music was a commercial item it had to be acceptable to the broadest possible song-buying public. "Negotiations" about their image involved Irish songwriters, performers, and pressured groups, on the one hand, and non-Irish writers, publishers, and audiences, on the other. Williams ties the contents of song lyrics to the history of the Irish diaspora, suggesting how ethnic stereotypes are created and how they evolve within commercial popular culture.
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'Twas only an Irishman's dream: the image of Ireland and the Irish in American popular song lyrics, 1800-1920
1996, University of Illinois Press
in English
0252022467 9780252022463
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Includes bibliographical references and index.
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