Includes bibliographical references (p. 228-229) and index.

Introduction: The dawn of American classical music -- From founding through revolution -- The awakening -- Transplanting romantic European traditions -- Into the twentieth century: the traditionalists -- American impressionists and folklorists -- New England iconoclast: Charles Ives -- From bandstand to Broadway: the 1890s to 1930s -- The earlier struggles of American opera -- Modernism elbows its way into the concert hall -- Europeans abroad -- Between the World Wars: Americans struggle to be heard -- Lighter hearts of the 1920s and 1930s -- Perpetuating the romantic tradition -- America goes to war: the 1940s -- Exploring the frontiers of sound -- The melting-pot of American opera and musical theatre -- Anxiety's son: Leonard Bernstein -- The age of anxiety: music in the Cold War era -- Making the most of minimalism -- Today and into tomorrow: old glory and new.