| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 105.5

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| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 105.5 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Canada and the United States

Philip F. Gura and James F. Bollman. America's Instrument: The Banjo in the Nineteenth Century. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. 1999. Pp. xvi, 303. $45.00.

The remarkable transformation of the banjo in nineteenth-century America is handsomely documented in this book, the combined effort of a cultural historian and a renowned collector. At the beginning of the century, the banjo was entirely an instrument of the African American, made of a hollowed-out gourd, a skinhead covering a hole sliced from the side of the gourd, and a fretless neck attached. Adopted by blackface entertainers, the banjo was quickly transformed to meet the demands of stage performance; professional performers needed a more durable, louder, and dependable instrument. By the end of the century, banjo makers had completely redesigned the simple gourd instrument into a technological wonder of wood and metal. The repertory and accepted venues of the instrument had been remade as well. Although the minstrel banjo still held its own, by 1890 the banjo had found a place in the Victorian parlor, the ubiquitous University Banjo Clubs, and on the stage playing light classical music and popular tunes of the day. The true focus of this book however, is on the technical development, manufacturing processes, and the marketing and overall commercialization of the banjo. Some attention is given to the actual music—technique and repertory—but it is cursory. . . .

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