Popular, Reference 

Pop music didn't start with Elvis or Sinatra; its precursors include classical, folk, and opera. A Century of Pop traces Pop's development from Pop's geographical and ethnic roots, tracks the various cross-influences between genres, explains its international vocabulary, and looks at how all types of music have come together in strange ways to shape today's sounds. With hundreds of spectacular four-color photographs, fascinating sidebars, special articles on important musicians, and lists of recommended CDs, this book contains almost everything one needs to know about popular music. From Victorian hymns and West African drum rhythms, through light opera, vaudeville songs, Latin American dance music, country, blues, and rock' n'roll, to the techno-driven pop music of the moment, A Century of Pop outlines the cosmopolitan mix that makes up popular music in the 20th century. - from Amzon