Setting the Record Straight
Essays on Music in Honor of Linda Shaver-Gleason
Edited by Robin Wallace
Linda Shaver-Gleason was a public musicologist; she wrote a blog for a general audience about issues in music that even specialists frequently misunderstand. This book was intended to expand on some of her most successful blog posts while adding new essays on a variety of topics. Unfortunately, Linda died before she could finish the book, or even do much work on it. It is a sign of the respect in which she was held by her field that those of us who admired her and her work could not let that situation stand. Instead, we have made it a joint effort to complete the book based on Linda’s own plan and suggested Table of Contents. Some of the essays in the book draw on her writing, while others branch out in new directions. We have also included four of her original blog posts to give an idea of her personality and the flavor of her writing. All of the chapters address common misconceptions about music and try, as the title suggests, to “set the record straight.” From Bach to rap, with many waystations in between, we hope you will find this book an enlightening and enjoyable journey of discovery.
About the Editor
Robin Wallace is a Beethoven scholar who has spent most of his career studying the critical reception of Beethoven’s music during and immediately after his lifetime. Because his late wife Barbara was deaf during the last part of her life, he has also done an in-depth study of Beethoven’s deafness, published as Hearing Beethoven: A Story of Musical Loss and Discovery. His experience with Barbara made him alert to the issues faced by people with disabilities as well as those faced by cancer patients. Thus, it was natural for him to take an interest in Linda Shaver-Gleason’s work and for her to take an interest in his. He is thrilled to be able to edit and contribute to this tribute to her life and work.
Introduction
-Becoming Real: Remembering Linda Shaver-Gleason, by Justin Vickers
Classical Music Clichés
-Why Is There So Much Focus on the Composer?, by Daniel Barolsky
-Are There Any Women Composers in History?, by Kristen M. Turner
-Debunking Myths of Art Music in Latin America, by Marysol Quevedo
-Why Weren’t There Any English Composers between Purcell and Elgar?, by Eric Saylor
-The Myth of the Canon’s Invisible Hand, by Anne C. Shreffler
-Science Proves Your Favorite Music Is the Best: The “Genomics” of Musical Taste, by Matt Baumer
-Does Music Progress, by Sara Haefeli
Snobbery
-Who Writes the Symphonies, and Why Should it Matter?, by Imani Danielle Mosley
-Is Music for Orchestra More Respected than Music for Band?, by Kate Storhoff
-“Rap Isn’t Music” and Other Lies You Tell Yourself,” by Alex Blue V
Myths about Composers
-Johann Sebastian Bach and the Myth of Genius, by Rebecca Cypess
-Why Is There No Haydn Blockbuster Biopic: A Conversation with Bing, by Nancy November
-Many Mozart Myths, by Matteo Magorotto
-Many Beethoven Myths, by Robin Wallace
-Myths and Facts about Clara Schumann, by Sharon Su
-Did Woman Composers Secretly Write Men’s Music, by Marian Wilson Kimber
-“O, for a Little Courage”: Queens, Closets, and Cover-ups, by Justin Vickers
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Details
Published: November 2026
Formats
Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-63804-250-1
eBook
ISBN: 978-1-63804-251-8
Subjects
General InterestMusic
