Sounding Authentic considers the intersecting influences of nationalism, modernism, and technological innovation on representations of ethnic and national identities in twentieth-century art music. Author Joshua S. Walden discusses these forces through the prism of what he terms the "rural miniature": short violin and piano pieces based on folk song and dance styles. This genre, mostly inspired by the folk music of Hungary, the Jewish diaspora, and Spain, was featured frequently on recordings and performance programs in the early twentieth century. Furthermore, Sounding Authentic shows how the music of urban Romany ensembles developed into nineteenth-century repertoire of virtuosic works in the style hongrois before ultimately influencing composers of rural miniatures. Walden persuasively demonstrates how rural miniatures represented folk and rural cultures in a manner that was perceived as authentic, even while they involved significant modification of the original sources. He also links them to the impulse toward realism in developing technologies of photography, film, and sound recording. Sounding Authentic examines the complex ways the rural miniature was used by makers of nationalist agendas, who sought folkloric authenticity as a basis for the construction of ethnic and national identities. The book also considers the genre's reception in European diaspora communities in America where it evoked and transformed memories of life before immigration, and traces how many rural miniatures were assimilated to the styles of American popular song and swing. Scholars interested in musicology, ethnography, the history of violin performance, twentieth-century European art music, the culture of the Jewish Diaspora and more will find Sounding Authentic an essential addition to their library.

Myrtle Reed's classic novel is not simply a romantic story, but a celebration of life, love and the exquisiteness of music. The story involves a virtuoso violin player living in Lancaster, whose house is kept by his spinster sister. In a different neighborhood of town, an elderly lady who adopted and raised a young girl is surprised when her relatives- a widow and her son - arrive unannounced and wish to stay. The son, being musically talented, aspires to take up tutorage with the famous violinist of Lancaster. Thus begins an awkward situation that serves as a gauntlet for the passionate story which follows. Notably for a book of this genre, The Master's Violin contains many musings on the nature and value of family, music, parenthood, friendship and life. The reflective and thoughtful narration, along with the poignant descriptions of the master's performances, makes this a unique and memorable story. The author was among the most famous and appreciated novelists of her time. Unusually for a romance author, Reed also published a series of successful cookbooks. Though her fame declined in the years following her death in 1911 at the age of only 36, her books have maintained an appreciative audience into the 21st century.