Songs of the Wild West

I love this book so much I've given it as a gift to friends. It has relatively simple piano arrangements of old cowboy folk songs, but they are still very beautiful. Accompanying the songs are pictures from the Metropolitan Museum of Art from the old West. The pictures are enjoyable even if you don't know music. Too bad the book is out of print.

"Songs of the Wild West" contains beautiful color reproductions of paintings from the Metropolitan Museum of Art illustrated with (mostly) authentic cowboy songs. The songs and arrangements are for simple piano with guitar cord symbols. As a song book, there are many collections that are more complete with more verses, often from more original sources. No matter: Go for the art collection first - it's just as enjoyable without the songs. For the musician, this is a good introduction to an important part of our American heritage and, if the subject peak's your interest, check out the many other folk song collections and recordings that are available. If you need to start an 'Americana' section in your personal library (or are looking for something to donate to a school), this is a very good book to start with. Highly recommended!

"Songs of the Wild West" contains beautiful color reproductions of paintings from the Metropolitan Museum of Art illustrated with (mostly) authentic cowboy songs. As a song book, there are many collections that are more complete with more verses, often from more original sources. No matter: Go for the art collection first - it's just as enjoyable without the songs. For the musician, this is a good introduction to an important part of our American heritage and, if the songs peak your interest, there are many other folk song collections and recordings available for you to pursue. These songs and arrangements are for voice with simple piano with guitar cord accompaniment. Two minor quibbles: 1) Occasionally, one has to turn a page to see the rest of a song - annoying if you are trying to play it (another indication that the art work is the primary focus). The glossy paper stock does not like this kind of page turning. 2) If it is an art book, it would have been nice to have it available in a larger format so that one could enjoy greater detail in the paintings (on the other hand, the smaller format makes the price more affordable). "Songs of the Wild West" is a valuable addition to the 'Americana' section in any personal or school library. Highly recommended!