Anna Harwell Celenza — On the Record
Music historian Anna Harwell Celenza explores iconic musical works that sparked debate and direct action in the halls of Congress throughout American history.
Date & Time at 5:00 PM EST
Location Politics and Prose Washington, US
Organizer Politics and Prose
Why we picked this
The intersection of music and congressional politics is a subject you didn't know had a book in it — and Celenza makes the case that what America listens to has always shaped what its legislators do.
Anna Harwell Celenza examines the surprising history of music’s influence on American governance — specific compositions and performances that provoked debate, inspired legislation, or became rallying cries in the halls of Congress.
This is cultural history told through an unexpected lens: not the usual story of protest music from the outside, but of how sound penetrated the chambers of power and what lawmakers did about it. A particularly fitting subject for a DC bookstore audience.