John Tasker Howard

John Tasker Howard (1890-1964) is name-checked on the cover of "Freak Out!" (1966) under the heading "These People Have Contributed Materially In Many Ways To Make Our Music What It Is. Please Do Not Hold It Against Them". American writer and composer. His book "Our American Music" (3rd ed. New York: Thomas Crowell Co., 1946) is a secondary source for information concerning patriotic music. One of the book's main highlights is the information on composers who were popular during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Also discussed are several famous war songs and their histories. Having been published in 1946, "Our American Music" is a fairly dated book. Even so, the information documented took place many years before and historically did not change. It may be possible that more in-depth information could have been found, but, as far as accuracy is concerned, the book is current. John Tasker Howard has written several other books, including "Modern Music; a Popular Guide to Greater Music Enjoyment" and "Our American Music, Three Hundred Years of It". Together with George Bellows, he wrote "A Short History of Music in America" (New York: Thomas Crowell Co., 1957), a secondary source that provides a general picture of America during the antebellum period. The authors list wars and patriotic songs that emerged from them. Historical music facts have not changed since the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Therefore, this book is relevantly timely.