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Abstract
Listen! Aural history is a valuable aid to understanding the past. Music and song stimulate our sensual and intellectual faculties. Soundscapes evoke feelings, images and thoughts which add a richness and depth to our perceptions of earlier eras. For those willing to use innovative methodologies for research and teaching, popular music provides a wealth of fresh primary sources for historical analysis. Soundscapes document oral, textual and aural history. Melody, harmony, rhythm and instrumentation, as well as lyrics and context, illuminate the political, economic, social and cultural histories of communities, regions and nations.