“Social history, music history, and biography all intermingle to illustrate the rich heritage of Fiddle playing in Missouri. In many ways the history and diversity of Missouri reflects that of the United States during the same time frame, and in this respect the book is more than a regional study….This is an excellent book for anyone interested in fiddle music past and present, or indeed music in the United States from about the late 1700s through the 1930s.”—
Folk Music Journal “The broader narrative carries Missouri fiddle history through the 1920s, but many of those biographies bring us much closer to the present. Marshall manages the breadth of Missouri’s fiddling traditions by taking a regional focus. Similar to many studies of American fiddling, Marshall’s regional approach is also evident in historical treatments of fiddling as well as in various tune collections written by other researchers.”—
Journal of American Folklore “Supplemented by musical transcriptions created by Sharon Graf, Brian Pryor, and Kristen Tourville; an accompanying compact disc with thirty-nine recordings; and sumptuous illustrations. An engaging, comprehensive study,
Play Me Something Quick and Devilish is a resource that should be valuable to scholars of traditional music in the United States, as well as to the very practitioners it discusses, for years to come.”—
Journal of Southern History “
Play Me Something Quick and Devilish is a model for scholars who wish to contribute to our knowledge of music by researching a particular state’s history of instrumental music. We can gain a rich sense of old-time fiddling within our nation’s history by reading and comparing state studies, and Missouri’s situation is particularly important in this regard.”—
Western Folklore “All-in-all, Marshall’s text offers a comprehensive look at a music that most of us know of, but not about; a music that, though not given its rightful due, can still be heard both in its ‘pure’ form, and also as a component of much contemporary popular music.”—Matt Smith-Lahrman,
New Books Network “Missouri is famous for its fiddling tradition and this book goes a long way toward revealing the vitality and vibrancy of that tradition.”—Bob Buckingham,
Fiddler Magazine“Indispensable for studies in American music, this book includes a thorough bibliography with hundreds of interviews, notes, books cited, and an index. A very impressive effort.”—Linda Beck, Library Journal
“A history of music and a history of Missouri, ‘Play Me Something Quick and Devilish’ is a must for music history collections, very much recommended.”—James A. Cox, The Midwest Book Review
“Every so often, a research volume comes along that is so engaging that one forgets its genre. This beautifully organized and eminently enjoyable book covers old-time fiddlers in Missouri – the crossroads of American culture for several centuries.This phenomenally entertaining and glorious volume should grace the library of every musician and historian. Bravo, Professor Marshall!”—Mary McWay Seaman, The Celtic Connection