“Like a Cry from the Heart”: An Insider’s View of the Genesis of Alan Lomax’s Ideas and the Legacy of His Research: Part I

Abstract

Abstract Abstract. This article takes us on a journey into the origins of Cantometrics and other interdisciplinary studies of expressive style undertaken by Alan Lomax (1915–2002) in collaboration with Conrad Arensberg (1910–97), Victor Grauer, Forrestine Paulay, Edith Trager, Norman Markel, and others. Using archival sources, it traces their theoretical development, influences, methodologies, and outcomes as accretions of knowledge, observation, and converging streams of thought. It documents the trail of Lomax’s discourse with a wide range of authorities and collaborators. I render a candidly critical portrait of Lomax (my father) in relation to his work, collaborations, and rhetorical style.