Kendra Preston Leonard is the author of The Conservatoire Américain: A History (Scarecrow Press, 2007) and Shakespeare, Madness, and Music: Scoring Insanity in Cinematic Adaptations (Scarecrow Press, 2009).

Anyone familiar with the cult television favorites created by writer Joss Whedon knows how important music is in his shows. The essays in this collection focus entirely on the music in Whedon’s television shows and web musical, analyzing the way music complements and enhances the narrative. Jacqueline Bach traces out various musical arcs over the course of Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s run, such as the way the music of Sarah McLachlan is used to reflect Buffy’s complex feelings about her friends and her relation to them in several pivotal instances. Elizabeth A. Clendinning’s chapter centers on the vampire Spike, revealing how, even though he was first introduced as a villain in Buffy, Spike’s musical knowledge and references link him much more closely with humanity than the other nemeses on the show. Stanley C. Pelkey’s essay explores the music of Whedon’s futuristic space western Firefly, which blends exotic Asian music with folk-country music meant to represent the characters’ personalities and stations in life. For the many fans devoted to Whedon’s work, this will be an enlightening read.

Kendra Preston Leonard is the author of The Conservatoire Américain: A History (Scarecrow Press, 2007) and Shakespeare, Madness, and Music: Scoring Insanity in Cinematic Adaptations (Scarecrow Press, 2009).

Anyone familiar with the cult television favorites created by writer Joss Whedon knows how important music is in his shows. The essays in this collection focus entirely on the music in Whedon’s television shows and web musical, analyzing the way music complements and enhances the narrative. Jacqueline Bach traces out various musical arcs over the course of Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s run, such as the way the music of Sarah McLachlan is used to reflect Buffy’s complex feelings about her friends and her relation to them in several pivotal instances. Elizabeth A. Clendinning’s chapter centers on the vampire Spike, revealing how, even though he was first introduced as a villain in Buffy, Spike’s musical knowledge and references link him much more closely with humanity than the other nemeses on the show. Stanley C. Pelkey’s essay explores the music of Whedon’s futuristic space western Firefly, which blends exotic Asian music with folk-country music meant to represent the characters’ personalities and stations in life. For the many fans devoted to Whedon’s work, this will be an enlightening read.

Kendra Preston Leonard is the author of The Conservatoire Américain: A History (Scarecrow Press, 2007) and Shakespeare, Madness, and Music: Scoring Insanity in Cinematic Adaptations (Scarecrow Press, 2009).

Anyone familiar with the cult television favorites created by writer Joss Whedon knows how important music is in his shows. The essays in this collection focus entirely on the music in Whedon’s television shows and web musical, analyzing the way music complements and enhances the narrative. Jacqueline Bach traces out various musical arcs over the course of Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s run, such as the way the music of Sarah McLachlan is used to reflect Buffy’s complex feelings about her friends and her relation to them in several pivotal instances. Elizabeth A. Clendinning’s chapter centers on the vampire Spike, revealing how, even though he was first introduced as a villain in Buffy, Spike’s musical knowledge and references link him much more closely with humanity than the other nemeses on the show. Stanley C. Pelkey’s essay explores the music of Whedon’s futuristic space western Firefly, which blends exotic Asian music with folk-country music meant to represent the characters’ personalities and stations in life. For the many fans devoted to Whedon’s work, this will be an enlightening read.