LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- Music historians often stress European influences on American composers.

Now, Dr. Jack Sullivan, professor of English and chair of the American studies department at Rider University, shows for the first time the profound influence of American literature, music, and mythology on European music in his book, New World Symphonies: How American Culture Changed European Music.

Yale University Press will publish the book in mid-April. To celebrate the new book and to be a part of Rider's annual University Day activities, there will be an author's book signing on Tuesday, April 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the University Store.

Advance acclaim for the book comes from various sources. Publisher's Weekly noted, "Sullivan opines that the influence of America on the Old World was more profound than vice versa, and this assertion makes his book different from the usual Euro-originated views of the phenomenon."

Dr. Perry Meisel of New York University's English department wrote, "A fascinating account of a subject whose importance can no longer be ignored. Sullivan writes with extraordinary insight about the influences of Broadway and Hollywood on classical music and, most impressively of all, about the influence of jazz. This is a decisive book."

A frequent reviewer for The New York Times, Washington Post, and American Record Guide, Sullivan argues that for more than a century European composers have been fascinated by the culture and landscape of the United States.

He explores the effects on European music of American authors such as Twain, DuBois, Melville, and Langston Hughes. In particular, he examines Dvorak's fascination with Longfellow, the obsession of Debussy and Ravel with Poe, and the inspiration Whitman provided for Holst, Vaughan and others.

In addition, Sullivan discusses the African-American musical influence on Europe, beginning with spirituals and culminating in the impact of jazz on Stravinsky, Bartok, Walton, and others. He also considers the power of the American landscape -- from the remoteness of the prairie to the energy of the American city.

Sullivan writes in his book, "Because America is a nation of immigrants, Europe's discovery of the New World, in music as in anything else, is really a rediscovery of itself in mysterious, half-recognizable forms."

A member of Rider's English faculty since 1983 and American studies chair since 1991, Sullivan is editor of the books, Words on Music and The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural. He is author of Elegant Nightmares: The English Ghost Story from Le Fanu to Blackwood. He also has served as annotator for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

He holds a B.A. from Furman University and a M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University. He has also taught at Columbia, New York University, Hofstra University, Brooklyn College, the United Nations School, and the New School for Social Research.