...Baptiste MWF 2-3p Native American Music: A Root of Contemporary Music Yet Explored What is Native American Music? As our class brainstormed ideas for research, I already knew what topic I wanted to explore. Having been a musician, closely involved with music my entire life, I directed my focus toward Native American music. Before I began to develop any sort of directed, narrowed research questions, I asked myself first, “What is Native American music?” Regarding various definitions of the so-called “genre,” I discovered that Native American music shouldn’t be typified into any genre or defined style of music. It was the perspective toward music that was unique to Native peoples, and this perspective is key in understanding the Native American influence on later creations of music. Definition and Philosophy Native peoples tend to view their music in a distinctly different way from Euro-Americans. To Natives, music is thought; music appeared to be particularly inclusive into Native Americans’ way of life, and is unique in its origin, meaning, and efficacy. To ask “what is Native American music?” would be a question foreign to Native Americans, especially during the time that Native American music was first discovered. One aspect of music specific to indigenous peoples is its place in daily life. In fact, “its place in human affairs are much more significant to Indians than its mode of construction or technical character.” (Native American Music, 1980, p. 12) Unlike the Euro-American...
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...Contents The Blues – Traditions and Inspirations Origin 2 Musical Format Development Classification Influence References Origin Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States around the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads. The blues form, ubiquitous in jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll is characterized by specific chord progressions, of which the twelve-bar blues chord progression is the most common. The blue notes that, for expressive purposes are sung or played flattened or gradually bent (minor 3rd to major 3rd) in relation to the pitch of the major scale, are also an important part of the sound. The origin of the term of was most likely derived from mysticism involving blue indigo, which was used by many West African cultures in death and mourning ceremonies where all the mourner's garments would have been dyed blue to indicate suffering. Blues has evolved from the unaccompanied vocal music and oral traditions of slaves imported from West Africa and rural blacks into a wide variety of styles and subgenres, with regional variations across the United States. The musical forms and styles that are now considered the "blues" as well as modern "country music" arose in the same regions during the 19th century in the southern United States. Recorded...
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...Origin of Blues Blues played an important role in the history of music as it heavily influenced many types of music, particularly jazz and rock. It originated around the 1890’s from the Afro-American slaves’ folk music, work songs and spirituals and was typically performed with one person both playing the guitar and singing. The music consisted of stories of family, struggle, sexuality and rural life. The beginning of the blues-singing period was during the Civil War in America. In 1863, President Lincoln adopted the Emancipation Proclamation into Law, which gave the slaves the freedom not to be bought and sold as slaves, to send their children to school, to be able to live with their families in a house rather than a slave cabin, to attend church and the opportunity to become teachers, preachers, politicians and landowners. This gave them a new attitude towards life. They began to sing openly without concern of white mans punishment, which also allowed them to explore and experiment with white 8 and 16 bar songs. Blues in its early days was a direct decent of African question and answer phrases but now it started to develop when it adopted the 3 line stanza (AAB) then furthermore into 12 bars. Although the blues music was influenced by European music the essential blue chords (I, IV, V) were from American music culture, which was most likely originated from their religious music. In between 1911 – 1914 W.C. Handy made blues popular. He released “Memphis Blues”(1912) and...
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...Annotated Bibliography Books: 1. Awkward, Michael. Soul Covers: Rhythm and Blues Remakes and the Struggle for Artistic Identity : (Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Phoebe Snow). Durham: Duke UP, 2007. Print. a. Soul Covers is an engaging look at how three very different rhythm and blues performers—Aretha Franklin, Al Green, and Phoebe Snow—used cover songs to negotiate questions of artistic, racial, and personal authenticity 2. Bego, Mark. Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul. New York, NY: Skyhorse Pub., 2012. Print. a. Traces the life of Aretha Franklin from deserted child to teenage mother to Grammy winner to inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 3. Bogdanov, Vladimir. All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul. San Francisco, CA: Backbeat, 2003. Print. a. This is a complete guide to the uniquely American world of the blues. The roots of the blues can be found in the turn-of-the-century Mississippi Delta, but today its reach extends into all kinds of music including rock, jazz, country, soul, and more. 4. Brown, Ruth, and Andrew Yule. Miss Rhythm: The Autobiography of Ruth Brown, Rhythm and Blues Legend. New York: D.I. Fine, 1996. Print. a. Tony Award winner Ruth Brown is a rhythm-and-blues revolutionary, a woman whose early successes earned her instant worldwide fame and launched a career that has influenced such legendary performers as Aretha Franklin, Dinah Washington, Little Richard and Stevie Wonder. This candid autobiography offers the true...
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...The interaction between Blues and Jazz can be discerned when the origins of both music are scrutinized. The development of one is hidden in the roots of one another and both use similar sound patterns for instance. In this paper the readers will be presented a brief history of Blues & Jazz within the similarities of the two. If we trace back to the history of Blues music, the impact of African-American tradition is seen quite apparently. Blues music evolved from the songs sung by West African griots, the southern Black American songs of sadness and despair, and more hopeful Christian spirituals. It originated in the rural Mississippi Delta region at the beginning of 20th century. Similarly, Jazz music emerged as a blend of African-American rituals; the features carried from West African Black folk music developed in the Americas, joined with European music of the late 18th and 19th centuries and turned out to be the minor voicing characteristics of the Blues. Jazz emerged in New Orleans and was characterized by strong but flexible rhythms. Blues had its most brilliant years in America by the end of WWI. The American troops brought the Blues home with them, which they learned from the Southern Whites who had been exposed to the blues. After WWII, Blues had a different experience by the well-known Blues musicians as B.B. King and Buddy Guy by “amplifying guitar” and “emphasized drums”; thus created intensified sounds in Blues, the collection of which later called...
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...The History of the Blues * In my Assignment I will be mostly taking about the ways that the blues has influenced culture. So what did the blues influence…? Everything. The blues influenced nearly every genre of music that came after it. Jazz in all of its various styles and flavors. From just a basic 12bars you get everything that you need in order to play great music. It’s not like without the blues we would not have any current music actually it’s a lot like that. The influence of blues can even be seen in the classical music of the later Romantic period as well as in various aspects of Contemporary classical music. Literally every style of music that’s come out in the past eighty or more years has once or a few times borrowed something from the blues. To think the whole world would of changed if there was not the blues, or slavery for that matter. To think we would not even have big band music or loud electric guitars, or a guy going yo yo into a microphone. * When you think of the blues, you think about misfortune, betrayal and regret. You lose your job, you get the blues. Your mate falls out of love with you, you get the blues. Your dog dies, you get the blues. * While blues lyrics often deal with personal adversity, the music itself goes far beyond self-pity. The blues is also about overcoming hard luck, saying what you feel, ridding yourself of frustration, letting your hair down, and simply having fun. The best blues is visceral, cathartic, and starkly...
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...Professor James Smethurst AFROAM 151 December 5, 2012 The History Of Rock and Roll: Copyright Not Included The history of black America is one filled with exploitation and abuse. Time and time again we see the “cultural rape” of the black community. Whether it be style, lingo, or music white culture has been “borrowing” from black culture since the early history of the United States. It is so obvious it almost passes unnoticed. For example the handshake has largely been replaced in youth culture by a dap or a fist pound, both remnant of black culture in the 60’s. Even hello has been replaced with “yo” an interjection made popular in the black vernacular. One cultural phenomena that has been largely covered up as African-American in origin. The history of rock and roll is long and intricate drawing its roots from early American R&B, among other places. While most of the true innovators of rock music have been widely overlooked, white musicians have been profiting greatly off of the innovations made in music by black recording artists, specifically in the arena of rock and roll. It is widely accepted that rock music has its roots in the american blues. The history of the blues dates all the way back to slave plantations. This genre comes specifically from African-American folk music. Julio Finn the author of The Bluesman stated that: [White blues performers] can never be bluespeople...because the blues is not something they live but something they do- which makes...
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...The Memphis Blues: The Role of Beale Street Musicians Memphis contained a variety of cultural influences, due to its “rich delta soil”. This soil helped contribute to the city’s high economic base as a market, travel and exchange center, attracting a highly diverse population. During the early 20th century many of the arriving African American musicians began moving to an area in Memphis known as Beale Street. Beale Street allowed musicians to create soulful and emotionally charged music relating to the struggles they faced involving racism throughout the country (Charlton 9-10). Beale Street musicians such as W.C Handy later helped popularize a form of music throughout Memphis known as “the blues,” which would eventually become a nationwide craze throughout the United States. During the early 20th century Beale street contained the “largest urban black population in the south” (Robertson 4). Thousands of African Americans traveled from all over the U.S to Beale Street for a chance at a better lifestyle (Robertson 4). Beale Street attracted many former slaves to its union territory between the 1860’s and the 1870’s (Williams). With them the music they brought “was a blending of European form (12-bar structure) and African traditions (rhythm), accompanied by narrative lyrics (Conover 10). This synthesis of musical cultures helped to shape the development of the music of Memphis, and aided early musicians in creating a style of music later known as the blues. One important...
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...Blues vs Country music According to Etta James in an interview with American Chronicle: "The Blues and country are first cousins ... What I look for in a song is for the story to be for real. I like a blood and guts kind of thing. That's what you find in the lyrics of country music." Blues and country music both developed in the 19th century in the Southern United States. They share a similar history. For this reason, they share many of the same musical and lyrical characteristics. Read more: How to Compare Blues & Country Music | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5888119_compare-blues-country-music.htInstructions 1. * 1 Learn the history behind blues and country music. They are both forms of American folk music influenced by earlier styles brought overseas. Blues music grew out of field hollers and chants sung by African slaves. Irish and Scottish balladeers borrowed the guitar and banjo of blues and thus created "country". According to Reebee Garofalo in "Rockin' Out: Popular Music in the USA", "Terms like country and blues are only used to separate the same kind of music made by blacks and whites ... designations like race and hillbilly intentionally separated artists along racial lines and conveyed the impression that their music came from mutually exclusive sources." Country is an offshoot of blues. They are essentially the same thing. In the PBS special, "Rhythm, Country and Blues," country is referred to as "white man's blues." * 2 Listen to...
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...Shakespeare once wrote, “if music be the food of love, play on”. Hundreds of years later, music continues to be a influential part of society. Although music affects the lives of many, culture is the largest influencer of music itself. As wars are fought and history is made, music continues to allow the majority and minority voice to be heard. The progression of cultural viewpoints in America created many musical compositions expressing varying opinions of their respective era. During a time of impending war, patriotism was at an all time high, but an underlying tone of unrest among civilians became prominent as well. Much of the early 20th century was structured around the first World War. While they attempted to boost morale both on the frontlines and at home, songs like “You’re a Grand Old Flag” began to spread across the country (Cohan, “You’re a Grand Old Flag” 1906 http://www.loc.gov/teachers/lyrical/songs/old_flag.html ). With catchy lyrics claiming “every heart beats true for the red, white, and blue,” people began to feel pride and supported any endeavors to protect their flag’s reputation. And while many people fell into this norm of patriotism and hoo-rah mentality, many began to fear the havoc the war could bring. This was evident in songs like “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to be a Soldier,” a ballad where a mother expresses her concern and uneasiness at the thought of her son at war (Bryan, Piantadosi, “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to be a Soldier” 1915 https://www.archeophone...
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... They have their own unique history that differs from people of different skin colors who moved to the North American continent. Black Americans were originally from Africa and brought to the North American continent as slaves. The most prominent distinctive factor is their dark skin color. In 2015 the black population in America was 46.3 million people, which is about 14.4 percent of the U.S. population. As stated earlier, they originated from Africa and were transported to North America as slaves. They were freed from that lifestyle with the help of the emancipation proclamation that was made in 1862. Since they were separate for a long time, they developed their own cultural traditions,...
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...Country music was starting from twenty century; it became main voice of lower and middle class people in America that was affected by the original culture . Jimmy Rodgers (1879-1933) was regarded as the father of the country music, who was a singer, composer and guitarist. When he was youth, after won a singing competition, he started traveling shows even his father was brought him home more than once . Then he eventually worked on a railroad like his father before he got tuberculosis, which made him giving up this work3. He was enthusiastic about country music; such as even he was suffering from the diseases during the last month, he still insisted on recording song, in total, 110 songs was released by him. He eventually died in19334. Jimmy Rodgers was a legend that has preponderant influence on the history of country music. Based on his experience of travelling show, he mixed a certainly number of different music style together, especially between rural and city folks5. Moreover, blues and yodels were also be incorporated will his music style. Additionally, his experience made him sang with his true emotion, it makes him become a sentimental balladeer to others6....
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...Age incorporated more than just jazz, with blues booming, ballads and ragtime filling the air, and show tunes enrapturing audiences on and off the stage, the 1920s were alive with all kinds of music. The 1920s brought significant changes to music in America with new musicians, styles, and innovations, all of which would influence music around the world for years to come. Jazz music was a significant source of music in the 1920s, a style which originated in New Orleans and had spread throughout the country by the 1920s. Large cities such as Chicago, and New York City become epicenters for jazz music. People of all backgrounds embraced the music which would become synonymous with the time period becoming known as the Jazz Age, named by author F. Scott Fitzgerald (Bruccoli ix). Jazz music was characterized mainly by syncopation and improvisation along with techniques to alter the sound of instruments such as mutes and slides, and the overall swing feel of the music (Tyle). An abundance of jazz musicians became well known for their various techniques, styles, and the instruments they played. Louis Armstrong was one of the most influential jazz Bellingeri 2 musicians of the 1920s. Hailing from New Orleans, the hub of jazz music, he would become a legacy for the Jazz Age with his trumpet and voice bringing jazz to life. Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke was another great trumpeter and jazz musician of the 1920s. He never learned to read music, but rather played by ear. Willy “The Lion”...
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...In Tracey Sherard’s 1998 analysis, “Sonny's Bebop: Baldwin's ‘Blues Text’ as Intracultural Critique,” which covers James Baldwin’s 1957 intuitive short story, “Sonny’s Blues,” she conveys that Baldwin created the title to be questioned for its connection to jazz or more specifically Bebop, so Baldwin’s intent of broadcasting African American struggles throughout history can be conveyed through a pair of brothers connected by this music, which acts as a medium for his ultimate message. The author portrays his story of the two brothers where, through music, they eventually accept their living conditions and overcome the emotional barriers that were placed on them due to not only their African American history, but also the conditions they were...
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...The Influence and Legacy Of The Rolling Stones And The Beatles By: Greg Johnston The history of rock and roll music has had many influential and popular bands. Back in the early days when rock and roll music was searching for an identity, along came two unique bands that would change the face of rock and roll music. The Rolling Stones and The Beatles had a uniqueness that was not found in other bands at the time, by fusing blues and rock music into a new sound. With their contrasting style of music and each band having a huge following, they changed the landscape of the music industry forever. And that started the debate of which one was a better band, but this is not a debate on which band was better, but a discussion on their influence, similarities and their differences. The Rolling Stones when they first started, in an effort to set them apart they were marketed as a wilder and crazier band, with a raunchy and rebellious appearance. Compared to The Beatles and their boy next door image. The Rolling Stones influenced music by covering obscure blues songs and by acting as a bridge connecting the pop youth of the day with blues music developing a different style of rhythm and blues music. The Beatles had such an impact on popular music that they set a new standard, and gave a new popularity to rock and roll music while also giving a new sound to the music industry. Both of these iconic rock and roll bands originated in England in the 1960’s. First came The...
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