🎵Music in American Culture Unit 4 – 19th Century American Music

Historical Context

• 19th century America marked by rapid westward expansion (Louisiana Purchase, Manifest Destiny) led to increased cultural exchange and diversity
• Industrial Revolution brought advancements in transportation (railroads, steamboats) and manufacturing, spurring economic growth and urbanization
• Immigration from Europe and migration of African Americans from the South to the North contributed to the development of new musical styles and traditions
• American Civil War (1861-1865) had a profound impact on the nation's social, political, and cultural landscape, including music
• Reconstruction era (1865-1877) saw the rise of African American musical forms (spirituals, blues) as expressions of freedom and resilience
• Growth of the middle class and increased leisure time fostered a demand for entertainment and popular music

Key Musical Genres

• Spirituals: religious folk songs created by enslaved African Americans, often featuring call-and-response patterns and improvisation
  • Served as a form of communication, expression, and resistance
  • Influenced later genres like blues, gospel, and jazz
• Minstrelsy: popular form of entertainment featuring white performers in blackface portraying caricatures of African Americans
  • Popularized songs like "Jump Jim Crow" and "Dixie"
  • Reflected and reinforced racial stereotypes and discrimination
• Parlor music: sentimental songs performed in middle-class homes, often featuring piano accompaniment
  • Promoted Victorian ideals of domesticity and moral uplift
  • Examples include works by Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna," "Beautiful Dreamer")
• Brass bands: ensembles featuring brass and percussion instruments, popular in military and civilian contexts
  • Performed marches, patriotic tunes, and dance music
  • Sousa's band gained international fame in the late 19th century
• Ragtime: syncopated piano music that emerged in African American communities, blending European and African musical elements
  • Characterized by a steady bass line in the left hand and syncopated melodies in the right hand
  • Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" (1899) became a national sensation

Influential Composers and Performers

• Stephen Foster (1826-1864): known as the "father of American music," composed popular songs like "Oh! Susanna" and "Camptown Races"
• Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-1869): Creole composer and pianist who incorporated Latin American and Caribbean rhythms into his works
• John Philip Sousa (1854-1932): composer and conductor known as the "March King," led the U.S. Marine Band and composed patriotic marches like "The Stars and Stripes Forever"
• Scott Joplin (1868-1917): African American composer and pianist, known as the "King of Ragtime," composed "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer"
• Bessie Smith (1894-1937): influential African American blues singer, known as the "Empress of the Blues," recorded hits like "Downhearted Blues" and "St. Louis Blues"

Technological Advancements

• Invention of the phonograph by Thomas Edison in 1877 allowed for the recording and distribution of music
  • Enabled the growth of the music industry and the rise of popular music
  • Made music more accessible to a wider audience
• Improvements in printing technology led to the mass production of sheet music
  • Allowed for the dissemination of popular songs and compositions
  • Fostered a culture of home music-making and amateur performance
• Development of new musical instruments, such as the saxophone (patented by Adolphe Sax in 1846)
  • Expanded the tonal palette and expressive possibilities of ensembles and composers
  • Became a key instrument in jazz and other genres in the 20th century

Social and Cultural Impacts

• Music served as a form of social commentary and political activism
  • Abolitionist songs like "No More Auction Block" protested slavery and promoted emancipation
  • Labor songs like "John Henry" and "The Ballad of Casey Jones" reflected the experiences of working-class Americans
• Minstrelsy and other forms of popular entertainment reinforced racial stereotypes and discrimination
  • Perpetuated negative images of African Americans as lazy, ignorant, and inferior
  • Contributed to the marginalization and oppression of African Americans in American society
• Music played a role in shaping national identity and fostering a sense of unity
  • Patriotic songs like "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "America the Beautiful" celebrated American values and ideals
  • The rise of community singing and the Chautauqua movement promoted moral uplift and social reform

Regional Variations

• African American musical traditions varied by region, reflecting different cultural influences and historical experiences
  • Spirituals and work songs were more prevalent in the South, where slavery was most entrenched
  • Blues and ragtime emerged in the Mississippi Delta and Midwest, respectively, as expressions of African American life in the post-Civil War era
• Folk music traditions reflected the cultural diversity of different regions and ethnic groups
  • Appalachian folk music blended British Isles ballads with African American and Native American influences
  • Cajun and zydeco music emerged in Louisiana, reflecting the state's French and African heritage
  • Tejano music developed in Texas and the Southwest, blending Mexican and European influences

Legacy and Influence on Later Music

• Spirituals and work songs laid the foundation for blues, gospel, and jazz in the early 20th century
  • Blues artists like Bessie Smith and Robert Johnson drew on the themes and musical elements of earlier African American folk traditions
  • Gospel music, as popularized by Thomas A. Dorsey and Mahalia Jackson, grew out of the spiritual tradition
• Ragtime influenced the development of jazz and other popular music genres
  • Jazz pioneers like Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong incorporated ragtime's syncopated rhythms and improvisational spirit into their music
  • Tin Pan Alley songwriters like Irving Berlin and George Gershwin drew on ragtime's musical vocabulary in their compositions
• Minstrelsy's influence could be seen in vaudeville, musical theater, and early film
  • Blackface performances and racial stereotypes persisted in American popular culture well into the 20th century
  • The legacy of minstrelsy continues to shape discussions around race, representation, and cultural appropriation in American music

Notable Works and Performances

• "Dixie" (1859) by Daniel Decatur Emmett, became an anthem of the Confederacy during the Civil War
• "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" (1862), a spiritual composed by Wallis Willis, became a staple of African American religious and cultural life
• "Maple Leaf Rag" (1899) by Scott Joplin, helped popularize ragtime and established Joplin as a leading composer of the genre
• "The Stars and Stripes Forever" (1896) by John Philip Sousa, became a patriotic standard and is the official national march of the United States
• Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" (1893), incorporated African American and Native American musical elements, reflecting the composer's interest in American folk traditions