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American Composers & Songwriters
Overview:
Join Active Minds as we delve into the rich world of American music of the last century. We’ll discuss the roots of concert and pop music, from Broadway to salon music, jazz, dance, movie soundtracks, and more. We’ll examine American influences from different countries and vice-versa as we attempt to determine if there really is such a thing as “American Music.” We’ll spotlight famous American composers and songwriters and discuss the impact of radio and the recording industry. No previous knowledge required…just a love of great music and a sense of fun.
Key Lecture Points:
• American music reflects the country itself, in that it is a melting pot of ethnic, cultural and religious influences.
• Modeled after hymns and folk tales set to music, the first truly American sound was in response to the Revolutionary and Civil Wars and the westward expansion. Songs such as “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” “Oh, Suzanna,” “Yankee Doodle” and “Dixie,” became anthems for the new America.
• In the mid-19th Century, Stephen Foster formally defined America’s music by introducing audiences to folk music influences—particularly African-American—in his music via the live stage and minstrel shows. His songs include: "Oh! Susanna", "Camptown Races", "Old Folks at Home" ("Swanee River"), "My Old Kentucky Home" and "Beautiful Dreamer."
• Beginning in the 19th Century, during the Romantic Era, a widespread feeling of Nationalism played a role in composers’ desire to create a decidedly “national” sound in orchestral music. Young American composers went to Europe to expand their talents and returned to begin superior schools of music. In brash contradiction to conventions, established European rules of composition were discarded.
• The Second New England School is a group of six composers who wrote before and during the turn of the 20th Century in and around Boston, which was an emerging musical center during the Gilded Age. Composers in this group are viewed by musicologists as pivotal in the development of an American classical idiom that stands apart from its European ancestors.
• From 1892 to 1895 Czech composer Antonin Dvorak lived in the U.S. with his main goal to discover “American Music” and engage in it as he had with Czech music. He supported the concept that African-American and Native American music should be used as a foundation for the growth of American music. With this mindset, he composed his symphony “From the New World,” serving notice to Europe of America’s musical legitimacy.
• New and distinctly American idioms matured in the years surrounding the 1920s such as: Ragtime, Blues, Musical Comedy, Jazz, Big Band, Swing, Pop Music, and Gospel. When combined with Latin American rhythms and unconventional instruments such as banjo, trombone and saxophone, America’s music was even more defined.
• By the end of the 1920s, Americans could hear their favorite tunes repeatedly by way of the magic of recorded music, regular radio broadcasts and in 1927 talking movies. Knowledge of songwriter/composers such as Gershwin, Berlin, Cohan, Herbert, Porter and Ellington became commonplace.
• Many major American cities supported symphony orchestras as conservatories sprang up that supplied musicians. Symphonic composers such as Ferdie Grofe, Virgil Thompson depicted America in music via film and concert music. American film music rose to the top of the idiom as Hollywood led the way. Several native and immigrant film composers kept symphonic traditions alive.
Exploration Questions:
• How many collaborators did Gershwin have for his 1924 premier of “Rhapsody in Blue”?
• How old was George M. Cohan when he made his stage debut?
• Who recorded the first million-seller record in the U.S.?
Reflective Questions:
• What is the first old American song you ever learned?
• Do you remember your first record? What was it?
• If you had to describe “American” music what adjectives would you use?
More to Explore:
• American Popular Music Before 1900: http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu
• History of American Popular Songs: http://historymatters.gmu.edu
• History of Jazz: www.pbs.org
Books For Further Reading:
• Chase, Gilbert. America’s Music: From the Pilgrims to the Present. University of Illinois Press; 1987
712 pages. This extensive work combines flawless research, rare pictures and an understanding of historical context to portray America’s vast musical influences over the centuries. Chase is a master in combining parallel insights into formal and vernacular traditions—it is the seminal work of his long, illustrious career. An award-winning book that is indispensible for historians, music teachers and laymen as well…it contains an exhaustive bibliography and excellent discography. Click here to order.
• Crawford, Richar. America's Musical Life: A History. W. W. Norton, 2005
992 pages. In this ambitious, comprehensive history, Crawford speaks with equal authority on colonial psalmody and ragtime, minstrelsy and Gilded Age classical, and in an effort to highlight forgotten history, sketches biographies of influential individuals and the movements in which they participated. This definitive history of music in the U.S. is sure to delight music aficionados and history buffs alike, and is a must for anyone interested in what music has meant to America and what America has meant to music. Click here to order.
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