American Music, Term Paper Example

Music over the course of American history has changed dramatically in every century from the beginning with Native American music, to the influences of Europe from the pilgrims, and their style of worship to the emergence of America finding its own identity with composers, musicians, and music of their own. In the 19^th century music begin to change in America from the forms of church dominated with hymns, psalms, and devotionals to more secular music with concerts, minstrel, opera performances, and other musical changes.

During the progression into the 19^th century, the church was becoming more secularized with the music and teachings of “the father of public school teaching”. (Crawford, pg., 139) In this time, Lowell Mason was taking the standard psalmody and hymnody of the old church and transforming them into a better sound, from the traditional professional choral of the church to congregational singing. In songs like the “Olivet” and “Joy to the World” Lowell begin to change the way sacred music within America was being heard and song. A movement in the south changed the way gospel and church music would be song, spirituals, and ring shouts such as “Jubilee” help the southern revivalism.

Soon America started moving away from relying on the church for music into other forms of entertainment, popular genres throughout the 19^th century shifted towards, opera, vocal and instrumental concerts, musical theater, minstrelsy, and parlor songs. Theater and Opera begin their revivalism as serving as a major break from the focus on the war and the problems within the small cities. The latter half of the 19th century was a time of immense change for the American theater. As the population of America grew in cities across the East Coast and the north, Americans had more leisure time in their home and cities to seek out more forms of entertainment. As the cities grew, more theaters and other venues began to be made for performers to make plays and musicals. (Crawford, pg. 175)

Thousands of new theaters were built, composers such as, P.T Barnum started to take the musical on the road. From his experience with the circus, his ingenious plan was able to seen throughout the United States. “As the man who gave the American public such immortals as General Tom Thumb and the Fat Lady, Barnum applied his skills as a circus producer to the operatic stage and the diva.”(Ticks, Beaudoin, pg. 185) Barnum partnered with Jenny Lind acclaimed soprano singer to bring the opera and musical theater on tour. “P.T Barnum convinced many Americans that a powerful experience lay in store for them: then through Lind’s artistry and his own planning their expectations.”(Crawford, pg. 189) The popularity of the tour was made famous by the crossover effects of Jenny Lind’s rendition of classical favorites, Barnum himself commented, “I also took largely into my estimate of her success with all classes of the American public, her character for extraordinary benevolence and generosity.”(Tick, Beaudoin, 2008)

Soon the trend in music moved towards minstrelsy, with black and white composers. Minstrels were traveling blackface variety shows that played on exaggerated stereotypes through overzealous caricatures, and parodies. “The Minstrel show era presented a fascinating and at the same time fragmental part of American history. The first troupe happened in the early and mid-1800’s, but it was not until later in the 19^th century that Minstrelsy began to catch on and became popular with American audiences. The infused tunes of African folk music, with later them having a bluegrass influence help to open the American audience to a new genre of music and entertainment… Crawford pointed out that it was exceptionally clear, “there is no question that race was fundamental to the minstrel show: taking for granted the superiority of Euro American culture, white minstrels relied on black influenced song, dance, and humor to give their performances vitality.”(Crawford, pg. 197) Started by Thomas “Daddy” Rice who personified the characters of Jim Crow and Zip Coon. The music typically were accompanied by fiddles, banjos, tambourines, and sometimes bones. Stephen Foster popularized this genre with shows with music such as “De Camptown Races” that grew into an American favorite. (Crawford, pg., 213) Soon Black performers began to take over the genre with black minstrel shows. James Bland famous black minstrel, who composed over 700 compositions with favorites, “Carry me Back to Old Virginny”(Crawford, pg. 373) The irony of the black minstrel shows how to combat the characteristics of white minstrel shows, where they reworked the songs bringing forth the real spiritual negro songs. The minstrel period shed light on the African American culture and music that so many northerners were not aware.

The 19^th century also brought the trend of parlor music and music that was usually accompanied by the piano. Louis Moreau Gottschalk was the most acclaimed and performer of America. Born in Louisiana, concert pianist and classical composer that became popularized throughout the United States, and some parts of Europe. “Gottschalk encouraged parlor-music tears with his flashy yet sentimental piano works.”(Ticks, Beaudoin, pg. 195) Throughout his career, he suffered many setbacks and victories as becoming a fan favorite in his respective Louisiana and in Europe. His songs include “The Banjo”, “La Marche”, and “Marche de nuit.”

His music reflected his mixture of creole life were exotic hits infused with Afro-Latin and European qualities. “Nothing was more fundamental to Gottschalk’s artistic vocabulary than the piano’s sound.”(Crawford, pg. 342) His music was heard mostly by doing public and private concerts accompanied by his piano and other instruments for specific songs. He help to popularize the change in formal piano music into popular parlor music. “Gottschalk’s belief in music’s sensuous nature stands behind his work as a composer. From his New York debut in 1853 until early 1857, Gottschalk traveled the United States.”(Crawford, pg. 344)

As the population in America grew their search for entertainment grew as the revival of the American theater, concerts, and other shows filled their choice with engagements for the whole family. The success of public concerts was displayed by the success of traveling composers, and theater shows, such as the minstrel shows, Gottschalk who was popular across the world, and Barnum who introduced the European singer to America. He banked his success on the “multitudes of individuals in America who would be prompted to attend her concerts…” (Ticks, Beaudoin, pg 188) Within Barnum recollection of Jenny Lind’s first night, it was an estimated 20, 000 people that showed up at her hotel, on Broadway, and on the docks as they anticipated her arrival. (Ticks, Beaudoin, pg. 189) Gottschalk accounts of his tours throughout the United States, brought the view of a choosy public that had multiple choices of musicians to choose from, their waning choice in musical likes affected the pay and attendance of some musicians including Gottschalk.

During the 19^th century, the economy was forming for the better of musicians within the market. The more successful musicians and composers would make money from publications, negotiating performing on tours, as Mason, Barnum, Foster, and other performers did. Sheet music was popular, but it was not a tremendous money maker as the sale of music instruments dropped in the 19^th century. (Crawford, pg. 283) The success of the musicians during this period were seen in Barnum’s successful tour of the soprano singer Jenny Lind. “Barnum transformed the admittedly already famous “Swedish Nightingale” into a celebrity accompanied by endorsements, spin-off products, and fabulously successful concerts in American cities.” (Ticks, Beaudoin, 2008, pg. 185) The perils of the period were illustrated by Barnum as he confessed that risked much but gained more. However money was being made for public concerts, and performers around the world. Gottaschalk was hugely successful however when he fell on hard times his popular piano sheet music saved him. “His second homecoming in 1862 reopened old wounds, and lead to this recollection of how this spoiled aristocrat was saved from financial ruin by the unexpected commercial success of his piano compositions.” (Ticks, Beaudoin, pg. 195) Whenever Gottaschalk needed some money while he was in America he would go on tours to do public concerts throughout the United States collecting on upwards of $100, however his audience, and money dwindled as one of his concert were only attended by 17 people. (Ticks, Beaudoin, pg. 197) Wealthy individuals who wanted to hear top performers would pay money for private concerts in their homes or parties. As Gottschalk was summoned to do in Paris in order to make ends meet. His most success however was playing in the Paris Hall, where he composed “Last Hope” one of his most successful compositions. (Ticks, Beaudoin, pg. 198)

Within the 19^th century, Crawford saw the effects of nationalism across America with folklore, flags, and within the music borrowing from past genres into making the music apart of America’s culture. (Crawford, pg., 377) The freedom of slaves in minstrels and African American spirituals help bring forth the African culture and ties to their relationship with America, the hardships of most citizens, and the effects of the war. The practices of American Theater help transform the genres of European influence into America’s own style of music. The plays, concerts, and bands help instill a sense of nationalism with stories and music written specifically with American influences of folk music, practices, and rituals. All these practices and ideas became of what shaped American musical nationalism within the different genres.

References

19th Century. (n.d). W.W Norton & Company. Retrieved from http://books.wwnorton.com/books/courselist.aspx?tid=590&cid=3917&sortparam=SortDate&lastpage=4&currentpage=1

American Music Timeline [AMT] Part One: 1620 – 1818. (n.d) American Music Preservation. Retrieved from http://www.americanmusicpreservation.com/Americanmusictimeline.htm#19thcentury

Crawford, Richard. American Musical Life: A History (2001). W.W. Norton & Company. Inc.

Frisch, Walter. Anthology for Music in the Nineteenth Century. (2012). W.W. Norton & Company Inc.

Music History of the Romantic Era. (n.d) AngelFire. Retrieved from http://www.angelfire.com/music6/thegrimace/

Music Timeline. (n.d) Info Please. Retrieved from http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0151192.html

 Nineteenth-Century Classical Music. (n.d) Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved from http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/amcm/hd_amcm.htm

Pratt, Michael. (2009) A Biography of Lowell Mason: The Father of American Music Education. Music for the Soul. Retrieved from http://michaelpratt.wordpress.com/2009/09/04/a-biography-of-lowell-mason/

Ticks, Judith, Beaudoin, Paul. (2008). Music in the USA: A Documentary Companion. Oxford University Press. New York.