Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Early Folk Music America’s Musical Landscape 6th edition © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights.

1

Part 1: Music in Early North America

Chapter 2: Early Folk Music

America’s Musical Landscape 6th edition

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

2© 2010 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Early Folk Music 2

Early Folk Music Folk Music = Simple songs and instrumental pieces whose

origin has been lost or forgotten Or music composed in an informal style traditional in certain

cultures

Unpretentious, easy to remember and to perform, folk music appeals to inexperienced listeners and sophisticated musicians alike

Folk music of the United States springs from many ethnic and cultural sources English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, German, other European

influences, Africa—especially West Africa



Early Folk Music: Spanish Traditions Spanish traditions date from 1565, when the Spanish founded St.

Augustine, Florida--The oldest European settlement in the United States

Today in the Southwest, Spanish folk songs and and hymns (religious songs) are heard, reflecting origins in seventeenth-century Spain or more recent Mexico

Alabados = Spanish hymns (religious songs of praise) Sung without measure, the rhythm conforming to that of the

words Corridos = Storytelling songs or ballads

Songs relating the unofficial history of Mexican or Mexican-American communities and their heroes

Often informed people of newsworthy events



Listening Example 4

El corrido de Gregorio CortezAnonymousListening guide page 30

Genre: Corrido (norteño ballad)Timbre: Male duet, singing in simple harmony, accompanied by

accordion and guitarMeter: Triple. Notice the oom-pah-pah rhythm of a waltzTexture: Homophonic (chordal)The Texas-Mexican border performance style called norteño often

includes accordion

The story concerns a youngMexican falsely accused of horse stealing. When captured,in self defense he shot and killed the arresting sheriff, whohad fatally wounded the youngman’s brother.



Early Folk Music: British Traditions Early English settlers in the New World brought few musical

instruments with them

Violins and other stringed instruments became available; people played British fiddle tunes and dances from their childhood

Many traditional songs acquired new words and altered melodies reflecting American dialects, New World experience

These folk music traditions survive today in rural and mountain areas, where the style of singing and playing instruments is close to that of seventeenth-century Britain

Lullabies, nonsense songs, work songs, singing games



British Traditions: Folk Ballads Most common of all folk songs are ballads

Ballad = A story told in song

Sung from memory by solo voice, with or without accompaniment

Strophic in form, often with many stanzas

Ballad song texts evolved over long time periods Singers often add, alter, or delete stanzas, lending a

song local or timely relevance, expressing creativity



Listening Example 5Barbara AllenAnonymousListening guide page 32

Form: Strophic, with several four-line stanzasMelody: Based upon a pentatonic scale, which is a five-

note scale within the range of an octave—Barbara Allen uses only the tones of the five black notes of a keyboard

Rhythm: Irregular, but a steady underlying pulse with a general sense of triple meter

A favorite of George Washington,this example of a ballad is sometimes called “Barbry Ellen”or another similar name, and probably originated in Scotland

The story is of the young “SweetWilliam,” who is dying for love of“hard-hearted Barbara Allen,” who of course loves him and isremorseful for having repelledhis advances



Early American Folk Music Early emigrants reflected the

influence of the British broadside…

A topical ballad, printed on a big sheet suitable for display, or in a newspaper

Americans altered traditional ballads to fit their new experiences

Setting original words to old tunes

Broadsides included historical or topical events, moral instruction, political commentary, sometimes satire

John Dickinson’s “Liberty Song”



Early American Folk Music Songs and instrumental music:

Frontier people sang about freedom, equality, danger, beauty of nature

Ballads about the Erie Canal (1825), the California gold rush (1849)

Slaves had their own music Miners, farmers, railroad workers

even outlaws had folk music Lullabies, play party songs Chanteys were sailors’ work songs;

popular in New England

The Pemigewasset CoachPainted by Enoch W. Perry, Jr. (1831-1915)



Listening Example 6ShenandoahAnonymousPerformed by Pete SeegerListening guide page 35

Form: Strophic, with refrain at end of each verseMeter: QuadrupleTempo: SlowAccompaniment: Sparse strumming by guitarThis song originated in the areas of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers,

traveling down the Mississippi to the ocean, where sailors adopted its rolling melody; Shenandoah was an Indian chief living on the Missouri River

Oh Shenandoah, I love your daughter.Wa-ay, you rollin’ river.Oh Shenandoah, I love your daughter,Away, we’re bound away‘Cross the wide Missoura.

Oh Shenandoah, I long to see you.Wa-ay, you rollin’ river.Oh, Shenandoah, I’ll not deceive you.Away, we’re bound away‘Cross the wide Missoura.

For seven years I’ve been a rover.Wa-ay, you rollin’ river.For seven years I’ve been a rover.Away, we’re bound away‘Cross the wide Missoura.



African Traditions Early seventeenth century

The first Africans were forcibly brought to America in European slave ships

Many slaveholders harshly discouraged references to African gods and religions in any traditional song or dance

Slaves in New England, treated with more leniency than southern slaves, would entertain themselves and their masters Singing, dancing, playing musical instruments

The first generation of slaves born in America began to develop their own music, American music rooted in African customs and sounds



African Traditions: Field Hollers Slaves working on plantations

poured all the anguish of their new, tragic experience into field hollers, which were…

Loud, rhythmically flexible, emotionally expressive chants or cries sung by a solitary voice

Some had words but most used neutral syllables, enabling contact with fellow workers over distances

Slaves working in a field



African Traditions: Ring Shouts Another African tradition translated to an African American

experience was the religious shout or ring shout

Performed at religious services or camp meetings

The “shouters” formed a ring and shuffled energetically to the singing of the spiritual, gradually quickening their pace, barely lifting their feet, falling from exhaustion



Listening Example 7Field HollerListening guide page 38

Timbre: Solo male voiceRhythm: Free, flexibleMelody: Simple, narrow, mournful phrase on three tones, repeatedText: Neutral syllables, easy to sing and to hear over distances

The field holler enabled theslaves to establish wordless but heartwarmingcontact with fellow workers who, hearing the poignantcries, could respond with expressive hollers of theirown.



Listening Example 8Father’s Field CallListening guide page 38

Timbre: Solo male voice in falsetto range

Rhythm: Free, flexible

Melody: Begins with upward leap, succeeded by a naturally falling inflection, reminiscent of the familiar “Yoo-hoo”

Text: Wordless

Notice the sound of the highfalsetto range, lying abovethe normal, full, chest voice

Falsetto enhanced the ability to call over longdistances



African Traditions: Work Songs Work Songs accompanied tasks such as rowing, hoeing,

chopping trees

Slaves made up, or improvised work songs

Work songs often set the pace and synchronized movements of forced laborers

Strophic in form

Call-and-response = Leading lines of each verse were sung by a single voice, alternating with a repeated phrase or refrain sung by the group



Listening Example 9Hammer, Ring (excerpt)Performed by Jesse Bradley and

group at State Penitentiary,

Huntsville, Texas, 1934

Listening guide page 39

Form: Strophic, call-and-response

Meter: Duple

Hammer songs accompanied men driving the spikes fastening long steel rails to wooden railroad ties; relentless rhythm, driving energy reinforce and support the regular rhythm of the hammering men

Chorus Won’t you ring, old hammer? Hammer, ring! Won’t you ring, old hammer? Hammer, ring!


African Traditions: Freedom Songs During the first half of the nineteenth century, a movement known

as the Underground Railroad assisted slaves seeking escape to free states, Canada, or elsewhere

A network of abolitionists, religious groups, and other sympathizers provided fleeing individuals transportation, supplies and safe houses along secret routes

A tragically small, yet significant, number of slaves successfully reached freedom

Freedom songs encouraged members of the Underground Railroad and escapees on their perilous mission




African Traditions: Musical Instruments In Africa, drums accompanied work songs, providing two or three

underlying complex rhythmic patterns

Many slaves brought small drums and simple string instruments to America

Slaveholders banned the use of African drums, fearing drums would incite revolt Slaves made percussive instruments from empty oil drums,

metal washbasins, more Slaves clapped, body-slapped, stamped rhythms Rattles or bits of shell or bone enhanced rhythms

Banjos were created by using a hollowed-out gourd or calabash



Listening Example 10No More Auction Block for Me

AnonymousPerformed by Odetta with mixed chorus

Listening guide page 40

Melody: almost identical to a traditional West African song

Texture: Homophonic

Form: Strophic

This haunting freedom song expresses the determination of slaves to escape the humiliation of being sold at auction

This song from the early1800’s inspired two anthemsof the twentieth-century civil rights movement: “We Shall Overcome” and Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” anthems of the civil rightsmovement



What of African Music Survives Today? Today’s African American musics are deeply rooted in African

traditions that arrived in the New World with the first slaves

Call-and-response became a basic characteristic of African American vocal and instrumental music

Improvisation is basic within jazz, and colors much other music

Much African American music is still based on the “bent” or flexible tones of the blues scale, unheard in this country until the first West Africans arrived

The emphasis in African American music on rhythm over melody, and the complexity of African rhythms compared with those of Western (European) music is apparent



Image Credits Slide 8: John Dickinson’s Liberty Song

Public domain

Slide 9: “The Pemigewasset Coach,” painted by Enoch W. Perry Jr., Photograph © Corel

Slide 12: Slaves working in a field, Library of Congress (LC-USZ62-115201)

Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Early Folk Music America’s Musical Landscape 6th edition © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights.

Documents