1. Music in Early North America
America’s Musical Landscape th edition
PowerPoint by Myra Lewinter Malamut
Georgian Court University
Part 1:
Music in Early North America
Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

2. Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods
Late 1720s: Public concerts began to be performed in some of the larger American cities
Simple and popular pieces were performed
Consisted of marches, dance tunes, program music, folk songs, popular songs from contemporary theater
Program music– Instrumental pieces purporting to imitate sounds of nature or to “tell” a story
Programmatic battle pieces, imitating the sounds of a battle, were popular
Yet for most of the eighteenth century, Americans showed little interest in formal concert music
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

3. Music in Everyday Experience
American music included
home music
work music
music for entertainment
music for dancing
In rural areas work activities were social gatherings with singing, music, dancing
barn raisings
maple sugaring
corn husking
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

4. Music in Everyday Experience: New Orleans
New Orleans music must have been rich and varied due to the cultural diversity of its inhabitants
African
Native American
Caribbean
French
Spanish
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

5. Music in Everyday Experience: Sheet Music and Instruments
Late 1700s: Music publishing was an important business
Sheet music for amateur musicians was popular
Simple vocal and piano pieces were called “household music”
More Americans had violins, guitars, oboes, flutes, keyboard instruments including
Harpsichords
Virginals—Small and often elaborately decorated
Fortepianos—The predecessor of the piano, but smaller and more delicate; produced varied dynamics as its name implies
Children and young women learned music by taking lessons from immigrant professional musicians
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

6. Music in Everyday Experience: The Contributions of Servants
Talented African American and white servants were hired and expected to play music
African Americans sometimes supplied music for
Social dancing
Dancing schools
Taverns
Formal balls
The favored instrument to accompany dancing was the fiddle—Smaller and lighter than today’s violin, with a louder and more vibrant sound
Fiddles: Used for the barnyard or ballroom
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

7. Music in Everyday Experience: Prestigious Musical Amateurs
American amateurs became increasingly active
Many joined musical societies in larger cities
Musical societies presented instrumental or choral music mostly written by European composers
Professional foreign musicians
often joined with the amateur
performers for their concerts which lasted three or more hours
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

8. Music in Everyday Experience: Prestigious Musical Amateurs
The first performances in America of important European symphonic and choral works were given by Moravian musicians
whose music and performances were of the highest quality
who were amateurs only in the sense that they composed and performed for enjoyment, not for money
who attracted audiences from long distances
including Benjamin Franklin and George Washington
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

9. Prestigious Musical Amateurs: Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
Jefferson was an amateur violinist who participated enthusiastically in music activities and
believed that the arts were meaningful only as they bore relevance to everyday life; i.e., must be practical to be worthwhile (a common belief of early Americans)
Jefferson believed the musical arts to be an essential part of the human experience
Jefferson enjoyed playing duets with Patrick Henry
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

10. Prestigious Musical Amateurs: Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Franklin played guitar, harp, and his popular invention, the armonica or glass harmonica; wrote verses for favorite tunes
He warned Americans not to cultivate taste for the arts before they could
produce arts with European quality
Considered the arts as appropriate at times in America
Thought that the American music scene was inferior to music in Europe
The glass harmonica
consisted of a series of
hollow, hemispheric glass
bowls or bells, each with a
short neck. The glasses
are mounted on a horizontal spindle, each fitted inside the next largest with a finger width of brim exposed on which to play. The performer
keeps the spindle turning
through a trough of water by working a pedal, producing a delicate sound by rubbing the wet rims of the glasses with the fingers.
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

11. Prestigious Musical Amateurs: Songs in Early America
The first secular songs published in America were by Europeans, many from England, and usually were associated with theater
But while the singing school masters wrote religious songs to teach students, other amateur Americans began to write secular music
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

12. Prestigious Musical Amateurs: Francis Hopkinson (1737-1791)
Francis Hopkinson, first secretary of the Navy, signer of the Declaration of Independence, was the first American to write art songs
An art song is intended for concert or recital performance
The song text is a high quality poem by a known poet
The expressive music is to enhance the poem’s meaning
Performed in original language so as not to mar translations
American art songs were suitable for amateur musicians
Hopkinson’s art songs were European in style
But his songs had texts often based upon American subjects
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

13. Music in Everyday Experience: Professional Composers
Talented and accomplished European musicians who immigrated to the United States enriched the American concert experience before and after the turn of the nineteenth century, including
Benjamin Carr
Alexander Reinagle
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

14. Professional Composers: Benjamin Carr (1768-1831)
Singer
Conductor
Pianist and organist
Music publisher
Music store owner
Carr arrived in Philadelphia from England after the Revolution
One of the first to be active in the music business in the US
Made lasting contributions to music performance, business, and appreciation in North America
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

15. Professional Composers: Alexander Reinagle (1756-1809)
Raised in Edinburgh by an Austrian father and Scottish mother, Carr taught music in New York City before settling in Philadelphia as director of a theater company and director of a concert series
Composed the Philadelphia Sonatas
A set of piano pieces that includes the three movement
Sonata II in E, the third example of which is Listening Example 16
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

16. Examples of Rondo Form:
Terms:
Sonata: A large musical form for one or more solo instruments, consisting of several movements
Rondo: The opening melodic material (A) returns to alternate with the other material (B, C, etc.)
The return of A lends balance and unity
Contrasting sections add interest
The mood is typically bright, with fast tempo
Examples of Rondo Form:
A B A C A
A B A B A B A
A B A C A D A
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

17. Listening Example 16 Sonata II in E third movement
This sonata is for the
pianoforte, an early piano,
smaller and lighter than
the modern grand piano
“Sonata II in E” has three
movements
Notice the Alberti bass,
the broken-chord pattern
in the left hand; i.e., one
note of the chord is
played at a time
Listening Example 16
Sonata II in E
third movement
By Alexander Reinagle
Listening Guide page 72
Form:
Modified rondo with longer and complex contrasting sections
Tempo: Allegro
Meter: Duple
Key: E Major (the uppercase “E” in the title is indicative of a major key)
A B A C A D A
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

18. Early American Theater
Musical theater became popular in some areas during the 1730s
European professional musicians performed in concert halls and theaters
Theatrical performances made these musician/composers’ music popular and provided them with a living
These professionals provided performance and educational opportunities previously denied colonial Americans
Early centers of theatrical music activity included
Charleston, North Carolina
Williamsburg, Virginia
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

19. Early American Theater During Wartime
1778: Continental Congress decreed that “frequenting Play Houses and theatrical entertainments has a fatal tendency to divert the minds of people from a due attention to the means necessary for the defense of their country and preservation of their liberties”
Congress banned all theatrical performances at that time
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

20. Early American Theater: After the American Revolution
1786: The ban on theatrical performances was lifted
1787: The first national copyright act
Protected printed materials including music for fourteen years with the possibility of renewal for another fourteen
This law encouraged foreign (mostly British) musicians to come to America, where they
Performed onstage and in orchestra pits
Taught music to aspiring amateurs
Composed many pieces, including America’s first popular songs
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

21. Early American Musical Theater Grew in Popularity…
As interest in music and the theater moved north to New York and then Philadelphia
Philadelphia dominated the music scene
Theater patrons included
George Washington
Overruled the Quakers’ disapproval of theater
Declared that theater elevated one’s manners
Yet audiences in cheaper seats (called the gallery) were rowdy, yelling at performers, demanding favorite songs, vocally criticizing the performance, tossing bottles and fruit onstage and into the pit
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

22. Early American Musical Theater Offered a Potpourri of Entertainment
Performances, often four to five hours, included
A main drama
Plus a shorter, lighter, often comic piece
Music was added even into nonmusical plays
Musical entertainment occurred between the dramatic pieces and after the comedy
A march played at the end as the audience left to attend a nearby dance
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

23. Early American Musical Theater: Popular Types of Entertainment
Eighteenth-century English plays were adapted for American taste
Shorter and lighter than contemporary European works, they included more comedy
Ballad opera was the most popular type of performance
A simple unsophisticated musical play
Spoken dialogue replaced recitative (sung speech) of opera
Popular songs of the day appeared throughout the show
The first ballad opera (1728 in England) to become popular in America was John Gay’s Beggar’s Opera
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

24. Early American Musical Theater: Composers in America
1781: A short musical play credited to Francis Hopkinson may have been America’s earliest original musical theater work
But Hopkinson probably just set new words to existing music
Foreign professionals, such as Alexander Reinagle, dominated the American popular music stage, significantly affecting the development of music in America
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

25. Early American Bands
1777: Washington issued an order requiring military music be provided to American troops
The first American military bands were established at that time
Consisted of drums and small flutes called fifes
Called fife and drum corps
Many of the members were African American
These bands had uses including announcing
Beginning and end of the day
Mealtimes and activities
Commands on the battlefield that could not otherwise be heard over musket fire
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

26. Early Military Bands: History
Colonial military bands began to develop to be like European bands
1792: American laws standardized the formation of American military bands to resemble European models
Included woodwinds, brass and percussion
1798: President John Adams signed into law the creation of the United States Marine Corps
Included thirty-two drummers and fifers, drum major, fife major
Added later: Two horns, two clarinets, bassoon, bass drum
1801: This band performed for Jefferson’s inauguration
1830: Brass instruments became significant members of military bands due to improvements to these instruments (valves added)
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

27. Early Bands: New Orleans
Eighteenth-century New Orleans had its own strong musical heritage
Military bands played a prominent role
Black musicians, slave and free, provided music for balls and parades
Blacks dominated the transition of the military funeral parade to a civic custom
First Battalion of Free Men of Color’s band included people identified as Creole-of-Color = Partly European, active in French-dominated city culture
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

28. Listening Example 17 Yankee Doodle Anonymous Listening guide page 75
“Yankee Doodle” was a
favorite tune played by
American military bands to
entertain the public
First appearing in print in
1792, the British first sang
the song to make fun of
the Yankees, who later
adopted it as their own,
adding countless verses
of text
Yankee Doodle
Anonymous
Listening guide page 75
Tune: Origin of tune and meaning of title are unknown
Meter: Duple
Form: Strophic
Hear the high-pitched fifes carry the tune, while drums mark the rhythm with distinctive beats and rolls
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

29. Part 1 Summary
The earliest North American music was that of American Indians
Ritual, dance, ceremony, work
Most consists of songs sometimes accompanied with percussion instruments
Drums, rattles, rasps, flute
Contemporary Native American music reflects traditions and new styles, some borrowed
Even the new songs remain a potent source of power in American Indian culture
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

30. Part 1 Summary: Beginning in the Sixteenth Century
Europeans came to settle in the New World
Native Americans in Florida and Southwest missions learned Roman Catholic music and European secular music
German and English speaking Protestants established permanent settlements in America
Brought hymns, psalm tunes, folk and other secular music
The first book printed in America was a psalter, the Bay Psalm Book
Slaves sang work songs and other songs of African custom
European Americans sang ballads and played fiddle tunes
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

31. Part 1 Summary: Singing Schools
Early efforts to improve singing in New England’s churches led to the forming of singing schools
Singing school masters composed their own tunes
Singing school masters became the members of The First New England School of Composers
Their music was uniquely American
William Billings, Daniel Read, and others composed
Psalm tunes, hymns, fuging tunes, patriotic songs for singing school, church, home
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

32. Part 1 Summary: Eighteenth Century Secular Music
Americans’ musical tastes became more secular and varied
Music supplied entertainment at home, at concerts, and theater
People learned to play instruments and sing
Musical societies formed to perform instrumental and choral music
Amateurs performed in recitals and composed songs and keyboard music
Moravians composed music of unprecedented complexity and quality among other early American compositions
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

33. Part 1 Summary Concluded
Public concerts and musical theater had become a popular form of entertainment by the middle of the eighteenth century
European musicians were involved with early American theater
European musicians adapted popular European plays and ballad operas to suit the less sophisticated American taste
Band music became increasingly popular
Fife and drum corps, as well as military bands
Played public concerts
Performed military functions
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods

34. Image Credits
Slide 3: “Music is Contagious,” painted by William Sidney Mount ( ) ©COREL
Slide 7: “Eighteenth-century chamber music concert” ©CORBIS
Slide 27: “Taylor, the Drummer Boy of the 78th United States Colored Infantry Regiment, Poses Proudly With His Drum” ©CORBIS
Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 4: Secular Music in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal Periods