Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music America’s Musical Landscape 5th edition PowerPoint by Myra Lewinter Malamut Georgian Court University Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

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

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 dances, and hymns (religious songs) are heard reflecting origins in seventeenth-century Spain or more recent Mexico Alabado = A Spanish hymn A religious song of praise Part of a thriving Spanish and Mexican folk tradition that survives in the American Southwest Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music

Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music Listening Example 4 Unlike the stately cotillion, performed by formally dressed dancers in elegant settings, the lively cutilio is the last of a set of square dances popularly danced in New Mexico through the nineteenth century. The dance posed a challenge to dancers to keep up with its fast tempo and complex steps. El Cutilio Anonymous Listening guide page 35 Instrument: Fiddle Melody: Meter: Duple Section A begins with an upward leap and continues with a rising inflection, then is repeated Section B begins with a downward inflection, then is repeated A A B B A A B B Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music

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

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

Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music Listening Example 5 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 “Sweet William,” who is dying for love of “hard-hearted Barbara Allen,” who of course loves him and is remorseful for having repelled his advances Barbara Allen Anonymous Listening guide page 38 Form: Strophic, with several four-line stanzas Melody: 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 Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music

Early American Folk Music Early emigrants reflected the influence of the British broadside… A topical ballad, printed on a big sheet or sets of sheets called songsters From the seventeenth century, 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” Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music

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), more 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 Coach Painted by Enoch W. Perry, Jr. (1831-1915) Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music

Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music Listening Example 6 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. Oh, Shenandoah, I’ll not deceive you. For seven years I’ve been a rover. Shenandoah Anonymous Performed by Pete Seeger Listening guide page 41 Form: Strophic, with refrain at end of each verse Meter: Quadruple Tempo: Slow Accompaniment: Sparse strumming by guitar This song originated in the areas of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, traveling down to the ocean, where sailors adopted its rolling melody; Shenandoah was an Indian chief living on the Missouri River Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music

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

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

Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music Listening Example 7 The field holler enabled the slaves to establish wordless but heartwarming contact with fellow workers who, hearing the poignant cries, could respond with expressive hollers of their own. Field Holler Listening guide page 43 Timbre: Solo male voice Rhythm: Free, flexible Melody: Simple, narrow, mournful phrase on three tones, repeated Text: Neutral syllables, easy to sing and to hear over distances Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music

Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music Listening Example 8 Notice the sound of the high falsetto range, lying above the normal, full, chest voice Falsetto enhanced the ability to call over long distances Father’s Field Call Listening guide page 43 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 Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music

Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music Listening Example 9 Oh, da time don’t get no better here I’m goin’ down the road I’m goin’ away to leave ya If the time don’t get no better here Down the road I’m goin’. If the time don’t get no better Complaint Call Listening guide page 44 Timbre: Solo male voice Rhythm: Free, flexible, accommodating the text Melody: Based on a five-note, pentatonic scale, the melody begins high, then falls to lower pitches Notice the “bent,” or slurred melodically ambiguous blue notes that touch and linger slightly below the normal tones of the western scale, which later applied to jazz music Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music

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

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

Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music Listening Example 10 Chorus Won’t you ring, old hammer? Hammer, ring! Hammer, Ring Performed by Jesse Bradley and group at State Penitentiary, Huntsville, Texas, 1934 Listening guide page 45 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 Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 2: Folk Music

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

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

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