Folk Music as an Advocacy Chapter 6 – Interdisciplinary Studies

Learning Targets  To study ways in which music has influence the use of advocacy in the service of a cause.  To study representative songs of advocacy dealing with the plight of the farmer historically in labor disputes, and civil rights.  To identify key individuals who contributed to the development of musical influence representing advocacy.

Key Terms  Protest Songs  Folk Consciousness  Ostinato  Lining Out

Listening  “The Farmer is the Man that Feeds Them All”  “I Am a Union Woman”  “Masters of War”  “We Shall Overcome”

Folk Music as an Instrument of Advocacy The predominant method for the use of music in the service of a cause? Adaptation: Taking an existing song, or song style and transforming it into an instrument of advocacy. These songs are referred to as Protest Songs Today, songs in this category are often used to bring an awareness about issues facing society. Example: The Farmer Is The ManThe Farmer Is The Man We Are One

Folk Music as an Instrument of Advocacy Read p , we will listen to these two examples: Comparative Analysis: How are these two songs different? How are these two songs similar? John Carson “The Farmer Is The Man” Alicia Keys – “We Are Here”

Folk Music as An Instrument of Advocacy  Folk musician who wanted to bring an awareness about the plight of Coal Miners  “Which Side Are You Own” “Which Side Are You Own”  Written by Florence Reese, an American folk activist and performed by Pete Seeger to advocate for developing unions for coal miners.  Adaptation of this song in 2014 – Requiem for Mike BrownRequiem for Mike Pete Seeger

Folk Music as an Instrument of Advocacy John Carson: A violinist and vocalist. 1 st musician to record “old-time music” later referred to as Country Music What was his cause? Alicia Keys – Musician, performer What was her cause?

Urban Folk Song Movement 1930s and 1940s The 1930s spurred a new era of American folk song as an instrument of advocacy. The Great Depression

Urban Folk Song Movement 1930s and 1940s Folk Consciousness: An awareness of folk music and its use in urban environments primarily for social, economic and political action.

Urban Folk Song Movement 1930s and 1940s Folk Consciousness:  Idealization of folk singers as artists “of the people”  Emulation of rural attire.

Urban Folk Song Movement 1930s and 1940s 1930s Northern Labor Organizers Went to the South to organize textile-mill workers. Significance:  Discovered that folk singing was vital in the rural South.  Brought singers and songs with them when they returned to the north.

Urban Folk Song Movement 1930s and 1940s Read p.72 Listen to Aunt Molly Jackson from Kentucky as she sing an excerpt from “I Am a Union Woman”

Urban Folk Song Movement 1930s and 1940s I Am a Union Woman What is the main function of this song? To rally the workers and encourage them to join the union.

Folk Music as an Instrument of Advocacy  Listening: “The Farmer is the Man That Feed Them All”  Violinist and vocalist on the recording?  John Carson  First musician to record “ old-time music”

Folk Music as an Instrument of Advocacy  Railroad Monopoly  Railroad charged farmers high fees to transport crops to market.

Urban Folk Song Movement  Folk Conscouness  An awareness of folk music and its use in urban environments for social, economic and political action.

Urban Folk-Song Movement 1930s Northern Labors  Discovered that folk singing was still vital in the rural south. They brought both songs and singers with them on their return north.

Urban Folk Movement “I Am a Union Woman” Primary function of this song: To rally the workers and encourage them to join the union. Author of this song: Aunt Molly Jackson

Urban Folk Movement Individuals that began the early phase of the urban folk song movement: Leadbelly (Huddie Ledbetter, 1885 – 1949) blues singer discovered and recorded by John and Alan Lomax Pete Seeger (b. 1919) activist; Harvard dropout son of Charles Seeger, ethnomusicologist

Urban Folk Movement Individuals that began the early phase of the urban folk song movement: Woody Guthrie (1912 – 1967) Personify urban folk movement ----Oklahoma (dust bowl) background ----Many of his songs had a hard edge protest ----His life experiences provided much contact with the common people.

Woody Guthrie Songs written by Woody Guthrie: “This Land is Your Land” “So Long, It’s Been Good to Know Ya” “Hard Travelin” “Gypsy Davy”

Pete Seeger Son of ethnomusicologist Charles Seeger Formed the Almanac Singers in 1941

Protest and Folk Song in the 1960s Bob Dylan Woody Guthrie Two preeminent songwriters of the last half of the twentieth century.

Contrasting Differences Bob Dylan  Adopted his style  Changed his style many times  Absorbed many influences Woody Guthrie  Never adopted a style  Not “stylistically” aware  Did not change his style

Musical Influences  Musical influences on Bob Dylan’s Dylan’s include African American blues and Anglo-American ballad tradition.

Masters of War  Read the lyrics to Masters of War, this song has:  A strained vocal quality  Ostinato in the guitar accompaniment  Clear projections of the lyrics.

Masters of War  What is ostinato?  Repeating in a pattern

Masters of War This song was written in response to : The nuclear arms race The Vietnam War Recent Wars in the Middle East

Freedom Songs and the Civil Rights Movement In the 1960s, African American civil rights advocates drew their songs from: a southern tradition of African American religious singing African Americans who often adapted traditional songs for advocacy.

Freedom Songs and the Civil Rights Movement In the 1930s, labor sympathizers who went into the South to help organize miners found a sturdy singing tradition established for workers.

Freedom Songs and the Civil Rights Movement In the early 1960s, protest folksingers from the North who went into the South at the time of early civil rights struggle also found a southern tradition. These songs were used for: marches sit-ins prayer vigils for those in jails

Freedom Songs and the Civil Rights Movement We Shall Overcome became a song of the Civil Rights Movement because of many events: African-American hymnodist C. Tindley based We Shall Overcome on the church song I’ll Overcome Some Day. This song was used for protest in 1945 by union workers in Charleston, South Carolina

Freedom Songs and the Civil Rights Movement We Shall Overcome became a song of the Civil Rights Movement because of many events: This was the theme song of the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee This song was introduced into the civil rights movement.

Freedom Songs and the Civil Rights Movement “We Shall Overcome” is very similar to Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War” because it seems to arouse an immediate response to the listener.

Chapter 6 Assignment Chapter 6 Assignment: Complete Assignment # today and turn in before you leave class.