Week 23/2 American Folk Traditions n Final essay end of term. n Test. n Final Workshop – Folk.
North American Folk Music
n Long tradition of folk music of the European populations of North America. Field Holler.
n Seen as often purer in form due to isolation than European traditions. Thus Cecil Sharpe went to the Appalachians (1916-18) to hear traditional English ballads as they might have been performed in pre-industrial Britain.
n Published his English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians (1919). E.g Streets of Laredo and The unfortunate Rake
Early 20th century American Revival n In response to what was happening in
Britain under Cecil Sharp. n National organisations for preserving
song and dance traditions – overwhelming white to begin with and about saving songs.
n By 1920s lots of competing organisations.
n Library of Congress archive.
Music of Appalachian Mountains
n Dance tunes of early settlers. n Family harmony singing n A musical fossil. n Dialect, speech and song all relate to
pre-19th century Britain. n Instruments - fiddle, dulcimer, guitar and
mandolin. E.g Jenny Lind Polka - from Virginia 1851/Jonny Get Your Hair Cut
n Artists - Doc Watson, Jean Ritchie
Jenny Lind Polka
Vaudeville and Music Hall Entertainment n Minstrel Shows the most common factor. n Spirituals. n Development of banjo and later guitar styles. n All developed in imitation of black genres. n Eg 1843 De Boatmen’s n Dance
Cowboy Songs
n Both aurally transmitted and manufactured by songwriters.
n Songs of the trials and troubles of the frontiers folk of the 19th century.
n Developed into parlour music traditions n Archive collection of Folk Song at the Library
of Congress - gave rise to famous anthology Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads by John Lomax 1910.
Marching Bands
n A great 19th century tradition across white America.
n Belonging to societies and clubs that would field a marching band.
n On gala days the bands would march though town in costume.
n Philip Souza’s Marches a world wide phenomena.
Black Traditions
n Culminated in the Blues. Across black America in many forms.
n Best known through early recordings of Delta Blues artists.
n Robert Johnson and Mississippi John Hurt.
n Alternative tradition of Leadbelly.
White Folk Traditions
n With the development of radio and recording the regional styles cohered around the Country Style and country music centred on Nashville, Tennesse.
n Huge national following after its live broadcasts from the Grand ole’ Opre every Saturday night.
n Arguable the distinctive style of American popular music – and the correlate of Blues and Jazz.
n Characterised by ballads of great sadness and personal misery and dance music.
n While the blues style is at the root of Global popular music today – country music does not export so easily.
1930s and 40s
n Experience of the depression produced a generation of folk singers with a political edge and strong social message.
n Pete Seger, Woody Guthrie,
Woody Guthrie
Iconic Figure for America Folk
Clancy Brothers – Irish American influence.
New Lost City Ramblers – Early professional popular folk group – many recordings.
With Pete Seeger
Bob Dylan
Skifle – Lonnie Donnegan
Revivalist Traditions
n Urban songs with politically and socially relevant messages in the 1930s and 40s.
n Pete Seeger in 1940 formed the Almanac Singers -
n Woodie Guthrie - commited communist and activitist.
n The Weavers a 1950s phenomena - hit by McCarthyism and investigated.
n Lead to 60s singer songwriters - Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Arlo Guthrie.
Bluegrass
n A style of banjo playing developed in the 30s and 40s involving very fast finger picking and exploting the re-entrant tuning of the 5-string banjo.
n Associated with Earl Scruggs. Become associated with a style of playing that involved influence of blues in bent notes but also fast fingerplucking on guitar and banjo.
Earl Scruggs
Honky Tonk
n A more aggressive style of urban ‘country’music.
n With amlification and use of electric guitars and hawayan guitars.
n Up tempo and influenced by early rhythm and blues.
summary
n Many regional styles – e.g. Cajun in Louisianna;Tex Mex along Southern border; Eastern European dance forms in prairie states; etc
n National popular styles dominated by influence of Blues (including Gospel) and Country – which came together to cross ethnic/cultural divides in the 50s and 60s and provide bases for Global pop style that developed out Rhythm and Blues and then Rock.
Impact on British Folk Music
n Huge – the influx of American traditions in the years up to and after 1960 is great.
n Guitar song writing tradition – epitomised by Dylan still going to today.
n 1960s folk club movement across Britain.
n Big cross over with rock - genre of folk rock.
Sources
n New Grove under Americas and Amerindian
n Charles Hamm, Music in the New World (Norton, 1983)
n Sarah Lifton, The Listener’s Guide to Folk Music (1983)
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