Music in America

It goes without saying that United States is the most influential country in the world.. When we talk of economy, technology, science, medicine, etc – the only one country that has it all well- developed is America. This country is good at everything and when it comes to music- there’s always something more than you can say about it.

America will always be one of the most influential countries when it comes to music, and there are indeed many unique musical styles and traditions that have originated from there. Black Americans have always been at the root of music in America and it has been quoted that "the evolution of black music is simply the evolution of American music". Three of the most famous of these traditions are Jazz, Blues and Hip-Hop. Black Americans founded all three of these musical styles, and as a result the basis of these styles of music, each very different from the next, is the thoughts, feelings and ideals of people that were separated from the society in which they live.

One of the most famous of musical traditions is that of the Blues. It has also been one of the most influential, paving the way for many other new styles of music. Blues, a distinct style of music, began to emerge around the 1860's. After the civil war, the newly freed Afro-American people were presented with a new difficulty. They had been removed from the lives that they had previously known and thrown into a new life, a life of segregation and contempt. The American culture could no longer condone the use of slavery, but it was not ready to accept the new free men and women into their society either. Many had to travel the country in search of work. These people were mostly men and those of whom music appealed to most took up instruments such as the guitar and harmonica because these instruments were cheap and easy to travel with. It was in this setting of a sense of deep segregation that the blues was born.

The distinction that made Blues so different from other music was it's clear roots from the work song of the olden days. The early blues artists and even the later Jazz musicians used their instruments as extensions of their voice. The rhythms that they made were in the same non-syncopated form as the work song had been and the sounds were meant to mimic the human voice. It was in this way that the blues became even more significant and even more successful in their effort to convey emotion.

Traveling Blues shows, Minstrelsies, began to tour the country. As a result, Blues began to be heard everywhere, and it began to influence more and more people. It was still primarily black music listened to by black people, but that soon began to change.

The first seeds in the roots of Jazz music were sewn in the early 1900's around 1914 when Afro-Americans began to migrate north. There were a number of reasons for this; many blacks were attracted by the opportunity of good jobs and a better and freer life in the North; while others simply sought to flee the poverty, slavery, and segregation of the South. The American dream was drawing these particular Americans forth much as it did with the early pioneers of the west. Up the river went the new Blues and a new kind of music went with it.

Around the time of Napoleon, military bands increased in popularity and were all very well received by the French. This led to an increased importation of brass band instruments to all the French settlements, including those in New Orleans and other parts of America. Creoles ("mixed breeds"- usually part black, part French and sometimes part Indian) who were usually well-educated freemen became infatuated with these instruments and the sounds that they could make. The migrating Southern Afro-Americans soon caught on to these new instruments as they socialized with the Creoles on their journey north. Incorporating the sounds of blues and the same non-western syncopated rhythms that had been brought from Africa, a new breed of music began to grow. It was simply a variation of traditional marching band music, but it began to change as blues became more and more prevalent. First Ragtime, and then Jazz.

From New Orleans, jazz moved up river with the Black Americans traveling north, and in the house parties of the 20's and 30's it gained momentum. Where the Blues was the "devil's music" to many of the black middle class, Jazz was acceptable. "Black music" was extremely popular in the clubs and parties of the 20's. Jazz also made it possible for Afro-American music to be imitated for the first time by white musicians, which was a sign of things to come. The broad emotional meaning of the genre allowed such cross-cultural developments without being 'watered down'. Free Jazz and Hard Bop were all examples of the experimentation the musicians of the time were making to elevate the sound. It became more and more popular and as time went on more and more musicians began to try new ideas with Jazz, increasing its popularity along the way. Jazz is still popular today, and exists in many different forms and styles e.g. Be Bop, Hard Bop, Free Jazz, Modern Jazz, Avant Garde, Swing, Fusion and Latin Jazz.

The third and final American musical tradition is Hip-Hop/Rap music. Hip-Hop/Rap came into being around about 1978. Rock n' Roll music was extremely popular and was very much a part of American culture, but it had long lost its Afro-American association and the Blacks were eager for another style of music to call their own. Funk's sound and rhythms did not evolve into Hip Hop, but it did set the ball rolling. There are several elements to Hip Hop, which were defined in the streets during the late '70's…rappin', DJing, break dancing and graffiti writing. Hip Hop was, and still is, its own subculture, and that culture had its own voice.

Rap music is well described by Tricia Rose in her book "Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America" (1994), Wesleyan University Press. "Rap music brings together a tangle of some of the most complex social, cultural, and political issues in contemporary American society. Rap music is a black cultural expression that priorities black voices from the margins of urban America. Rappers speak with the voice of personal experience, taking on the identity of the observer or narrator."

Rap is the closest road that black music has taken back to its original roots in the work song. The "Call & Response", the rhythmical use of the voice as an instrument, and the resentment for the society in which they live in are both present in the music. Drawing up the R&B rhythms and "rapping" over it grew out of the house part of the clubs much like Jazz had in the years before. In 1979, Fatback released "King Tim III", the Sugar Hill Gang released "Rappers Delight," and a new genre was created. Hip Hop/Rap music is still one of the most popular types of music today.

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