Kelly Neidel
Word Count 1759
Music of the United States Midterm When you read the title “America’s Musical Landscape” you can envision the numerous picturesque landscapes of America; every direction you look you will see something different whether it be mountains, deserts, woods, oceans, flatlands, waterfalls, the etched out stones from the glaciers of years ago; the landscapes have evolved and changed over the years. We have gone from primitive lands to modern buildings, numerous homes, and railways to change the look of America. The same concept goes for the music of our wonderful country. Music has evolved from the same people who have made our country what it is now. We have a mixture of influences from all over the world that have molded, created, composed and evolved the music into what we hear today, in our “audible landscape”. In order to fully understand music it is important to know something about the four elements of music; the rhythm refers to the beat and the pace of the music.(Ferris, pp.1) Melody refers to the tone and pitch, the faster it’s played the higher the pitch and vice versa for the slower, and the harmony is the combination of these tones.(Ferris, pp.3-5) How the music is delivered it is the timbre, whether it is through voice or instrument it is how the sound is delivered.(Ferris, pp. 6) There are many different categories or forms of music that the songs fit into, they can include chordal or folk to name a couple. The most used form in music is strophic which includes two or more verses that go with the same music. (Ferris, pp.7)
The Native American’s music is critical to their traditions and everyday functions. Even though music was used for numerous reasons they had no word in their language for the actual word of music. They considered their songs as “received” through the spiritual world. They actually left their songs to someone in their will or gave them away as gifts. (Ferris, pp.20) Native American songs were often sung in unison (singing the notes together) or by one singer alone. They also practiced the call and response method where the singers would sing back and forth and at times creating a heterophonic texture by overlapping the voices unintentionally verses the monophonic texture where one melody is involved. (Ferris, pp.21)Their text were simplistic and included vocables which were made up of neutral syllables and vowel clusters.(Ferris, pp.22) They also use falsetto which is very high pitch and will interchange with tones at a lower range, as highlighted in the “Yeibichai Chant Song” (Ferris, pp.23) Their instruments included flutes which at times were used to “court” women and never sounded the same because they were made free hand and measurements were never used. They also made rattles from many natural resources; one example used was a gourd hollowed out and filled with corn. (Ferris, pp.24) Drums played a major role in the culture and were made in ample array. (Ferris, pp. 25) The Native American’s still share their music today showcasing their musical talents and sharing their culture at pow wows. Ferris pp.26)
Once pioneers arrived in the 17th century so did their music. They brought simple and informal pieces reflecting their cultures with the birth folk music adding their contribution to American music. (Ferris, pp.28) The Spanish shared their stories through their alabados and corridos. The alabados were of a religious nature and the corridos shared their history, they also incorporated the guitar into their music. (Ferris, pp. 29) The British along with their use of the fiddle brought entertainment and dancing; with songs from their childhood, and altering them to the times or situation. Their songs are still sung today, “The Mockingbird” is one example that is quite popular. (Ferris, pp. 30-32) Stemming from British character arose the broadsides; this was a way to voice your opinion and remain unknown. (Ferris, pp.33) Unfortunately the African traditions changed from songs of pride to songs of despair; as heard in the “Field Holler.”(Ferris,pp. 37) This music yet simple can honestly be felt in your heart. They brought banjos and drums and were asked to entertain their captors.( Ferris, pp. 41)
Settlers of the new world music included an array from native and foreign regions. Music played a large role with the different religions. The Spanish Missions taught songs and prayers to the Native Americans in order to transform them to Christianity during the 16th century. Psalm tunes came directly from the bible and were not appropriate for singing. The Calvinists translated into verses befitting for church singing; and were printed into books called psalters; (Ferris, pp.44) because the Psalters brought from their native countries all had the same tune they in 1640 they created the “Bay Palsm Book” the first book printed in America. (Ferris, pp. 45-46) German speaking Moravians provided a huge impact on American music, but, many colonists had little exposure to hear or sing good music creating a need for singing schools made up of amateur musicians who traveled giving music lessons. (Ferris, pp. 50-51) William Billings, who originally earned his living as a tanner of hides, was the first composer to produce tunes of his original work; Chester was one of the favorites during the Revolutionary period.(Ferris, pp. 52) Billings added new elements to the music world including canons which have staggered entrances forming a melody. Fuging tunes from the late 18th century were made up of two parts and were pleasurable to sing and gave people a chance to show off their talents. (Ferris, pp.54-56)
Music started to gain popularity in the late 1720’s and was used for entertainment causing more and more music to be published, Americans began using instruments in their homes and it became acquainted with daily living. One of the favorites was a virginal; which was a type of keyboard. At times servants were chosen by their talent and used to “perform” in the home! (Ferris, pp. 59-60) Musical amateurs were becoming more popular sharing their talents in the new world, even Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Francis Hopkinson were among the ranks. (Ferris, pp.61-62) Theater provided a variety of different acts, including drama, comedy and music. (Ferris, pp. 64) George Washington ordered bands to play for the troops; they also were used to entertain the public at concerts and during parades. (Ferris, pp. 64-65)
As music started to get more complex it needed to be revamped; creating the shape-note notation provided an adequate teaching tool. Spiritual songs contained repetition making them easy to remember. The blacks provided animation and excitement to camp meeting expressing their happiness to their new found freedom. (Ferris, pp 75-77) The call and response method the African Americans used became well known used by all. (Ferris, pp. 81) Lowell Mason a composer and educator advocated for music education; he wanted music teachers trained so music lessons could be offered to the public, including children. He felt European music was superior to the fuging tunes of America and favored those, but he was an intelligent man and composed sentimental songs that appealed to the public making him very wealthy. ( Ferris, pp. 83)
As the Civil War era started so did new types of music. Minstrel shows were very popular because they provided a more upbeat tone even though today it would have caused riots, because of the characters they portrayed; which were white men with faces blackened, they provided a balance between the sentimental tunes that were be written at that time. (Ferris, pp.85) “I Wish I Was in Dixie’s Land” is a perfect example of the minstrel’s upbeat melody, written by Daniel Decatur Emmett was a favorite of American’s. (Ferris, 87) The patriotic and civil war songs were ways for people to express themselves of how they felt about the country or the anguish they felt about the war. Some of those songs are still popular today; for example our National Anthem “The Star Spangled Banner” composed by Francis Scott Key during this time. (Ferris, pp. 94-97)
In the late nineteenth century began the enactment of some of our accomplished qualified conservatories (music schools) and concert halls .Orchestra composers started to change their styles moving away from the sounds they enjoyed. They added the sharp affluent sounds or dissonant sounds and the composers began to step out of the box and explore the numerous possibilities of what they could do with music. (Ferris, pp. 104-105) At the Philharmonic Society, Theodore Thomas a ten year old from Germany and a professional violinist formed his own group using only the best musicians to create extremely gratifying performances. (Ferris, pp. 105-106) Finally, America started producing composers equal to their European peers. Louis Moreau Gottschalk, an extremely talented European pianist toured America sharing his virtuosic performances with the Americans. (Ferris, pp. 105) News Orleans multiple wealth of cultures and musical styles gave him the creativity to infuse Creole into his pieces. During the second half of the century music started to derive from individual creativity rather than the “expected” or what people were accustomed to, giving the country men the interest they deserved. (Ferris, pp. 112) The Second New England School included every type of genre to their concerts. Some of the “greats” include, John Knowles Paine, leader of the school, went to Germany to perfect his skills, creating Mass D. When he returned to America he began lecturing at Harvard for non credit courses, the popularity prompted the college to be the first to offer music as part of its educational curriculum. (Ferris, pp. 113) Amy Marcy Cheney Beach another remarkable member, overcame the odds of being a women, was ranked with her male peers. She was also “the first American women to write a successful Mass and a symphony.” (Ferris, pp. 117) Edward MacDowell a composer of the Second School was well rounded with his music and wrote many types using the typical sounds of the Europeans. He stepped out of the comfort zone and was the first to use his unique style and composed a concert unmistakably his own. (Ferris, pp. 119)
Starting with the basic landscape of American music dating back to the Native American’s the music of our country has transformed into a rich texture. As we have added cultures, history, devastation and joy this can be felt through our music. We have emerged with great composers, sharing their talents and creating the sound of America, changing not only our visual landscape but changing our “audible” landscape too. We are the “melting pot of the world.”

Bibliography
Ferris, Jean. America’s Musical Landscape. 6th ed.New York, NY:McGraw & Hill, 2010.