Post on 12-Jan-2016
transcript
Part 3The Growth of Vernacular
TraditionsChapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban
Folk Revival
America’s Musical Landscape 5th edition
PowerPoint by Myra Lewinter MalamutGeorgian Court University
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
2© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Effect of Ethnic and Regional Styles Upon Country Music Country music characteristically absorbs ethnic
and regional styles These styles are adapted to become a part of the country
sound As people in Western states welcomed country music,
they added distinctive flavors derived from their own experience
Hawaiian music Music of the mariachis of Mexico Cajun music and zydeco from Louisiana
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
3© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Hawaiian Music Popular today, this music has profoundly affected
mainland country music and pop Rooted in old religious chants and hymns, Hawaiian
music absorbed rhythms, sounds, and instruments brought to Hawaii by missionaries, tourists, and settlers
1800s: Mexican cowboys brought the guitar to Hawaii Guitar accompanied hula and Hawaiian songs and hymns Slack key guitar, a Hawaiian invention involving loosening
(slackening) guitar strings was popular Charles Philip “Gabby” Pahinui (1921-1980), was the master
of the slack key guitar and renowned for his virtuosity
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
4© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Hawaiian Steel Guitar Invented around the turn of the 20th century, made popular at the
1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco
A favorite Hawaiian instrument, with metal strings raised above the fret board, held horizontally in the lap The player presses a steel bar against the strings, rather than
pressing them to the fret board with the fingers as on a traditional guitar
By sliding the metal bar along the strings with the left hand, the player achieves a gentle slide suggestive of country twang
By the end of the 1930s the Hawaiian steel guitar was found in Southwestern country bands and their music
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
5© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Ukelele A small 4-string guitar History
Portuguese immigrants brought the ukulele to Hawaii in 1879
According to legend enchanted Hawaiians called this instrument “ukulele,” meaning “jumping fleas”
As with steel guitar, attracted enthusiasm at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition
By the 1920s ukulele accompanied Tin Pan Alley performers
Recently: Ukulele festivals draw large crowds
Ukulele
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
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Cajuns: Background French Acadians in the eighteenth century
were evicted from their homeland, Acadia (Nova Scotia), by the British Settled in the remote area south of New Orleans Continued to speak French, evolving a patois, or
mixed language of their own
These French Acadians became known as the Cajuns
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
7© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Cajun Music Talent scouts in the 1920s discovered and promoted Cajun
musicians
John Lomax (1867-1948) A folklorist who traveled in 1932 to Louisiana and recorded
genuine traditional Cajun music for the Library of Congress
Blues and hillbilly music reached Cajun regions by radio, influencing the music Cajun musicians translated popular country and country-
western songs into French
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
8© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Listening Example 38
Cajun Two-Step
TraditionalListening guide page 186
Form: A series of 4-measure strains:
Tempo: Fast
Instrumentation: Accordion, or concertina, and triangle
Punctuated with occasional joyous shouts
A A B B A A B …,
During the 1920s and1930s the Carter Familycollected, arranged and recorded hundreds of American traditional songs, spirituals, andfolk songs, laying thefoundation for moderncountry mu
Notice the sound of Rodgeel.
During his lifetime Rodgers established thesolo song as an important part of hillbillymusic.
Rodgers was the first person elected to theCountry Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.
Cajun music is mainlylighthearted, with a hintOf tragedy
Dance rhythms, catchymelodies, and accordion
“Oh, ya, yaie!” is similarto Bluegrass sounds
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
9© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Zydeco: A more recent accordion-based music The music of southern Louisiana’s Creoles (“free persons of
color”)
Spicy-hot Caribbean and Latin rhythms
Background Late eighteenth century revolution in Santo Domingo sent black
and white French citizens north to the French-speaking communities of Louisiana
The black refugees brought Caribbean rhythms, religious practices and spicey cuisine
In the US, they developed a distinct French dialect or patois
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
10© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Zydeco The word “zydeco” is a corruption of the French, translated to
mean “the snap beans aren’t salted” A saying indicative of hard times
Instruments: Accordion Harmonica Frottoir, a washboard-like instrument strapped to a musician’s
chest (textbook figure 11.2, page 188) Electric guitar and bass Drums Sometimes saxophone
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
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Zydeco’s sound and influence Is heard along the Gulf Coast in contemporary
zydeco bands Exhibiting the energy and amplification of rock Playing exotic melodies of Cajuns
Clifton Chenier was the late “king” of zydeco
Mainstream artists who show the influence of zydeco and Cajun music include Paul Simon Mary Chapin Carpenter
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
12© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Listening Example 39“Tu le ton son ton”(“Every now and Then”)Performed by Clifton ChenierListening guide page 189
Form: Twelve-bar bluesMeter: QuadrupleTempo: Moderately fastHear how the performnace
suggests the influence of rock or rhythm and blues
Chenier, who sings and plays accordion, is Accompanied by electricBass, drums, and Washboard:
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
13© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Urban Folk Music Urban folk musicians performed folklike music in a polished,
suave manner designed to appeal to fans of popular music Some performers used traditional tunes, writing new words Others composed new songs in the folk or country style Folk music was used to express political beliefs
The urban folk revival evolved in the 1950s and early 1960s into a popular movement of mainly young people Fans were often socially counscious, politically active Folk enthusiasts drew inspiration from singing hobo Woody
Guthrie
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
14© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Woody Guthrie, America’s Greatest Folk Poet (1914-1967) Singer-songwriter Guthrie evolved
From a simple hobo and hillbilly singer of the Great Depression…
into a Sophisticated composer and performer of protest songs
His family devastated by dust storms, fire, bank failures, and illness, Guthrie decided that only by banding together common people could survive Guthrie’s music, often set to traditional and religious
songs, expressed this belief
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
15© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Woody Guthrie Inspired the folk revivalists of the late 1950s and 1960s Guthrie’s famous song “This Land is Your Land” (“God Blessed
America for Me”) protested Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” Guthrie changed the verses over the years
Later Guthrie expressed frustration that his song became popular without its protest verses
Within Guthrie’s verses he describes
“One bright sunny morning in the shadow of the steepleBy the relief office I saw my people—
As they stood hungry, I stood there wondering ifGod blessed America for me”
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
16© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Movement Evolves: Pete Seeger (b. 1919) Seeger left college to collect folk songs, learn banjo, and
travel with Woodie Guthrie
Later Seeger formed the Weavers (named to reflect the qualities of rhythm and work) Huddie Ledbetter (aka Leadbelly, 1885-1949)
popularized the Weavers’ first hit, “Goodnight Irene” Leadbelly was a gifted black blues singer and
songwriter, discovered in jail by musicologiests John Lomax and son Alan Lomax (1915-2002)
The Lomaxes helped to release Leadbelly from jail, launching him on a successful music career
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
17© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Weavers in the McCarthy Era Red Scare hysteria forced the Weavers to restrict
performances to union halls, civil rights and peace benefits, college campuses
In 1955 Pete Seeger faced censure by Congress Accused of subversive influence in entertainment, Seeger’s lack
of cooperation resulted in being blacklisted from television for leftist leanings
At the end of the decade Seeger left the Weavers and became a successful soloist
The 1990s: Seeger was inducted into the rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
18© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Urban folk revival reached full bloom
The popular Kingston Trio’s recording of “Tom Dooley” (1958) A murder ballad innocent of political overtones “Tom Dooley” formed a tie between country music and
mainstream pop
Suburban, collegiate, clean-cut groups produced commercial music for a sophisticated urban audience, reviving interest in early folk music The Limelighters The New Christy Minstrels Peter, Paul, and Mary Joan Baez revived and modernized the Carter Family’s songs
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
19© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Bob Dylan (b. Robert Zimmerman, 1941) Dylan followed Woody
Guthrie to New York Performing in clubs and
recording his original folklike protest songs, Dylan learned from Guthrie
Dylan’s passion and stirring, often personal lyrics made him the favorite figure of the folk revival
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
20© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Bob Dylan’s Influence Upon the Urban Folk Revival Before Dylan, the folk revivalists had mostly performed songs
composed or handed down by others
Dylan’s original songs inspired others in the folk revival movement to write their own material Rather than performing new arrangements of traditional tunes,
the folk revivalists now produced original “folk” songs
Dylan would soon connect with rock by making a transition from leader of urban folk to electric rock performer
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
21© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Bob Dylan and the Newport Folk Festival In the early 1960s the Newport Folk Festival was the central
annual event for those who loved folk music Guitar pickers, blues singers, old-time fiddlers, banjos players
joined gospel singers, Cajun bands, bluegrass groups, and folk stars for concerts, workshops, jamming
People saw folk music as a tool for social change, revering Bob Dylan and his socially relevant songs including “Blowin’ in the Wind”
By 1965 Newport Festival fans were outraged by the change in Dylan’s style to rock and songs about personal relationships
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
22© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Later in Dylan’s Career: By the 1990s Dylan returned to traditional folk and
blues material “Good as I Been to You,” “World Gone Wrong,” and “Time
Out of Mind” His 2001 album “Love and Theft” includes sounds of
blues, jazz, folk, and rockabilly
Dylan is now acclaimed as a poet, whose words have been set to music by others, including American composer John Corigliano’s song cycle Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
23© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
A New Romance Rock and country now meet on increasingly
congenial ground
Country artists who flirted with rock include Bob Dylan Johnny Cash, who jammed with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee
Lewis, and Carl Perkins in the mid-1950s Pete Seeger, who said “Rock is what future centuries will
probably say was the twentieth-century folk music
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
24© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Alternative Country In existence since the 1990s, rivals the
polished professional sounds of mainstream country music from Nashville Blends punk with rock and roll effects plus
country sounds
Alternative country’s own magazine: No Depression, named after the Carter Family’s song “No Depression in Heaven”
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
25© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Rock and Country Music today Audiences seem willing to accept elements of
each other’s music Summer 2004, rocker Matt (Uncle Kracker) Shafer toured
successfully with country music star Kenny Chesney and the country trio Rascal Flatts
Country and rock merge on modern country radio and in some of Nashville’s videos
Country is one of the roots of rock and roll
Part 3: The Growth of Vernacular Traditions Chapter 11: Ethnic Traditions and the Urban Folk Revival
26© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Image Credits: Slide 5: Ukelele, © Getty Images Slide 12: Washboard, © C Squared
Studios/ Getty Images Slide 19: Bob Dylan, © AP/ Wide World
Photo