American music environment has included different styles of music. The spread of music is attributed to technology with the invention of the radio and television. In the United States, the development of new genres of music was caused by the migration of different musicians to America who carried with them their cultural aspects of music. Jazz music, which was popular in clubs and bars, was able to spread to concerts due to its uniqueness. The un-danceable music was able to attract audiences, especially the college students who supported the band to travel to different regions. The evolution of American music saw the rise of styles such as blues, rock, and hip-hop. The electric guitar gave a platform for these music methods to prevail. Hip-hop was developed as a result of the sampling of different music styles and adding special effects. These music styles have changed from generation to generation.
During the pre-twentieth century music scenery in America, the aspect of concert music was evident. This style of music involved combining jazz music components with other techniques such as blues and classical music. This music emphasized on nationalistic enthusiasm (Ferris, 2013). Jazz music was seen as a bridge between the white and black cultures. Although these cultures were brought together by music, racial segregation was present. This style of music is believed to have been initiated after the first world war. It brought about the freedom to people while praising the life of the city. This music was predominant with the African-Americans. In early America, it necessitated music and dance to be performed in a theater, concert, or a private home. Jazz depended on dancehalls, bars, and nightclubs. The patrons in these areas supported the existence of jazz by buying tickets and drinks. Therefore, the profitability of these places was an influence.
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As time went by, jazz moved from clubs to becoming an art of music. Small groups would move to extend the music. This music was spread across America, which saw the whites modifying it to be accepted by the white middle class. The style of jazz included an instrumental introduction then a song melody. It also featured musicians having solo segments. Through the improvisation of having solo acts, the jazz musicians had an opportunity to showcase their skills (Gioia, 2011). The prevalent structure of jazz involved a 12-bar and the AABA song form. It began with the repetition of the A bit the B bit referred to as bridge then the A section to end the song.
Jazz composers such as Brubeck attracted fans in their concerts, mainly college student who listened to the records would be attracted to the shows. The concerts also provided an opportunity for live performances and recordings. Through the contributions of these audiences, jazz musicians were able to fund their travels and operations. Brubeck would play un-danceable music like “Take five’ which attracted spectators to see him and his colleagues perform. Another early jazz composer was Scott Joplin known for the music “maple leaf rag” played a part in the jazz genre (Verity, 2019). It leads to the stride piano a style in the early jazz scenery.
American music is influenced by music from other parts of the world. Jazz may belong to America, but it is also induced by styles from different areas in the world. For instance, Nadja Boulanger from Paris influenced a music composer like Aaron Copland in his work (Lule, 2014 ). As people migrate from their native land to the United States, they carry their musical culture with them. Ethnicity, race, gender, religion, and socioeconomic factor are believed to play a part in music. In past America, some barriers divided music into High culture and low culture. The high culture involved genres, such as orchestral performances and classical music. The low culture was believed to comprise genres such as blues, soul, and rock. Currently, these barriers have been broken to give room to various musical engagements. For instance, in 2008 Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performed a concert of Grateful Dead music in tribute to a rock band. The new age artists are nowadays borrowing inspirations from America Early music.
The evolution of music from genre to genre has been through diversification. One music style leads to the other, for instance, from jazz music to blues music. The electric guitar also contributed to the diversification of music styles. Musicians like Muddy Waters brought the electric guitar to the blues genre, where they blended urban style with classic blues (Lule, 2014 ). The electrified blues was the bases for rock and roll. Radio supported music by being a bridge between the rural town, small towns, and city centers in America. It enabled the transmitting of music nationally.
To beat the barriers of racial segregation music written by black people was sang by the whites, especially in the rock and roll style. The rebellion against oppression influenced the rise of these music styles. It saw the increase of genres like folk-rock, punk, and hip-hop. Hip-hop was synonymous with rapping, breakdancing, and scratching records (Edmondson, 2013). It is noted that the hip-hop style involved sampling other tracks and later adding special effects. This music style focused on the daily happenings in the community. Then there was the rise of pop music that was predominantly popular with teenagers. As rock lost mainstream presence pop music was able to dominate in 2000 with hip-hop music gaining social conscience.
In conclusion, music has changed over time. People’s culture and environmental background have influenced the different styles of music. Technological inventions such as the radio and television have played a role in the popularization of music. It linked the music with different areas in the country. As music evolves, there is evidence on musicians of a particular music style borrowing inspiration from other music styles, which was never a tradition. In early America, specific music styles were believed to be a preserve to a particular type of people. There was music for the whites and music for the blacks. Currently, music has become diverse that anyone can perform any genre of his or her choice.
Reference
Edmondson, J. (Ed.). (2013). Music in American life: An encyclopedia of the songs, styles, stars, and stories that shaped our culture [4 volumes]: An encyclopedia of the songs, styles, stars, and stories that shaped our culture . ABC-CLIO.
Ferris, J. (2013). America's musical landscape . McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Gioia, T. (2011). The history of jazz . Oxford University Press.
Lule, J. (2014). Understanding Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication, v. 1.0. Flat World Knowledge and licensed as CC-BY-NC-SA .
Verity, M. (2019). 10 Iconic Early Jazz Musicians. Retrieved from https://www.liveabout.com/ten-early-jazz-musicians-2039550
