Americas Musical Landscape 6 th edition Part 1

America’s Musical Landscape 6 th edition Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 1: North American Indian Music © 2010 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

Music in Early North America n The Early Years: Historical and Cultural Perspective n Scholars believe that human experience has always included music n n Music’s sound and its place in society have differed widely from one time and one culture to another Even today, people differentiate between “music” and “noise” § Often disagreeing on which is music and which is noise © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 1: North American Indian Music 2

The Beginnings of Music in America: Native Americans n Long before the first white settlers or black slaves touched the North American shores the people living here were making music of their own n Today’s descendants of the early Native Americans retain a strong reverence for and a sense of oneness with nature n Expressed within music as in all their arts, traditional Native American music and art all had spiritual and utilitarian significance © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Native American Frame Drum Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 1: North American Indian Music 3

The Beginnings of Music in America: Native Americans n The Western separation of sacred and secular concepts has little meaning among Native Americans n n Religion, art, music, poetry are the inseparable threads—the warp and woof—of life and culture Before the twentieth century Native American cultural expression remained consistent n Indian Scout, painted by Alfred Jacob Miller, 1810 -1874 During the last century, acculturation brought about significant changes in Indian music © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 1: North American Indian Music 4

The Beginnings of Music in America: European Emigrants n During the sixteenth century, Europeans began to arrive and settle in North America in large numbers n n Bringing musical customs with them Early seventeenth century: Pilgrims and Puritans in New England were Protestants n n Protests against the Roman Catholic Church included some concerning the performance of religious music Puritan Society included sophisticated men and women of keen wit and high intellect n Including Anne Bradstreet (1612 -1672), the New World’s first poet © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 1: North American Indian Music 5

The Beginnings of Music in America: Puritan Society n Early New Englanders had little use for art’s sake n But their daily experience was rich in artistic expression n Example: Graveyards by houses of worship contained elaborately carved and decorated headstones n Landscape painting held little attraction § But portrait painting preserved a likeness and so was valued © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 1: North American Indian Music Gravestone in a colonial churchyard 6

The African Experience in Early America n Even before the Pilgrims’ arrival at Plymouth Rock in 1620, Africans were being forcibly brought to, and made to work in the New World n Forbidden to practice their familiar African religious rituals and to sing songs, dance, and play musical instruments in their accustomed ways n Slaves attempted to adapt traditional African musical expression to worship the white people’s Christian god n Slaves integrated music and faith into their daily lives © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 1: North American Indian Music 7

Revolution, in Classical Style n Eighteenth-century Americans of European descent reflected a strong European influence n European artists had adopted the classical ideals of ancient Greek sculptors and architects n Perfection of form, balanced designs, relatively restrained emotional expression n From 1750 to 1820, artists applied these characteristics to their art: The Age of Classicism n In music, the eighteenth century is known as the Classical Period n This was the era of the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 1: North American Indian Music 8

Painting in Eighteenth-Century America n American artists had more training and sophistication than the folk artists of the settlers’ period n But their finest works retained an innocence, honesty, and decorative sense n Distinguishing them from the more elegant European works of the era § John Singleton Copley (1738 -1815)—America’s greatest colonial artist § Charles Wilson Peale (1741 -1827)—The leading artist in Philadelphia for many years © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 1: North American Indian Music 9

The Effects of Cultures on the Evolution of American Music n The traditions and practices of all the early inhabitants all affected American music n Those native to the land; early European arrivals; the slaves n Early music heard in the separated inhabited regions of the continent reflected highly disparate values and sounds, yet had elements in common n More likely to be performed by amateurs in intimate settings (not the concert hall), and often with spiritual connotation n The distinctions we draw between sacred and secular music—and between high and low art--had little meaning in the early American experience © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 1: North American Indian Music 10

North American Indian Music: Songs n Music occurred in association with other activities n Dance, religious ritual, prayer, work, recreation n Songs possess strong powers to accomplish a given end, such as n Success in fishing n Healing n Winning a bride n Songs are not thought of as composed n They are believed to have been received in a dream or vision n A song’s owner may sell the song or grant someone else the right to sing it, or pass on the song in a will n Songs are preserved by oral tradition through generations © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 1: North American Indian Music 11

North American Indian Music: Songs Texture, Texts n Usually sung by a solo voice or by men and women singing in unison = Singing the same notes at the same time n There is no harmony in the Western sense, but there may be… n Call-and-response = solo voice alternating with a group n Melodic phrases start on a higher pitch and then descend, similar to the spoken phrase n A song often consists of many repetitions of one or more phrases or partial phrases n Songs may be in a native language, or recently, in English n Some texts are vocables = neutral syllables (hey, neh, yeh) © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 1: North American Indian Music 12

Listening Example 2 Yeibichai Chant Song (excerpt) Listening guide page 22 On the ninth (last) night of the Night Way ceremony, Yeibichai appears accompanied by masked dancers shaking their guard rattles, and by the unearthly call of the gods. The falsetto tones heard here are particularly characteristic of this and of some other Native American songs Form: Strophic Melody: Repeated high-pitched tones interspersed with even higher cries of indeterminate pitch, producing a rather florid melodic line featuring dramatic upward leaps Rhythm: Steady pulse marked by rattle shakes Text: Vocables punctuated with the distinctive call of the Yei © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 1: North American Indian Music 13

Listening Example 3 Sioux Grass Dance (excerpt) Plains Indians Listening guide page 23 Usually referred to today as a grass dance, because of the grass braids the dancers wear at their waists, this is the stirring war dance music heard, or imitated, in countless western movies Hear the strong pulsations, and the falsetto singing. Form: Strophic, phrase introduced with leader’s call Melody: Phrases begin high pitched, then descend Accompaniment: Drums, rattles, observers’ yells Manner of performance: Two teams of costumed dancers carrying weapons face each other, imitating battle © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 1: North American Indian Music 14

North American Indian Music: Sound Instruments n Little music is performed by instruments alone n Sound instruments often support or “hold up” a song n Navajo flute: The main melody-playing instrument n Traditionally used as a courting instrument to persuade a young woman to marry the player n Percussion instruments are widespread n Especially rattles, rasps, drums n A rasp is made from a long stick of wood into which notches have been carved, rubbed with another stick or piece of bone to make a rasping sound n Drums are profuse in variety © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 1: North American Indian Music 15

North American Indian Music: Contemporary Indian Song n Among the earliest changes to Native American Indian music was the development of pan-Indian songs n Native American peoples from many tribes, speaking various languages, met at powwows for dancing, singing, ceremonies n Modern powwows are common on reservations and in cities n Vocables are used to sing powwow songs; vocables… n Unite the people as Native Americans and as members of a particular tribe n Authenticate ceremonies n Keep people in balance with nature n Often there are visitors from other cultures © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 1: North American Indian Music 16

North American Indian Music: Professional Musicians n Recent interest in Native American Indian culture has produced much research of live and recorded traditional and new Native American music n Carlos Nakai (b. 1946) n Collaborates with musicians in many fields, including the concert hall, electronic techniques, Navajo flute, more n Louis Ballard: Composer, music educator, journalist of Cherokee, Quapaw, Scottish, French, English descent © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 1: North American Indian Music R. Carlos Nakai 17

Image Credits: Slide 3: Native American frame drum © C Squared Studios/Getty Images n Slide 4: Indian Scout, painted by Alfred Jacob Miller, © Corel n Slide 6: Gravestone in a colonial churchyard, © Corbis n Slide 17: R. Carlos Nakai, © Getty Images n © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Part 1: Music in Early North America Chapter 1: North American Indian Music 18