Discussion of the Native American Music - Essay Example

Theme of the Textbook The theme of this text is to expand its readers’ appreciation of music by providing a thorough background of what components contributed to the overall sound as well as a history of the development of this sound from its originating structure to the present day. This is demonstrated through the first segment of the book in its thorough discussion of the Native American music already present on the continent when white people began arriving, the folk music these white people brought with them and the types of music brought in when African people were forced to become a part of the American experience. This first part of the book also illustrates how more cultured music began developing in America through the formation of singing schools as a means of improving the music used in church and then how music began expanding to become more secular in nature as it emerged as a primary source of entertainment. Part two examines America’s shift to a more European form of musical expression in the addition of various complexities such as harmony and multi-instrumental pieces despite a continued love for earlier musical forms in the country and singing schools. Music became more varied as well, as minstrel shows featured white people mimicking the songs of the African American slaves and concerts grew in popularity. Soloists were fewer but remained popular, often touring the country to provide entertainment. From the culture of mixed musical sounds grew entirely new forms of musical expression such as ragtime, mountain music, honky-tonk, swing, jazz and the blues, which is the primary topic of the third part of the book. The country’s love for much of jazz music led to the formation of the Big Bands, which became popular during the 1930s and necessitated the creation of arranged tunes instead of the earlier improvised versions and the diversification of jazz overall. Part four highlights the influence of Latin dances on the American music scene and the ways in which country-western merged with jazz and the blues to create rock and roll. Motown, Soul and the British invasion through the Beatles and the Rolling Stones are included in this part of the book. Punk, New Age, Grunge, Rap and the introduction of electronic instruments are also discussed in this segment. Part five turns its attention to the entertainment aspects of America’s musical scene in things such as Burlesque, Vaudeville, operettas, revues, Broadway and the American musicals. The incorporation of music into almost all of America’s popular entertainment venues is discussed on a mainstream basis, leaving Part 6 to discuss the innovations and fringe efforts of our more creative composers as they look to the past for new inspiration. Student name Instructor name Course name Date Native American and Folk Music Both Native American music and folk music depend to a large extent upon the myths and stories of the culture as well as a relatively simplistic musical approach. This is because the music, while important, is typically not the only important element involved in the performance for either musical style. In the case of the Native American chants, the importance is also imbued with the spirituality of the piece, the costumes and dances that accompanied the music and the event or hoped for event that was taking place at the time, sometimes simply being engaged in cooking a meal or some other common activity. Like folk songs, the songs received by Native American singers are typically passed down through memory and oral tradition. There is typically no harmony in the Western sense, but songs might be performed with more than one person singing in heterophony or in a call and response pattern with a group and they usually follow a highly repetitive pattern. Songs are most commonly not accompanied by an instrument or by only a few instruments, such as a wind flute or, more often, one of several forms of percussion instruments. For those involved in folk music, there is a slight difference in that the deeply spiritual element often associated with Native American music is missing as the culture works to preserve songs that have been passed down often from an unknown source of antiquity. Like Native American music, these songs spring from a wide variety of cultural traditions, geographies, legends and events with the single difference that these geographies and cultures are more commonly from the European and African continents. Depending on where they’re from, these folk songs may also feature just one singer and a minimal number of accompanying instruments, such as in the case of Spanish alabados using mostly flutes, or the English tradition relying mostly on stringed instruments such as violins. While the Native Americans feel it is necessary to keep the song pure as it was received from the spirit world, folk songs are commonly altered and amended by the singers and listeners for added interest. Student name Instructor name Course name Date Native American Music As the earliest form of American music, the original music of the various tribes of the continent prior to the coming of white settlers is perhaps lost forever. However, this doesn’t mean that the music of these peoples is now silent. A continuing tradition from the antiquities of the past into the present day has ensured this musical tradition has survived and is now feeding an entirely new sound in contemporary music in the form of alternative or meditation music. What fascinates me about this form of music, and perhaps the reason for its use in areas such as meditation, is its fundamental connections with the spirit, with the sounds of nature and within the music itself. An essential element of Native American spiritual and secular life has been music for as long as tribal memory permits. Most Native American tribes did not have a word for the concept of music prior to their introduction to European settlers (Ferris, p. 25). This was because the use of music during their daily activities was so natural to the process of living it required no reference much like the process of breathing doesn’t require a great deal of discussion. The degree to which this was a fully integrated element of life is illustrated in Robinson’s description of Native American spiritual life: “Their beliefs and practices form a[n] integral and seamless part of their very being” (2008). One of these practices was the use of music to help the spirit participate in the activity at hand. Whether practicing religious rites or preparing a meal, music invoked the benevolent spirits necessary for fulfillment or drove away the malevolent spirits that might cause harm while also inspiring the mind into the correct state of mind for the task. These are internal, natural elements of the spiritual life that the Native Americans were intimately aware of and illustrates the way music has of sometimes deeply touching our inner spirit. Part of the reason the music contains such intimate connection with the spirit of the Native American, and often with others who listen to it, is because of its intimate connection with the natural world and therefore the natural rhythms of the physical plane. The two main instruments used to accompany the singer were the reed flute and various forms of percussion instruments (Ferris, pp. 26-28), both of which mimic ubiquitous sounds of nature found in the wind and in the heartbeat. As can be heard in the music of several of today’s Native American artists, this element of the music remains important but the sounds have expanded to include running water and captured thunder among other things (Hendrickson, 2008). This effortless blending of music, nature and human soul is accomplished through the tendency of the music to mimic natural human communicative cadences. When more than one voice is heard at a time, they are all typically saying the same thing, in the same way that the sounds of the wind are heard all at the same time, but sometimes can be heard at different pitches as when a group of men and women are singing the same thing together. The message is usually started in a higher pitch and ends on a lower pitch, “approximating the inflection typical of a spoken phrase” (Ferris, p. 26). While songs usually feature a great deal of repetition, this is not necessarily symmetric, allowing for the curiosities of nature in which patterns can be found, but are not always followed strictly, such as the striations in a sandstone cliff (Densmore, p. 61). This intimate physical connection between the music and the natural world contributes to its natural connection with the physical body and is found, ultimately, in the enrichment of the spirit. Works Cited Densmore, Frances. American Indians and Their Music. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing, 2003. Ferris. Music: America’s Musical Landscape. 5th Ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006. Hendrickson, Tad. “Native American.” National Geographic World Music. (2008). February 10, 2009 Robinson, B.A. “Native American Spirituality.” Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. (October 19, 2008). February 10, 2009 Student name Instructor name Course name Date My Changing View of Early American Music Before I started this class, I never really gave a lot of thought to the details of early American music. When I thought of it at all, I thought of distinct pieces of it – the idea of Native American music as unique and different from any other kind of music at the time or since or the concept of folk music as just that, never having had any influence on future musical styles. I also typically thought of them as having a very similar sound within each genre – Native American music all had the same sound, making one song mostly the same as another song, and a folk song sounded just like every other folk song ever sung. I didn’t consider that these general classifications had any kind of break-down within themselves simply because I didn’t really pursue the thought that deeply or actually listen to many examples of the music itself. Although it is almost impossible to miss the influence of early kinds of music in today’s market with the entire music of what I learned is referred to as the New Age movement and in films such as O Brother Where Art Thou (2000), the first few chapters of the textbook really opened my eyes regarding the importance of early American music to the development of music from that time to this. To me, it was amazing to actually be able to follow the sounds of the early music, such as how the songs of the slaves like the “Complaint Call” (track 9, accompanying CD to Ferris, 2006) can be heard as an influence in some of the Southern Gospel songs which would become the sounds of the blues. At the same time that I discovered this previously invisible thread winding its way through all of music history, weaving it all together in a seemingly seamless continuum, I discovered that the solid classifications I had broken down in my mind – Native American, folk songs, etc. – were actually full of equally distinct sub-classifications and a great deal of variety. In doing my report for Native American music, I discovered a site that allowed me to listen to a wide variety of Native American music that really illustrated the diversity between and within tribes (Buffalo Trails, 2005) while the textbook provided a limited number of samples of other types of music that assured me there was equal diversity in other forms of music (Ferris, 2006). Reading through these chapters was like watching the famous ‘melting pot’ in action as the various forms of music from various different general classifications truly began to blend together into uniquely American sounds at the same time that it was growing up, seeking more sophisticated recognition. Perhaps the reason the Native American music jumped out at me so much was because of its seeming lack of influence in these developments in spite of their seniority on the land or the richness of their music as compared with other forms of music at the time, such as folk music and hymnal chants. The reason for this absence seems to be a combination of factors. First, the Native Americans were decimated by the European settlers through wars, disease and outright genocide in some instances. Second, those that survived were isolated from the general population by either racism on a metaphysical level or physically as they were moved to reservations far from ‘populated’ areas. Third, Native American traditions, including musical styles, were intentionally suppressed as the white government and religions attempted to force assimilation of the tribes into the mostly Protestant European worldview. Finally, the music of the Native Americans was perceived as vastly different from the more familiar sounds of folk songs and the songs out of Europe and were heavily rhythmic, which was also very different from what European ears were used to (Reublin & March, 2000). However, as society has shifted to a more holistic worldview, finally becoming more aware of our impact and dependence on the natural world, this kind of music has become more influential. This helps to illuminate some of the reasons why musical forms may or may not be used as sources of inspiration and causes me to think on a much deeper level regarding how music affects us. Works Cited Buffalo Trails. (2005). February 9, 2009 < http://www.native-americans.org/music/free-native-american-music-samples.htm> Ferris. Music: America’s Musical Landscape. 5th Ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006. O Brother Where Art Thou. Dir. Joel Coen. Perf. George Clooney, John Turturo, Tim Blake Nelson. Touchstone Pictures, 2000. Reublin, Rick & Maine, Bob. “Native Americans and American Popular Music.” Parlor Songs. (March 2000). February 10, 2009 Read More