In the following centuries, more people began to arrive in Texas and they brought new ways of talking, believing and doing things. The Spanish and the Mexican set the patterns south of Nueces and along the Rio Grande. Anglos brought their ways of life from the British Isles to the South and Eastern part of Texas. African Americans who came to work on the plantations on the Brazos and Trinity bottoms brought songs, stories and beliefs that came with them from Africa. Germans came directly from the Old World to the Hill Country, Cajuns came from France and eventually through Louisiana and settled in Southeast Texas.
There were also different types of folk music even before the American slave era, the songs based from different melodies told stories and were passed down generation by generation. Folk music was when manual labour was happening and the workers wanted something to cheer them up, keep them motivated. So they sang, this was folk music as well. Generally opinions differ of the creation of folk music. People said it reflects the character of the race that made it, some said it came from the reasons that I’ve already said.
Southern blacks, delivered from slavery a few decades before, started playing European music Afro modifications. The first place of jazz has many origins: New Orleans, St. Louis, Memphis and Kansas City are just a few. But New Orleans was and still remains an important jazz center.
Rock & Roll history Where did this type of music come from? The rhythm of rock and rock is from Africa. The immediate origins of rock and roll lie in the late 1940s and early 1950s through a mixing together of various popular musical genres of the time. These included gospel, folk music, and the blues - particularly the electric forms being developed in Memphis, Chicago, New Orleans, Texas, California, and elsewhere - piano-based boogie woogie, and jump blues, which were collectively becoming known as rhythm and blues. Also in the melting pot creating a new musical form were country and western music (including Western swing and influences from traditional Appalachian folk music), jazz, and gospel music.
Their influence on U.S. culture runs deep even though the African American community represents a relatively small percentage of the U.S. population, accounting for about 13% (United States Census Bureau). In this essay I will focus on their effect on the entertainment industry, language, politics, economy, and education. African Americans have a rich musical tradition, rooted in African tradition, which was incorporated into daily life by slaves. They used “singing, call and response and hollering to coordinate their labor, communicate with one another across adjacent fields, and bolster weary spirits” (Class notes, week 4). These were the building blocks in the development of jazz, gospel and blues, which continued to evolve into to Rock ‘n Roll, R&B, Hip Hop and Rap; all quintessentially American forms of music.
Creoles of French and Spanish descent, Germans upriver from New Orleans, English settlers in what would become the Florida parishes, Acadians to the west of the metropolis, free people of color, slaves, and Native Americans would interact with the new waves of Americans from states such as Tennessee and Kentucky. Indeed the Louisiana Purchase started the United States encounter with diversity that continued throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and continues today. Then as now, diversity brought about conflicts, some of which ended in accommodation and the realization that from diversity comes strength. Louisiana's history as a colony, territory, and state in the fifteen years from 1800 to 1815 was characterized not only by diplomatic, political, legal, and cultural friction but also by compromise among the various elements of its diverse population. Included during the period were the following momentous events or movements: the Louisiana Purchase (1803); the
Antebellum Reform Movement: Music Princeton University defines music as “an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner.”1 Though there is a universal definition for music, music itself is constantly changing. The growing popularity of spiritual music, the transformation of parlor music, and the influence of immigrants on music in the United States all represent the change in music from 1790 to 1860. The religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening caused rapid popularity for spiritual song traditions throughout the United States. The movement was centered partially around outdoor worship gatherings and simple hymns. One group that was known for their ecstatic form of worship were referred to as the Shakers, though they called themselves the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing.
Western Europe, Africa and the Americas underwent major changes due to the contact with the Atlantic world. These changes occurred from 1492 until 1750 and affected these areas socially and economically. New products and ideas were introduced into the world of trade. Lasting connections would also be made during this period. Western Europe experienced the largest amount of changes because the main countries that were becoming involved in international trade were located here.
Additionally, with the exception of the Native Americans or Indians, evidence proves that America’s citizens are the product of immigration, whether they came as volunteers or they were forced (US Census Bureau, 2000). For example, the transatlantic slave trade created a lasting image of black men and women that were only transported commodities, and was considered the most defining element in the construction of the African Diaspora, and it was centuries of additional movements that have given shape to the nation we know today(Culture). This is the movement where Africans were purchased and sold as slaves when they arrived in the United States. This process occurred until prohibition laws were
The Swing Bands The music industry has redefined itself over the years to accommodate the ongoing changes in American culture. During the thirties and forties band music began to transcend toward a younger generation (Starr, Waterman, 2010, p. 118). The most popular bands that erupted airways and venues during this time were swing bands (Starr, waterman, 2010, p. 119). In retrospect, swing bands followed the same chord patterns of Tin Pan Alley’s blues compositions that was common in the early twenties and thirties (Starr, Waterman, 2010, p. 131) In addition, both styles of music were formed from African-American culture (Starr, Waterman, 2010). Moreover, each band also used specific techniques in their music to gain attention from a variety of ethnic groups and often promoted dancing during the band’s performances (Starr, Waterman, 2010).