Selected musical cultures Musical culture 1: Blues Musical culture 2: Chinese Investigation Musical culture 1: Geographical context: Blues music originates from the Mississipi Delta in the south of the USA. It originates from field camps and cotton fields. Historical context: In the past in the Mississipi Delta many African slaves were brought to work in plantations. These slaves had to deal with harsh working conditions and did not get any money for the hard work they did. Musical History: The slaves working in the cotton fields and plantations would sing chants to tell stories about their lives, these stories were most commonly about sadness, loneliness, sorrow and tragedy.
The Staple Singers, started out as just a family then ended up as a musical sensation. They where all related and brought together as a band by their father, who was a civil rights activist during the 1960’s. Which makes the reasons and lyrics in the song more obvious? They almost had always some sort of black power or equal rights theme in each of there songs. Even when moving to the New York-based Riverside label, the Staple Singers adopted a more folk-oriented sound, recording contemporary, message-oriented songs by the likes of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan and were able to keep that Civil Rights theme.
Charles Berry Roots of Rock The roots from Rock 'n' Roll music all began with African griots, slaves. Songs called "work songs" were performed by the slaves while they were working to pass time in the Delta of Mississippi. Later, music became what is known as the "Delta Blues". A man by the name of Robert Johnson was one of the greatest of the Delta Blues musicians. He lived to be 27 years old and was believed to be poisoned.
From its simple and primitive origins, not only has the Blues affected culture throughout the Deep South, but Southern culture has had a strong influence on the creation of the Blues and its musicians. The Blues’ unique sound came from the slave songs, such as the work songs and field hollers of the enslaved African Americans (PBS). Nearly every song on the radio today has its roots in the Delta Blues. Although the Blues is definitely from the Mississippi Delta, the date and exact location of the place of origin will forever remain unknown. However, Dockery Farms claims to be the place where the Blues began.
Ever since its invention in the late 18th century, the bass clarinet has evolved into the instrument that is used in orchestras and bands. The bass clarinet is made of grenadilla wood or African blackwood and is approximately 4 1/2 feet long. The first bass clarinet was invented in 1793 by Heinrich Gresner of Dresden, Germany. He was a pioneer clarinet maker who was interested in enhancing the range of the clarinet. His first bass clarinet had nine keys and was pitched in B major.
Luke is known for singing about small towns, love, heartbreak, and having fun in the country. In all of his songs Luke Bryan sings with a country accent. Jason Aldean also sings about love, where he is from, hard times, and being country. Similarly Jason Aldean has a country accent too. Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean have a common knowledge of playing the guitar.
Because of this, the songs get passed down from generation to generation, from bard to bard; some even existing today. Music genres like folk music and country/western music still carries the traits of the music of the bards in the way that they too, carry stories and histories about today’s societies and ways. This essay will explore the similarities and the influence of traditional bardic music to these musical genres in the contemporary world. Folk music emerged in the 15th to 19th centuries and is the musical aspect of folklore and is a clear link to traditional bardic music as it is ‘the earliest kind of music’ . Folk music is portrayed to be traditional and a way of describing the life of people in their communities.
The traditions of bluegrass’s oral narratives originated in the mountains of Appalachia. It was often used by the settlers there as an outlet for their systemically problematic lives, in a rural area; that was very taxing on their humble financial resources. They would use their instruments to tell stories of their difficulties and wretchedness in their relationships and love affairs, woes that often, even related to their attachment of the Appalachian Mountains. It was largely because of this bluegrass origin that it was dubbed “hillbilly” music. That word “hillbilly” just makes so much sense for me and I can totally relate to that terminology.
Folk Music Terminology Joe Ryan 1) Folk Music- The music of the common people of a society or geographic area. 2) Ethnic Music- Music that is characteristics of a particular culture or group of people, but not of the music of the common people of that culture. 3) Oral Tradition- The process in which music is preserved by people through hearing the music, remembering it, and then performing it. 4) Pentatonic Scale- a five-note scale, usually with the pattern of whole steps and half steps encountered on the black keys of the piano. 5) Dulcimer- Looks like a long, flat violin with three strings.
Country music tells stories of love, death, heartache, and happiness. So maybe that is why so many people listen to country music. It could also be where we live and in the area of the country that we live in. I think that if I lived in New York or in California I wouldn’t be listening to country music. I would probably be listening to rock or maybe pop music.