Introduction

Units 2 and 3 of Campbell’s Popular Music in America introduce us to the seminal genres that defined early popular music in America. This week you will learn about the inception of popular song (Parlor Song, Tin Pan Alley), popular music written for the stage (Minstrel Shows, Vaudeville), syncopation (ragtime, foxtrot), Blues, and Jazz. Underlying the introduction and reception of these styles is the constant tension between blacks and whites in America in the 19^th and early 20^th century.

First, it is important to understand what is meant when we refer to slavery in the United States, a black mark on the history of North America (Canada also participated in slavery). Slavery in North America began in the early 1600s, when colonists first began to arrive from Europe to take over parts of what we now call North America. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with this timeline of slavery in the United States. It is important to understand that slavery continued for over 200 years before it was abolished in 1865, and the ramifications of this horrific treatment of African American people continues to influence everything from politics to popular culture in the United States today. Slavery lasted for over 200 years – it has been less than 200 years since it was abolished.

Our timeline begins just before the Civil War (1861-1865), a pivotal moment in US history which brought about the formal outlawing of slavery, though it would take another century before black people would gain legal standing as equals to white people in that country. Freedom for black Americans did not erase racism, but it did enable the emergence of black voices in American music, changing the musical landscape and, arguably, defining American popular music as we know it today.

As you read about and listen to the music introduced in these units, take note of the role of black/white relations as they related to the development of each genre. Some genres, like the Blues, have a clearer trajectory – the suffering of black Americans due to racism and poverty lead to the development of an extremely emotive genre which gave voice to their suffering. Other genres, like Minstrelsy (as you will read at the extra links), have a more complex history, beginning as a white mockery of black culture, but also eventually giving black performers (who were forced to play up these stereotypes) their start in the entertainment business.

For better or for worse, racial tensions created the explosion in popular music styles at the end of the 19^th and turn of the 20^th centuries, and as we will see, they continue to influence music throughout the 20^th century, and still today.

Learning Objectives

When you have finished this module, you should be able to do the following:

1. Differentiate the musical influences from the British Isles, Europe, and Africa.
2. Explain and differentiate the key genres, what defines each, and how each influenced popular music in America.
3. Identify the key artists and their unique contributions to their genre.
4. Where applicable, explain the role of black/white relations on the genres covered in this module.
5. Define all terminology.

Module Instructions

1. Please read Module 2: Learning Material.
2. Please read Campbell Units 2 and 3 (pages 18 to 53).
3. As you read your textbook, visit the Module 2: Music page to listen to the musical examples.
4. Optional: post a response to one of the Challenge Questions on your blog if you plan to blog as part of your course assignments (see assignment details).
5. Join the blog discussions if they interest you.
6. Once you have completed your module work for the week, please go into the Blackboard Course Tools (vis Paws) and complete the weekly quiz prior to quiz deadline (see syllabus for details).

Key Terms, Concepts, and People

• Influences of African music, British Isles Folk Music, and Upper- and Middle-Class European Music.
• Parlor Song and Stephen Foster
• Minstrelsy
• Tin Pan Alley
• Concert Band Music and John Philip Sousa
• Ragtime and Scott Joplin
• Commercial Blues and W.C. Handy
• Classic Blues and Bessie Smith
• Jazz
• King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band
• Louis Armstrong
• Syncopation, Swing, and Improvisation

 

Continue to Module 2: Learning Material