American Music: Important Traditions


Figure 1.--As American became incrasingly urbanized and more prosperous in the late-19th century, more and more mothers insisted that their children learn musical instruments. Many of their teachers were German-Americans and often recent immigrants. This unidentified American boy looks to have been photographed in the 1900s.

The colonial music tradition was primarily English with the exception of the Scotts-Irish tradition. Here religionn was a factor. The Pilgrims were desenting English puritans which in the Calvanist tradition who were very suspicious of anything sensdual such as dance and music. And even Anglican England was not at the center of the European music world. There was little cultural exchnge with Native Americans. There was, however, a significant interchnge with Aftrican slaves, although it was generally disguised until the more open environment of the late-20th century. Another major conntribution to music in America was the European immigrants of the 19th and early-20th century. The American musical traditions was signifcantly broadened with the arrival of a wider range of Europen immigrants in the late-19th century. This significantly broadened and enriched the American musical tradition. The Germans were the most important group and the cGermans were at the center of the Western music tradition. While German immigrants broufht their love of music and music tastes with them, most of the most talented muscicians stayed in Germany. This did not change until the rise of the NAZIs which drove many talented musicians from Germany. Another major contribution was made by the Jews driven from the Tsarist Empire by the Russians. Of all the European groups, Jews seem to have had a particularly important impact on American music. The only real original American music style is jazz which came from the Afro-American cultural tradition.

England

The colonial music tradition was primarily English with the exception of the Scotts-Irish tradition. Here religionn was a factor. The Pilgrims were desenting English puritans which in the Calvanist tradition who were very suspicious of anything sensdual such as dance and music. And even Anglican England was not at the center of the European music world.

Scotts-Irish


Native-Americans

There was little cultural exchnge with Native Americans.

Afro-Americans

There was, however, a significant interchnge with Aftrican slaves, although it was generally disguised until the more open environment of the late-20th century. The only real original American music style is jazz which came from the Afro-American cultural tradition.

Germans

Another major contribution to music in America was the European immigrants of the 19th and early-20th century. The American musical traditions was signifcantly broadened with the arrival of a wider range of Europen immigrants in the late-19th century. This significantly broadened and enriched the American musical tradition. The Germans were the most important immigrant group and the Germans were at the center of the Western music tradition. The German influence in America also was considerable in the field of music. The role Germans have played in American music is monumental. It was German immigrants who arranged and attended concerts in important American cities. They pioneered American American sympony orchestras as well mas singing socities throughout America, especially in areas where Germans settled in large numbers. Germans played a major role in many areas of American life, but not where was the influence as pronounced as in music. German composers mostly remained in Germany, but many Germans became the composwrs of early American orchestras. The first American sympony orchestra was the Philharmonic Society in Boston (1798). The first conductor and the man who helped set it up was Gottlieb Graupner. The first known performance of Beethoven Ninth Sympony in America was by the Academic Orchestra in Boston (1839). The conductor was Henry Schmidt. The New York Philharmonic was also nled by German conductors: Theodor Eisfeld (1849), Carl Bergmann (1864), Leopold Damrosch (1876), Theodor Thomas (1879), Anton Seidl (1891), and Emil Paur (1902). The Boston Symphony Orchestra was founded (1881). The first conductor was Georg Henschel who was followedby Wilhelm Gericke (1884). The Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1890. The first director was Wolfgang Sawallisch. Other American cities wanted symphony orchestras as well as Germans were chisen to conduct them. These included Cincinati under Michael Brand (1896), Minneapolis under Emil Oberhoffer (1903), San Francisco under Alfred Hertz (1911), and Kansas City under Karl Krueger (1933). All the symphony orchestras in America were Germans (Arthur Nikisch, Max Fiedler, and Karl Muck) until 1918 when World War I anti-German sentiment took hold. these wwre just the most illustrious individuals. The German music teacher was a fixture in cities and small towns throughout America. While German immigrants broufht their love of music and music tastes with them, most of the most talented muscicians stayed in Germany. This did not change until the rise of the NAZIs which drove many talented musicians from Germany, Austria, and Hungary. (Many Hungarian musscicians were trained and performed in Germany.) Germans and Austrians included: Bruno Walter, Otto Klemperer, William Steinberg, and Andre Previn. Hungarians included Fritz Reiner, George Szell, and Georg Solti. One observer comments, "Germany's loss was America's gain". [Stück, p. 2.] As in many other areas, after World War II, American began producing its own conductors as well as obtaining conductors from other European countries.

Jews

Of all the European groups, Jews seem to have had a particularly important impact on American music. They acted as both a conduit for tghe German classical traditionnas well as their own vibrant cultural contriubution. The first Ameeican Jews were small numbers of Sephardic Jews. For most of the 19th century, most American Jews came from Germany and carried with them a strong German classical tradition. This changed after the Civil War when Tsarist pograms drove much larger numbers of Eastern European Jews to America. They brought with them both the classical German tradition (German music proundly affected music throughout central and Eastern Europe), but also destinctly Jewish rabinical and cultural music. Jews made a major contribution to American music. Until the arrival of theEastern European Jews, cllassical music was the reserve of the American cultural elite. But among Jewish families, even the poorest had a desire for their children, especially thecboys, to learn musical instruments and perform in the classical tradition. Many of these children pursued popular music. Jewish performers and composers are some of the best known figures in American music. Much of this was within the Jewish community, but after World War I, a generation of second generation mussicians burt upon the popular stage. Broadway singer Al Jolson was one of the most popular performers of the 1920s. The Jewish music tradition of Eastern Europe was fed into the American poplular tradition with compsers like Irving Berlin. He made "America the Beautiful" a gift to the American people. George Gershwin trained as a classical composer and was one of the most important early American composers. He wrote classical pieces and with his brother Ira wrote some of the most beloved Broadway music. Some of his pieces like 'Rhpsody in Blue' and 'An American in Paris' bridge the cap between classical and popular idiom. Jerome Kern wrote 'Showboat' (1927), a musical that continues to be popular after nearly a century. One observer writes, "Amricans of all backgrounds adopted it as a nationally defining story, one that dealt with the ever-intensifying issues of race relations and the search for a common American identity." Benny Goodman, Ziggy Elman, and Artie Shaw helped to bring jazz to a wider American audience. Simon and Garfunkel played a role in popularization folk music. Barbra Streisand and Mel Brooks are other artists that have helped shape music and the modern theater. Jewish composers, most strongly influenced by the German tradition, have also played a major role in clasical music. Perhaps the most important American clasical composer is Aaron Copland. For his compositions he drew from American folk music, but maintained the symphonic textures of classical music. Conductor an composer Leonard Bernstein is another towering Jewish figure in American music. He fused religious and secular music forms with compsitions like 'Chichester Psalms,' which include both Latin and Hebrew sacred texts.

Sources

Stück, Rudi. "German conductors," Deutscher Club Santa Rosa Newsletter (July/August 2000) vol.IV, Issue 7, p. 2.







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Created: 7:05 AM 8/18/2010
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