Anonymous
Posted September 8, 2006
This lively and accessible book explores the musical traditions of five broad groups - Native Americans, European Americans, African Americans, Latino Americans, and Asian Americans - with particular interest in how those multicultural roots have intermingled to create contemporary American music. Along the way, author Elizabeth Barkley achieves a near impossible feat: presenting concise and candid histories of each cultural group, in addition to equally concise and clear explanations of the stylistic elements of their music. These elements are reinforced by the companion CD, which provides 18 listening examples with commentary. My only criticism is the book suffers from inattentive editing. For example, the first citation in Chapter One is â¿¿Ibid.â¿ Several photo captions apparently include layout notations not intended for readers' eyes, sometimes to a mildly humorous effect. The content deserves better. Though designed for college students with no prior musical training, this book will be invaluable to high school and college music teachers wanting to infuse more diversity into their coursework, or for social studies teachers wanting to infuse more popular culture. I would also recommend it to those specifically interested in African American music since - not surprisingly - about half the chapters touch on it in one way or another. Highly recommended!
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Meet the Author
Elizabeth Barkley holds a BA and MA from the University of California at Riverside and a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. She has worked at Foothill College since 1977, including nine years as Dean of Fine Arts and Communications. As a faculty member at Foothill she has taught piano, music history and literature, and music theory and composition. Her books include Collaborative Learning Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty (co-authored with K. Patricia Cross and Claire Howell Major, Jossey-Bass, 2004), the earlier edition of Crossroads: Popular Music in America (Prentice Hall, 2003), and a three-volume series, Great Composers and Music Masterpieces of Western Civilization (co-authored with Robert Hartwell, Pearson Custom Publishing, 2001 and 2002).
She has been the recipient of several honors, including the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s California's Higher Education Professor of the Year, the Chair Academy’s Outstanding Leadership Award for work with Learning Outcomes Assessment, Innovator of the Year in conjunction with the National League for Innovation, the Gerald Hayward Award for Educational Excellence, the Center for Diversity in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education’s Faculty Award, the Foothill College President's Special Achievement Award, and the California Community College League’s Out-of-the-Box Thinker Award. She has also served as a Leadership Fellow through the American Council on Education and has been named a Carnegie Scholar in the discipline of music by the Pew Charitable Trusts in conjunction with the Carnegie Foundation. Additionally, the California Virtual Campus selected her course Music of Multicultural America as the Best Online Course.
Table of Contents
Preface
Part I: The Journeys Begin
Chapter 1: Music in Multicultural America
The Components of American Multiculturalism
Culture
Ethnicity and Culture
Race and Culture
Acculturation and Assimilation into American Society
The United States Today
American Multiculturalism and American Music
The Building Blocks of Music
Conclusion
Bibliography
Boxed Features
Insight: The “United States” or “America?”
In-Depth Focus: America as the “New World”
Chapter 2: The Music of Native Americans
Native American Origins
Overview of Pre-Conquest Music Traditions
Challenges to Studying Pre-Conquest Native American Music
Commonalities among Native Music Traditions
Structural Characteristics
Native American Music Within A Historical and Social Context: The Fifteenth —
Nineteenth Centuries
Native American Cultural Diversity
Contact with Europeans in the Colonial Period
Native Americans and the United States of America
Impact of Europeans on Native Culture and Music Traditions
Native Americans in the Twentieth Century
Pan-Indian Music
Native Americans Today
Conclusion
Bibliography
Boxed Features
Profile: Douglas Spotted Eagle
Insight: Native American or Indian?
Listening Guide: “Rabbit Dance”
Chapter 3: The Roots of European/Anglo-American Music
Overview of European-American Music Traditions
Commonalities of European-American Music
Early Anglo-American Music Traditions
The Structural Characteristics of Anglo-American Folk Music
Anglo-American Music within a Social and Historical Context
Religious Music of the Colonial Period
Folk Music of the Early Settlers
The Americanization of British Folk Songs
Instrumental Music of the Early Settlers
Conflict and the Road to Revolution
The Founding of a New Nation
Boxed Features
Insight: Understanding the Term “Anglo-American”
Listening Guide: “Barbara Allen”
In-Depth Focus: Famous Patriotic Songs
Insight: The American Tradition of Square Dance Calling
Profile: The Carter Family
Chapter 4: The Roots of African-American Music
African-American Origins
Challenges to Retaining African Culture
Overview of African Music Traditions
African Diversity
African Commonalities
African-American Music within a Historical and Social Context
Colonial America
Structural Characteristics of Early African-American Music
The American Revolution and Striving for Freedom
The Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Late Nineteenth Century
Conclusion
Bibliography
Boxed Features
Insight: “African-Americans” or “Blacks?”
Listening Guide: “Drum Rhythms”
Insight: The Double Language of Spirituals
Profile: Huddie Ledbetter “Leadbelly”
Chapter 5: The Roots of Latin American Music
The First Mexican Americans
Pre-Conquest and Arrival of the Europeans
Overview of the Music of the Aztecs and Other Indigenous Peoples
Challenges and Changes in Studying Indigenous Music of Mexico
Commonalities of Aztec and Other Indigenous Music
Structural Characteristics of Aztec and Other Indigenous Music
Mexican-American Music in a Historical and Social Context
The Spanish Colonial Period
Influence of Colonial System on Mexican Music
Mexican Independence
Mexican Northern Provinces become Part of the United States
Mestizo Music Traditions
Structural Characteristics
Popular Mestizo Music Styles
Conclusion
Bibliography
Boxed Features
Insight: What’s In a Name? The Challenge of Categories
In-Depth Focus: Friars Toribo de Motolinia and Pedro de Gante
Listening Guide: La Llorona
Profile: Linda Ronstadt
Part II: Encounters at the Crossroads
Chapter 6: The Blues
Overview of the Music Tradition of the Blues
Origin of the Term “The Blues”
Stylistic Categories
The Structural Characteristics of the Blues
The Blues in a Historical and Social Context
Origin of the Blues to 1900
Spread of the Blues from 1900 to 1920
The 1920s and the Initial Expansion of Blues Styles
The 1930s and the Development of Urban Blues
The 1940s and Three Important Bluesmen
Important Developments in the 1950s
The 1960s and British Blues
The 1970s to the Present
Conclusion
Bibliography
Boxed Features
Listening Guide: “Cross Road Blues”
Insight: The Blues as the Devil’s Music
In-Depth Focus: Dockery Farms and Charlie Patton
Portrait: B.B. King
Portrait: Susan Tedeschi
Chapter 7: Jazz
Jazz: Primarily African-American or European-American?
Overview of the Music Tradition of Jazz
Stylistic Categories
Structural Characteristics
Jazz in A Historical and Social Context
Precursors to Jazz: Ragging and Ragtime
The “Birth of Jazz” in New Orleans: 1865-1917
The 1920s: The Migration of Jazz Out of New Orleans
The 1930s and 1940s: The Swing Era
Vocal Jazz
The 1940s and 1950s: Bebop
The 1950s and 1960s: Cool Jazz and Hard Bop
The 1960s and 1970s: The Avant-Garde, Free Jazz, and Fusion
The 1980s and 1990s: Classicism, Smooth or Contemporary Jazz, and
Acid Jazz
Conclusion
Bibliography
Boxed Features
Listening Guide: “Take the A Train”
Insight: The New Orleans Creoles of Color
Profile: Miles Davis
Chapter 8: Gospel
Overview of Gospel Music
Distinguishing Gospel from Spirituals
Structural Characteristics
Gospel Music in a Historical and Social Context
The Foundation for the Development of Gospel Music
The Work of Thomas Dorsey in the 1920s
The “Birth” of Gospel in Chicago and the 1930s and 1940s
The Recording and Popularizing of Gospel in the 1950s
Gospel in the Last Half of the Twentieth Century
Conclusion
Bibliography
Boxed Features
In-Depth Focus: Camp Meetings, Bush Meetings and “Shouts”
Listening Guide: “How I Got Over”
Insight: White Gospel
Profile: Kirk Franklin
Chapter 9: Cajun and Zydeco
Overview of Cajun and Zydeco Music Traditions
Structural Characteristics
Cajun and Zydeco Music in a Social and Historical Context
The Roots of Cajun Music
Cajun and Creole Music Early in the Twentieth Century
Cajun Music in the Middle of the Twentieth Century
Zydeco
Conclusion
Bibliography
Boxed Features
Profile: Michael Doucet
Listening Guide: Zydeco
Chapter 10: Country Music
Overview of Country Music
Stylistic Categories
Structural Characteristics
Country Music in a Historical and Social Context
The 1920s and the Beginnings of “Country” Music
The 1930s and the Emergence of “Country Western”
The 1940s with Honky-Tonk and Blue Grass
The 1950s and the Creation of “The Nashville Sound”
The 1960s and 1970s
The 1980s to the Present
Conclusion
Bibliography
Boxed Features
Listening Guide: “Rocky Top’
Insight: Country Music’s Inherent Traditionalism
Profile: Shania Twain
Chapter 11: The Urban Folk Revival
Overview of the Music of the Urban Folk Revival
Renewed Interest in Traditional Music
Dissemination and Popularization of Traditional Music
Trends in Folk Music in the Mid-Twentieth Century
Structural Characteristics
The Urban Folk Revival in a Social and Historical Context
1900-1940
The 1940s
The 1950s
The 1960s
Conclusion
Bibliography
Boxed Features
Insight: Joe Hill
In-Depth Focus: Folksong Collecting and John and Alan Lomax
Profile: Pete Seeger
Listening Guide: “Barbara Allen”
Profile: Bob Dylan
Part III: Excursions in New Directions
Chapter 12: Rock ‘n’ Roll
Overview of Rock ‘n’ roll’s Music Characteristics
Rock ‘n’ Roll in a Historical and Social Context
Changes in the 1940s and 1950s
The Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll
The Primary Musical Influences on Early Rock ‘n’ roll
Two Examples of the Fusion of Styles
Rock ‘n’ Roll’s First Stars
Conflicting Reactions to Rock ‘n’ Roll
Later Developments of Rock
Conclusion
Bibliography
Boxed Features
Listening Guide: “Whole Lotta Shakin Going On”
In-Depth Focus: John Mayer and The Search for Superstars
Chapter 13: Soul, Motown, and Funk
Overview of the Musical Characteristics of Soul, Motown and Funk
Soul
Motown
Funk
Soul, Motown, and Funk in a Historical and Social Context
Geographical Centers for Soul Music
Motown
Funk
Conclusion
Bibliography
Boxed Features
Listening Guide “Say It Loud: I’m Black and I’m Proud”
Profile: Aretha Franklin
Profile: Brian McKnight
Chapter 14: Salsa, Reggae, and Caribbean Latino Music
Defining “The Caribbean”
Overview of Caribbean Music Traditions
Structural Characteristics Unifying Caribbean Music
Specific Music Traditions of Particular Importance to Puerto Rico
Other Caribbean Music Traditions
Caribbean Music Traditions within a Historical and Social Context
Pre-Conquest and Establishment of Spanish Colonies
Puerto Rico as an American Territory
The Development of Salsa
The Birth of “Salsa”
African and European Influences on Salsa
Salsa’s Increasing Popularity
Conclusion
Bibliography
Boxed Features
In-Depth Focus: Reggae to Ragga
Profile: Puerto Rican Roots: Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony
Profiles: From Cuba: Tito Puente and Gloria Estefan
Listening Guide: “Menea La Cintura”
Chapter 15: Tejano, Banda, and Contemporary Mexican-American Music
Overview of Twentieth Century Mexican-American Music Traditions
Stylistic Categories
Structural Characteristics
Twentieth Century Mexican-American Music within a Social and Historical Context
The First Half of the Twentieth Century
The Second Half of the Twentieth Century
The Late Twentieth Century
Conclusion
Bibliography
Boxed Features
Listening Guide: “El Tamal”
Profile: Carlos Santana
Chapter 16: Asian American Music
Challenges and Issues in Discussing Asian Americans and Asian-American Music
The Three Periods of Asian Immigration
Current Asian Communities in the United States
Asian-American Music within a Social and Historical Context
Chinese Americans
Filipino Americans
Indian and Pakistani Americans
Vietnamese Americans
Korean Americans
Japanese Americans
Asian-American Music in the Last Half of the Twentieth Century to the Present
Conclusion
Bibliography
Boxed Features
In-Depth Focus: The Chinese Lion Dance
Profile: Yo-Yo Ma
Listening Guide: “Hard Times (Come Again No More)”
Chapter 17: Hip-Hop and rap
Overview of Hip-Hop and Rap Music Traditions
Defining Hip-Hop and Rap
Stylistic Categories of Rap
Rap and Hip-Hop in a Social and Historical Context
Roots of Rap in African and African-American Oral Traditions
The Earliest Hip-Hop and Rap
The Context for the Rise in Popularity of Rap
Shift in Rap from Party Music to Social Commentary
Hip-Hop and Rap become More Mainstream
The Growth of Hardcore Rap
The 2001 Hip-Hop Summit
Conclusion
Bibliography
Boxed Features
Profile: Tupac Shakur
Listening Guide: “The Breaks”
Profile: Jay-Z
Epilogue
Photo Credits
Index