History of Folk Music in America Essay -- Music History Research paper

History of Folk Music in the States Hillbilly melody grew out of the rich tradition of British folksballads, songs and hymns brought to North America by British settlers andthen adapted to the peculiar circumstances, e.g., biographical names, distinguishnames, frontier concerns, of the North American wilderness. It isimportant to remember that all of the colonies were British, from Maine toGeorgia. The fill ethnical origins of the south are difficult to determineand not intumesce documented. The rural south did not attract large numbers ofEuropean immigrants in the great period of immigration (1850-1920)however, it is certain that by 1920 in that respect had been considerableintermingling of a few ethnic groups ( side of meat, Welsh, Scottish,Scotch-Irish, German, Czechoslovakian, native Indian and African). Likewise, the ethnic origin of the music of the southern region is complex. There were Irish jigs, English and Scottish ballads and folk so ngs, hymns,etc. However, as Malone (19854) suggests, the end result of the melodicmelting pot was a product more British than anything fix in GreatBritain today. The 1790 census report indicates that the population of the UnitedStates was 60.1% English, 14% Scotch-Irish and 3% Irish. These threegroups made up 78% of the total population. The fresh Anglo-SaxonProtestant core culture dominated all of pre-Revolutionary America. However, for reasons we depart examine later, the southern region produced awhite and a nasty musical tradition which were significantly different fromthe rest of the nation. The British folk ballad is at the heart of the southern musicaltradition. Three salient(ip) characteristics of the Briti... ...from theMiddle Ages, used a four, five or six berth scale which did not fall withintradition major or minor scales. The tunes were almost chants which roseand fell in pitch - commonly peaking at the middle of the song and thendiminishing. I nstrumentation was usually non-existent and, when present,not very important to the song. In the U.S., harmony was much moreimportant. This likely results from the importance of gospel singing. SourcesMalone, Bill C. Country Music USA cubic decimetre Year History. Austin University of Texas Press, 1985.Carr, Patrick (ed). The Illustrated History of Country Music. Garden City Doubleday, 1979.Roebuck, Julian B. and Mark Hickson. The Southern Redneck APhenomenological Class Study. New York Praeger Publishers, 1982.