|
Old American Songs and Evolution |
Timeline |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Long ago, Tomoya Takaishi who is a Japanese folk singer & song writer released the album of “Natasha Seven 107 Song Book Series”. Ｉ bought the series of Vol.1-Vol.11 and used to listen to them. He describes about “the bluegrass music and the old time American music”, in the preface of the album. He revealed the long history of folk music. As for bluegrass music, he said, “This is such a simple music that we feel enough the smell of both the soil and human in it”. And he also said “Bluegrass music has been giving out a steady light to the fan since it started in 1970's”. “ not losing the smell of both the earth and human”. How romantic this expression is! So, I was interested in the history of American old songs and tried studying that. According to Takaishi’s idea, American old songs can be classified as follows; the country music, the hillbilly music, the blues music, the folk music, and the cotton fields music. And among them, there is difference as follows; as the hillbilly music and the country music are to the white race, so the blues music, the folk music，and the cotton fields music are to the colored race. In addition, he also said, “Songs of Stephen Foster are too harmonious with both the white race and the black race to be separable”. .Since I know well such song “Old Black Joe” or “Jeanie with Light Brown Hair” composed by Foster, I agree with him. The country music is characteristic of the following. People of Appalachian region (especially the southern area) made their own traditional form from the inherited British music. Then, with the developments in commerce industry and agriculture, that music are said to be commercialized and to have been called by the name of country music. To the contrary, Hillbilly music is quite different. This is also originated in the same southern Appalachians and was developed maintaining its own form based on that area without tying to the commercial. Having been affected by folk blues and jazz, this hillbilly music became closely connected with folklore music step by step. Then it had been grown by the professionals of folk blues. It was progressive but changed with keeping characteristics of mutual ethnic musical tradition. Consequently, it had been called “bluegrass music”. Furthermore Takaishi says, “All these music mentioned above can be classified from viewpoint of another style”. “Hillbilly music”, “String band music” and “Bluegrass music” of early time are likely to be called “mountain music” or “southern mountain music”. Music called “old time” is one of the mountain music. He says, “Old Time means the mountain music seen in the records in 1920’s ~ 1930’s, and is classified from the bluegrass music established since 1945”. A modern bluegrass style are said to have started in 1945 after several transitions. Lester Flatt (guitar), Earl Scruggs (banjo), Chubby Ｗise (fiddle), Cedric Rainwater (bass), Bill Monroe (mandolin flat) were the member who made such modern bluegrass style. Further more, it’s said that the commonly referred bluegrass was born by their performing style. But, one notable achievement of that group is “Scruggs three-finger picking style” which Bill Monroe created. This group with such new picking style of banjo made the fundamental of Bluegrass music. Thereafter, Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys formed the Foggy Mountain Boys with Start Earl, and bluegrass was spread into the world. On the other hand, Stanley Brothers with the singing style in which the scent of earth is enough raised Bluegrass fan. And in the 1960’s, this bluegrass music spread in urban in accordance with folk song boom. Here, I’ll show the Timeline of trends in music on the right of this site. After all, the songs sung in USA are found to be very various in the influence of human race or economics or science or industrial revolution or wars. But I think it very interesting.
|
I will talk about some part of US music history. There are a lot of folk songs in USA, for example, “Oh My Darling Clementine”, “Shenandoah”, “Red River Valley”, “ Turkey in the straw”, and also some blues and jazz. But, here, both the progress of the music from Foster’s to Bluegrass music and social conditions were summarized in the chronological table. From this table, Foster’s music “Old Black Joe” and “Jeanie with the light brown hair” are found to be released prior to Civil war or emancipation of the slaves. As Takaishi mentions, prior to the emancipation of the slaves，songs were sung wholly among the white race and the colored race. Surely, both the white race and the colored race must have enjoyed each other Foster’s songs in those days. At the time of “Old time” in fashion, various inventions were seen. So, above all, industry has developed. For instance, Chaplin’s movie brings home to me such the “time of inventions”. Time from bluegrass music to Rock’n Roll music is such one that people in the world felt step by step “brightness” after world war Ⅱ.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
