North America

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North America

• Canada
• The United States

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North America Map
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Background Preparation

• Home
• Earliest Americans
• Lady Liberty
• American identity

A Native American tipi and a Euro-American
settlers log cabin (c.1877)
The Statue of Liberty
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Canada

• Site 1 Cape Breton Fiddling

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Arrival Canada

• First Nations
• The French
• Nova Scotia

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Site 1 Cape Breton Fiddling

• First Impressions
• Celtic clogging
• Aural Analysis
• Fiddle carries melody
• Piano and guitarprovide harmony
• Steady compound meter

Buddy MacMaster, one ofCape Bretons best known
fiddlers
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Cultural Considerations

• Cape Breton
• Scottish connection
• Gaelic song and dance

Peggys Cove nearHalifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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The United States

• Site 2 Ballads
• Site 3 Lined Hymn
• Site 4 Shape-note Song
• Site 5 Bluegrass
• Site 6 Spiritual
• Site 7 Gospel

Site 8 Blues Site 9 Conjunto Site 10 Cajun
Music Site 11 Plains Chippewa Song Site 12
Native American Flute
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Arrival The United States

• Southern Appalachia
• The Deep South
• Native Americans

A Sioux chief, c.1908
Appalachia
Deep South
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Site 2 Ballads

• First Impressions
• A front porch lullaby
• Aural Analysis
• Tells a story
• Death, danger,and depression
• Unaccompanied vocal solo

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Cultural Considerations

• British origins
• Ballad hunting
• Cecil Sharp (1859-1924)
• Ballad influence today

Cecil Sharp collecting ballads in Appalachia
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Site 3 Lined Hymn

• First Impressions
• Recitation and a sonic smudge
• Aural Analysis
• Moderator lines out the hymn
• Congregation repeats verse
• Obscure melody and meter

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Cultural Considerations

• John Calvin (1509-1564)
• Scottish psalm singing
• Old Regular Baptists

A baptism at anOld Regular Baptist church
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Site 4 Shape-note Song

• First Impressions
• Strident singing witha steady beat
• Aural Analysis
• Nasal timbre,no instruments
• Solfege, then verse
• Harmony - Fuging tune

An elder leads a shape-note song
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Cultural Considerations

• Old Way versus Regular Singing
• Singing Schools
• Shape Notes
• The Sacred Harp
• All-day Sings

A song from the Original Sacred Harp
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Site 5 Bluegrass

• First Impressions
• High Lonesome Sound
• Aural Analysis
• High tenor harmony
• Acoustic string band
• Instrumental solo breaks

Mandolin
Banjo
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Cultural Considerations

• Urban hillbilly music
• Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys
• Folk festivals

Bill Monroe(1911-1996)with mandolin
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Site 6 African-American Spiritual

• First Impressions
• Congregational church song
• Aural Analysis
• Freer rhythm
• Moaning
• Repetition of melody and lyrics

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Cultural Considerations

• Hopeful texts
• Old Testament inspiration
• Double meanings
• Underground Railroad
• Harriet Moses Tubman(1820-1913)

Harriet Moses Tubman, c. 1880
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Site 7 African-American Gospel

• First Impressions
• Joyous church choir
• Aural Analysis
• Electric organ, etc.
• Vibrant rhythm
• Major key
• Memorable lyricsand melody

A Baptist Choir rehearses for Sunday service
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Cultural Considerations

• Get Happy texts
• New Testament inspiration
• Gospel styles
• Popular influence

A Baptist choir during worship
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Site 8 Country Blues

• First Impressions
• Emotionally raw music
• Aural Analysis
• Troubled life lyrics
• Guitar conversation
• 12-bar blues
• Blue notes

Texas BluesmanLightnin Hopkins
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Cultural Considerations

• Blues roots
• Juke joints Cuttin Heads
• Race records
• City blues

A juke joint, c.1939
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Site 9 Conjunto

• First Impressions
• Spanish polka
• Aural Analysis
• Button-box bajo sexto
• Snappy staccato sound
• Serenading singing

The bajo sexto and button box
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Cultural Considerations

• Norteño dance bands
• Narciso Martínez (1911-1992)
• Tejano music

Narciso Martinez (1911-1992), the Father of
Conjunto
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Site 10 Cajun Music

• First Impressions
• French polka
• Aural Analysis
• Button box, fiddleand triangle
• Simple melody
• Two-step rhythm

A Louisiana Cajun band
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Cultural Considerations

• Acadians and Creoles
• Bals de maisonand the Do-do
• Zydeco
• Washboard

A frottoir (washboard)
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Arrival Native American Reservations
Native American Reservations (in white)

• Native American cultural regions
• Reservations in many US states, also Canada
• Music for religion, remembrance and recognition

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Site 11 Plains Chippewa Song

• First Impressions
• Warbling voices with heartbeat drum
• Aural Analysis
• Unison pulse singing
• Cascadingmelodic contour
• Vocables
• Mother Earth drum

Plains Indian musicians perform at a powwow
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Cultural Considerations

• Powwow
• Casinosand contests
• Regalia

Native American dancers in full regalia
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Site 12 Native American Flute

• First Impressions
• Sound of the wind
• Aural Analysis
• End-blown wooden flute
• Distant timbre
• Clear melodic phrases
• No clear meter

A Native American flute musician
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Cultural Considerations

• Courting rituals and storytelling
• New Age movement
• Flute circles

The Grand Canyon