American Music in the 20th Century - Part 1

This is the first of four entries chronicling American popular music during the twentieth century. These short articles are not meant to be an exhaustive reflection of the music from 1900 – 2000, but rather an introduction and starting point for further study.

Teachers who would like to use this information in class are welcome to do so. Additionally, I have developed sets of questions for each of the blog entries. If you would like to download these assignment questions for free, visit www.classroomrecordermusic.com. You can find links to the assignments there.

Part 1: 1900 – 1930
Beginning with the Blues

Blues

The origin of the blues style is rooted in a vocal style brought from Africa. After the Civil War, Southern blacks began to teach themselves how to play instruments, and they taught themselves in the style they had inherited from Africa. This was the only style they knew.

These former slaves sang of their plight in the bad economic and social structure found after the war. The songs had the melodic structure of the spiritual, but evolved into a new style around 1880. This style was the blues.

Classic blues style has a twelve bar form. These twelve measures are usually in four-four time, and are broken down into three measure phrases. The vocal style expresses stories of bad luck and hard times. The first two lines usually rhyme, and have a similar melody. The vocal line usually lasts nine beats, which leaves seven beats for improvisation.

Ragtime

Ragtime was primarily a piano style which began to develop in the early 1900’s. The left hand played a regular rhythmic bass, while the right hand played complex syncopated patterns.

“Rags” were composed pieces with very little room for improvisation. The harmonies were mainly basic chords, but the twelve bar blues form was not used. Scott Joplin and James Scott are the two best known ragtime composers.

Dixieland or “New Orleans Style”

Dixieland began around 1900 in New Orleans. The French settlers had brought their marching brass band tradition when they settled there. Near the end of the 19th century, blacks began to form their own brass bands. These bands included cornets or trumpets, trombones, baritones, alto horns, tubas and drums. They played in their own improvised style. This style became known as Dixieland.

At night, smaller bands got together to entertain in the dance halls. The music they played was based on the blues. They rarely used music, because all the players knew the harmony and the form. A typical Dixieland band had a clarinet, trumpet or cornet, trombone, piano, banjo or guitar, drums and sometimes a tuba. There was no singer.

From Tin-Pan Alley to Music At Home

Before the arrival of radio, one of the main methods for middle class home entertainment was the use of the family piano. By the 1890’s, middle class people usually had a piano in their home, and the family would get together and sing the popular songs of the day, as someone played them on the piano. Sheet music was therefore very popular. The first million selling song (in a twelve month period) was “After the Ball.” It was published in 1892.

Music publishers tried to have new songs as often as possible to meet the demand of the public. Publishers also tried to have their songs sung by the stars of vaudeville, so that people could hear new songs, and want to buy them. If a publisher could get Al Jolson or Eddie Cantor to sing their song, it would almost certainly be a hit. Many of these publishers were centered at West 28th Street in New York City, which became known as Tin-Pan Alley.

“Chicago Style”

Around 1918, many musicians left New Orleans. They traveled to many destinations, but many traveled up the Mississippi River to Chicago. There a different style emerged. Groups of white musicians were inspired by the “New Orleans” style. They did not base their style on the blues, but instead used the popular song forms from Tin-Pan Alley. In the “Chicago Style,” the piano was used as a rhythm instrument. This style also employed a singer or “crooner” to sing a vocal solo. The singing style was usually smooth and sentimental.

Radio and “Talkies”

Until the twentieth century, professional music-making was only done for small, often elite audiences. These people would buy tickets for the opera, symphony or perhaps Broadway show. This all changed in the 1920’s. In 1920, the first public radio station went on the air.

When radio first began public broadcasting in 1920, music publishers did not want their music played. They felt that “giving away” their music would hurt sheet music sales. At that time, publishers were not paid for having their music played. Now publishers receive money whenever one of their songs plays on the radio. Despite the early reluctance of music publishers, music and radio were quickly joined.

Another big change that happened in the 1920’s was the release of the movie entitled “The Jazz Singer.” This was the first “talkie” or movie with talking rather than written dialogue on the screen. After this musical was released, all the studios scrambled to make “talking pictures.” Here was another natural place for the use of songs.

Radio took music from the concert hall, and put it in everybody’s home, while movies now allowed middle class people to see and hear their favorite songs sung by their favorite stars. Music was becoming accessible to more people than ever, and this was to have a profound effect on American music in the Twentieth Century.

Next time: 1930 – 1954 – Big Bands and Beyond