DOCSLIB.ORG

02 Blackface Minstrelsy Pop Music.Key

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
02 Blackface Minstrelsy Pop Music.Key © Michael J. Kramer Warning: These slides are intended for student reference only. Distributing these slides to others, whether on campus or off, is a violation of Northwestern University’s Academic Integrity Policy. Subject to removal if lecture attendance declines. The Powerful Problems of Blackface Minstrelsy The racial masquerade across the color line Racist… …but why, how, on what terms? History: Theory: music and identity transgression - appropriation - identification music business emerging national popular music market streams of folklore/vernacular <-> commercial music peripheries and centers - urban/rural, black/white, rich/poor Theoretically: an apparatus for thinking about the power of transgression appropriation rebellion condescension affiliation “mutualities born of difference” - WT Lhamon “what is socially peripheral is often symbolically central.” -Barbara Babcock, anthropologist A Weird History: What was “Jim Crow”? 1890s - 1960s: system of racialized, often violent segregation, oppression 1820s-30s “Jim Crow” - Thomas Dartmouth (TD) Rice, b. 1808 d. 1860 “Zip Coon” - GW Dixon b. 1801?-1861 History of Blackface Minstrelsy The mask: ! the politics of transgression ! authenticity or hidden messages? Racist imaginings of the American South? Cakewalk: African-American parody of elite Southern whites - > white imitations of perceived African-American culture Many interpretations of the minstrel show Emerging white urban north working class Fantastical projections onto blackness Little actual knowledge of African-American culture Really about creating boundaries of “whiteness” - Alexander Saxton “Love and theft” - Eric Lott The issue of *inauthenticity* But also… Deep history of masquerade, carnival, transgression in Europe peasant culture -Dale Cockrell -William Mahar Dancing for Eels at Catherine Market, 1820 A “motley culture” of the emerging urban lumpenproletariat Black - white market interactions -> theater interactions emergent anti-elite, democratic popular culture grounded in “lore” forged across the color line -WT Lhamon negotiations of power, freedom in/through/against market culture 1840s 1843, Virginia Minstrels, Chatham Theatre where where they from? 1843, Virginia Minstrels, Bowery Theatre “Old Dan Tucker,” recreated by Sandy River Minstrels Concept of the band: Tambo - Interlocuters - Bones Not just transgressions (crossing the color line using the racial mask) But also circulations, the ironies of a song’s travels, its “wheelings about” these are “lore cycles” - Lhamon full of ironies and weirdness Dan Emmett, Ohio mixed race communities -> NYC b. 1815 d. 1904 “Dixie” Written by Dan Emmett, 1850s? Becomes national anthem of the Confederacy Union versions too | One of Lincoln’s favorite songs Emmett got it from? >> Chorus from older Scottish melody? “Wild Goose Nation” (1844) - >> urban fantasies about Western frontier? >> Snowden Family of Ohio? African-American! 1860s Absorption of minstrelsy into “respectability” 1890s “Coon song” fad Hardening of racial satire, separation, but also Appropriation of the appropriation or, two can play the transgression game. Bert Williams b. 1874 d. 1922 Bahamian/NYC performer African-American appropriations of whites imitating blacks imitating whites… “hidden transcripts” - James Scott Al Jolson, The Jazz Singer (1927) The blackface mask as meditation on pain of Jewish immigrant assimilation Louis Armstrong see Ralph Ellison on race and the mask Fred Astaire, “Bojangles in Harlem” Tribute to Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, African-American tap dancer in Swing Time (1936) Elvis Presley 1950s rock ’n’ roll Rock Jimi Hendrix Michael Jackson (here with Paul McCartney in video for “Say Say Say,” 1983) Hip-hop the power of transgression but also appropriation, circulation racist, yes. struggles over… centers & peripheries music & identity music business the mask can be powerful from the bottom up as well as top down.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • John Pizzarelli and Freddy Cole: Celebrating the Centenary of Nat
    TD Jazz Concerts John Pizzarelli and Freddy Cole: Celebrating the centenary of Nat King Cole @ 100 Thursday, February 14, 2019 at 8:00pm Pre-concert Talk at 7:00pm This is the 913th concert in Koerner Hall John Pizzarelli, vocals & guitar Mike Karn, bass Konrad Paszkudzki, piano Freddy Cole, piano & vocals Elias Bailey, bass Randy Napoleon, guitar Quentin Baxtor, drums John Pizzarelli World-renowned guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli, established as one of the prime contemporary interpreters of the Great American Songbook, has expanded that repertoire by including the music of Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Antônio Carlos Jobim, and The Beatles. Having concentrated on the music of Paul McCartney, Johnny Mercer, and Frank Sinatra over the last two years, Pizzarelli has returned to the bossa nova of Jobim with his 2017 release Sinatra & Jobim @ 50. With co- vocalist Daniel Jobim, grandson of the legendary Brazilian composer, the two explore songs Sinatra and Jobim recorded, as well as add new songs flavoured with the spirit of the classic Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim album. Pizzarelli has toured North America, South America, Asia, and Europe, performing shows centered on Frank Sinatra’s centennial, the songs of Johnny Mercer, and a McCartney program, in which his quartet is joined by strings and a horn section. He also tours on a double bill with pianist Ramsey Lewis. While plenty of jazz greats influenced his work, Nat King Cole has been Pizzarelli’s hero and foundation over the last 25 years. He devoted two albums to his music, Dear Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Jazz and the Cultural Transformation of America in the 1920S
    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2003 Jazz and the cultural transformation of America in the 1920s Courtney Patterson Carney Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Carney, Courtney Patterson, "Jazz and the cultural transformation of America in the 1920s" (2003). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 176. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/176 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. JAZZ AND THE CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION OF AMERICA IN THE 1920S A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of History by Courtney Patterson Carney B.A., Baylor University, 1996 M.A., Louisiana State University, 1998 December 2003 For Big ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The real truth about it is no one gets it right The real truth about it is we’re all supposed to try1 Over the course of the last few years I have been in contact with a long list of people, many of whom have had some impact on this dissertation. At the University of Chicago, Deborah Gillaspie and Ray Gadke helped immensely by guiding me through the Chicago Jazz Archive.
    [Show full text]
  • Passing for Black: Coon Songs and the Performance of Race Patricia R
    Ursinus College Digital Commons @ Ursinus College English Faculty Publications English Department 6-9-2010 Passing for Black: Coon Songs and the Performance of Race Patricia R. Schroeder Ursinus College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/english_fac Part of the African American Studies Commons, American Studies Commons, Ethnomusicology Commons, Music Performance Commons, Other Theatre and Performance Studies Commons, Performance Studies Commons, and the United States History Commons Click here to let us know how access to this document benefits oy u. Recommended Citation Schroeder, Patricia R., "Passing for Black: Coon Songs and the Performance of Race" (2010). English Faculty Publications. 4. https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/english_fac/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the English Department at Digital Commons @ Ursinus College. It has been accepted for inclusion in English Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Ursinus College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 Passing for Black: Coon Songs and the Performance of Race Until recently, scholars exploring blackface minstrelsy or the accompanying “coon song craze” of the 1890s have felt the need to apologize, either for the demeaning stereotypes of African Americans embedded in the art forms or for their own interest in studying the phenomena. Robert Toll, one of the first critics to examine minstrelsy seriously, was so appalled by its inherent racism that he focused his 1974 work primarily on debunking the stereotypes; Sam Dennison, another pioneer, did likewise with coon songs. Richard Martin and David Wondrich claim of minstrelsy that “the roots of every strain of American music—ragtime, jazz, the blues, country music, soul, rock and roll, even hip-hop—reach down through its reeking soil” (5).
    [Show full text]
  • Rudimental Classics: 'Hell on the Wabash'
    Rudimental Classics ‘Hell on the Wabash’ By Robert J. Damm ell on the Wabash” (with melody) was included in The A number of banjo Moeller Book which, along with “Wrecker’s Daughter tunes, customarily Quickstep,” were described as “two very old favorites that called “jigs,” indicating “Hcan never be improved upon” (p. 63). He also quoted Bruce they were associated as having said, “Without this rudimental instruction we can have only with dances, made indifferent players, comparatively ignorant of the nature of the very their first appearance instrument they play upon” (p. 10). in the 1840s. These As a fife and drum duet, “Hell on the Wabash” first appeared in The banjo tunes were made Drummer’s and Fifer’s Guide (Bruce and Emmett) in 1862. This important widely available to the book provided instruction for both the drum and the fife in score form public in published and included music notation for the camp duty. George Bruce and Dan method books starting Emmett authored the book because they were concerned about the in the 1850s. Dan quality of training received by the field musicians in the army (Olson, p. Emmett included 86). The history of “Hell on the Wabash” touches on both military and 48 banjo tunes in popular music traditions, reflecting the corresponding lives of its authors. an early manuscript George B. Bruce was considered a “first-rate drummer” who had collection he compiled studied with Charles Ashworth (Olson, p. 86). He held the prestigious sometime between post of drum major and principal instructor at the military drumming 1845 and 1860 (there school on Bedloe’s and Governor’s Islands, New York Harbor during the is no date on the Civil War.
    [Show full text]
  • MTO 11.4: Spicer, Review of the Beatles As Musicians
    Volume 11, Number 4, October 2005 Copyright © 2005 Society for Music Theory Mark Spicer Received October 2005 [1] As I thought about how best to begin this review, an article by David Fricke in the latest issue of Rolling Stone caught my attention.(1) Entitled “Beatles Maniacs,” the article tells the tale of the Fab Faux, a New York-based Beatles tribute group— founded in 1998 by Will Lee (longtime bassist for Paul Schaffer’s CBS Orchestra on the Late Show With David Letterman)—that has quickly risen to become “the most-accomplished band in the Beatles-cover business.” By painstakingly learning their respective parts note-by-note from the original studio recordings, the Fab Faux to date have mastered and performed live “160 of the 211 songs in the official canon.”(2) Lee likens his group’s approach to performing the Beatles to “the way classical musicians start a chamber orchestra to play Mozart . as perfectly as we can.” As the Faux’s drummer Rich Pagano puts it, “[t]his is the greatest music ever written, and we’re such freaks for it.” [2] It’s been over thirty-five years since the real Fab Four called it quits, and the group is now down to two surviving members, yet somehow the Beatles remain as popular as ever. Hardly a month goes by, it seems, without something new and Beatle-related appearing in the mass media to remind us of just how important this group has been, and continues to be, in shaping our postmodern world. For example, as I write this, the current issue of TV Guide (August 14–20, 2005) is a “special tribute” issue commemorating the fortieth anniversary of the Beatles’ sold-out performance at New York’s Shea Stadium on August 15, 1965—a concert which, as the magazine notes, marked the “dawning of a new era for rock music” where “[v]ast outdoor shows would become the superstar standard.”(3) The cover of my copy—one of four covers for this week’s issue, each featuring a different Beatle—boasts a photograph of Paul McCartney onstage at the Shea concert, his famous Höfner “violin” bass gripped in one hand as he waves to the crowd with the other.
    [Show full text]
  • Ashton Patriotic Sublime.5.Pdf (9.823Mb)
    commercial spaces like theaters, and to performances spanning the gamut from the solemn, to the joyous. This diversity encompassed celebrations outside the expected calendar of national days. Patriotic sentiment was even a key feature of events celebrating the economic and commercial expansion of the new nation. The commemorative celebration for the laying of the foundation-stone of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, the “great national work which is intended and calculated to cement more strongly the union of the Eastern and the Western States,” took place on July 4, 1828.1 It beautifully illustrated the musical ties that bound different spaces together – in this case a parade route, a temporary outdoor civic space, and the permanent space of the Holliday Street Theatre. Organizers chose July Fourth for the event, wishing to signal civic pride and affective patriotism. Baltimore filled with visitors in the days before the celebration, so that on the morning of the Fourth the “immense throng of spectators…filled every window in Baltimore-street, and the pavement below….fifty thousand spectators, at least, must have been present.” The parade was massive and incorporated a great diversity of groups, including “bands of music, trades, and other bodies.” One focal point was a huge model, “completely rigged,” of a naval vessel, the “Union,” complete with uniformed sailors. Bands playing patriotic tunes were interspersed amongst the nationalist imagery on display: militia uniforms, banners emblazoned with patriotic verse, national flags, eagle figures, shields, and more. Charles Carrollton, one of the last surviving signers of the Declaration of Independence, gave the main public address at the site, accompanied by a march composed for the occasion, the “Carrollton March” (see Figure 2.4).
    [Show full text]
  • Let Us Sing As We Go: Votes for Women
    Let Us Sing As We Go, Votes for Women! title from Suffrage Song, 1915, words by James Weber Linn, music by Eleanor Smith Songs The Suffragists Sang: A Compilation Of Suffrage Lyrics To Commonly Known Tunes Come Vote, Ladies! tune: Good-night, Ladies! Come vote, ladies; come vote ladies; come vote, ladies; The civic call obey. Gladly we will cast a vote, cast a vote, cast a vote, Gladly we will cast a vote On Election Day! words: Eugénie M. Rayé-Smith, 1912; S-1912-3(A) A Suffrage Songster for Group Singing Compiled by Steve Woodbury [email protected] Edition 1.1, January 2020 The lyrics in this collection are all in the public domain. The collection is copyright © 2019 by Steven Woodbury. Permission is granted to reproduce it for group singing and for educational purposes, but not for sale (beyond printing costs). I look forward to hearing from users about when and where and how you have used this collection. Let’s get people singing these songs again! 1 Rights of Woman Why should a Woman lie tune: God Save America In base obscurity, (America) Her talents hid, Her providence assign’d GOD save each Female’s right, Her soul to be confin’d, Show to her ravish’d sight Is not her gentle mind Woman is Free; By virtue led? Let Freedom’s voice prevail, And draw aside the veil, With this engaging charm, Supreme Effulgence hail, Where is so much the harm Sweet liberty. For her to stand. To join the grand applause Man boasts the noble cause, Of truth and equal laws, Nor yields supine to laws, Or lend the noble cause, Tyrants ordain; Her feeble hand.
    [Show full text]
  • MS Choral Presentation FINAL
    Middle School Choral Pedagogy & Reading Session by Dr. Mirna Y. Cabrera [email protected] Beautiful Tone • Developing a beautiful choral sound takes time. • Start with head voice, descending 5-note pentachord. • Unify ensemble sound to attain tuneful singing, using free and open vowels from all singers. o Use pure vowel sounds. • Unify a) vowels, b) volume, c) vibrato (if present). In-tune singing principles • Identify instances when notes are most likely to go out of tune: o a) repeated notes o b) sustained notes o c) descending patterns. • Practice with a UNISON a cappella piece learned by rote with text, then solfege by discovery, then score. Add ostinati as part singing and for tuning purposes. UNISON piece in solfege by rote, a cappella, then score. Add ostinati as part singing and for tuning purposes. Directing • “Follow me” – All things are prepared in live music performance; each performance is slightly different from previous or future ones. As directors, our duty is to create organic performances where we get to influence our groups’ musical interpretation. In order to avoid a carefully-prepared choreographed performance (in opposition to an organic one), teach singers to understand that our gestures are meaningful and must be learned to follow. • By preparing the following elements, among others, we can create beautiful and meaningful performances. o Breath o Entries o Cut-offs o Dynamics o Tempo changes o Character changes/transitions o Rhythmic subtleties • Ultimately, our personal musicianship will carry us as we lead our groups. o Establish tempo before starting a piece, by hearing it first in your head.
    [Show full text]
  • “N” ROLL and SPORTS AUCTION FEATURING LADY GAGA, CHER, BONO, JOHN LENNON, PAUL Mccartney, MUHAMMAD ALI and MANY MORE…
    JULIEN’S AUCTIONS ANNOUNCES HISTORICAL ROCK “N” ROLL AND SPORTS AUCTION FEATURING LADY GAGA, CHER, BONO, JOHN LENNON, PAUL McCARTNEY, MUHAMMAD ALI AND MANY MORE… Beverly Hills, CA - Monday, November 7th, 2011 - Julien‟s Auctions, the world‟s premiere entertainment and celebrity auction house will once again make history when the doors open for a star studded auction that includes items from the worlds of Rock „n Roll, Sports, the Royal family and political memorabilia on Thursday, December 1, 2011 through Sunday, December 4, 2011 at the Julien‟s Auctions gallery in Beverly Hills. Julien‟s will highlight the rock „n roll portion of the auction event with a very rare offering of items from the Fame Monster herself, Lady Gaga. The award winning multi-platinum music icon‟s unmatched style can be seen on stage, in print, on billboards and at Julien‟s gallery. Her famous structured dress worn for the cover of Madame Figaro magazine in 2001 will be offered for auction. The now famous costume designed by and is estimated to sell for $10,000 - $20,000. Additionally the prop gun used in Lady Gaga‟s music video for “Born This Way,” will also be offered with an estimate of $6,000-$8,000. When you hear the words rock royalty, any collector knows it must mean The Beatles, The Rolling Stones or U2 amongst others. Included are stage worn outfits from the Beatles that have been on display at the Rock „n Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. These include John Lennon‟s stage worn collarless suit by D.A.
    [Show full text]
  • A History of Music in Old Mount Vernon, Ohio with Particular Attention to Woodward Hall and the Nineteenth-Century American Opera House
    A HISTORY OF MUSIC IN OLD MOUNT VERNON, OHIO WITH PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO WOODWARD HALL AND THE NINETEENTH-CENTURY AMERICAN OPERA HOUSE A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Elizabeth Bleecker McDaniel, B.A. ***** The Ohio State University 2003 Master's Examination Committee Approved by Dr. Graeme M. Boone, Adviser Dr. Charles M. Atkinson _________________________ Adviser Mr. Christopher R. Weait School of Music ABSTRACT During the antebellum period, the town of Mount Vernon, Ohio had a flourishing music scene that included performances by both local amateur societies and professional touring groups. When Woodward Hall, located on the top floor of a four-story commercial building, opened its doors to the public in 1851, it provided the town with its first dedicated theater. Newspaper items and other early sources show that the hall was a focus of public culture in the 1850s, hosting concerts, plays, lectures, and art exhibits as well as community activities including dances, church fundraisers, and school exhibitions. The early source materials for Mount Vernon, however, like those for many small towns, are lacunary, and especially so in the case of Woodward Hall. These shortcomings are compensated, to some extent, by materials relating to theaters of similar size and age in other towns, which offer points of comparison for the Woodward and prove it to be a typical mid-nineteenth-century American theater in some respects, and a distinctive one in others. Modern-day music histories have heretofore been silent on the subject of music and opera houses in small towns despite Oscar Sonneck’s call, some ninety years ago, for local music historiography as a necessary first step in creating a complete history of American music.
    [Show full text]
  • Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Beyoncé Coldplay Guns N
    Gross Average Average Total Average Cities Rank Millions Artist Ticket Price Tickets Tickets Gross Shows Agency 1 268.3 Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band 111.48 36,464 2,406,591 4,064,939 66/76 BPB Consulting / Creative Artists Agency 2 256.2 Beyoncé 114.59 48,642 2,237,542 5,573,702 46/49 Creative Artists Agency 3 241.0 Coldplay 90.05 60,828 2,676,425 5,477,701 44/60 Paradigm Talent Agency / X-ray Touring 4 188.4 Guns N’ Roses 111.00 48,490 1,697,164 5,382,317 35/44 United Talent Agency / Int’l Talent Booking 5 167.7 Adele 109.59 34,777 1,530,196 3,811,364 44/107 WME / International Talent Booking 6 163.3 Justin Bieber 92.70 20,484 1,761,642 1,898,837 86/115 Creative Artists Agency 7 110.6 Paul McCartney 127.43 28,924 867,712 3,685,852 30/36 Marshall Arts / MPL Communications 8 97.0 Garth Brooks 69.29 56,000 1,400,000 3,880,000 25/102 WME 9 90.9 The Rolling Stones 122.33 74,343 743,425 9,094,136 10/14 AEG Live 10 85.5 Celine Dion 146.26 30,766 584,560 4,500,000 19/78 ICM Partners / CDA Productions / Solo Agency 11 84.3 Drake 112.08 19,793 752,141 2,218,421 38/56 WME 12 84.1 Luke Bryan 59.00 21,597 1,425,423 1,274,242 66/81 WME 13 82.2 Madonna 216.01 19,033 380,669 4,111,410 20/33 Live Nation Global Touring 14 76.6 Billy Joel 109.67 41,086 698,459 4,505,882 17/28 Artist Group International 15 73.9 Black Sabbath 77.29 14,940 956,139 1,154,688 64/65 CAA / International Talent Booking 16 69.5 Kenny Chesney 76.32 32,512 910,330 2,481,195 28/30 Dale Morris & Associates 17 66.6 Cirque du Soleil - “Toruk - The First Flight” 69.56 21,760 957,446 1,513,636 44/293 Cirque du Soleil 18 65.5 Muse 69.18 24,916 946,805 1,723,684 38/64 United Talent Agency 19 62.9 Iron Maiden 66.00 17,018 953,030 1,123,214 56/59 Creative Artists Agency / K2 Agency 20 61.4 Rihanna 85.63 12,153 717,038 1,040,678 59/64 WME 21 60.1 Maroon 5 68.88 22,373 872,531 1,541,026 39/42 WME / International Talent Booking / CAA 22 58.5 Elton John 110.61 8,530 528,885 943,548 62/92 Howard Rose Agency / Rocket Music Ent.
    [Show full text]
  • 1920 Patricia Ann Mather AB, University
    THE THEATRICAL HISTORY OF WICHITA, KANSAS ' I 1872 - 1920 by Patricia Ann Mather A.B., University __of Wichita, 1945 Submitted to the Department of Speech and Drama and the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. Redacted Signature Instructor in charf;& Redacted Signature Sept ember, 19 50 'For tne department PREFACE In the following thesis the author has attempted to give a general,. and when deemed.essential, a specific picture of the theatre in early day Wichita. By "theatre" is meant a.11 that passed for stage entertainment in the halls and shm1 houses in the city• s infancy, principally during the 70' s and 80 1 s when the city was still very young,: up to the hey-day of the legitimate theatre which reached. its peak in the 90' s and the first ~ decade of the new century. The author has not only tried to give an over- all picture of the theatre in early day Wichita, but has attempted to show that the plays presented in the theatres of Wichita were representative of the plays and stage performances throughout the country. The years included in the research were from 1872 to 1920. There were several factors which governed the choice of these dates. First, in 1872 the city was incorporated, and in that year the first edition of the Wichita Eagle was printed. Second, after 1920 a great change began taking place in the-theatre. There were various reasons for this change.
    [Show full text]