DOCSLIB.ORG

Tit Galop Pour Mamou (Tee Ga-Lo Pour Evangeline with Historical Accounts of the Period

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Tit Galop Pour Mamou (Tee Ga-Lo Pour Evangeline with Historical Accounts of the Period MUSIC TRADITIONAL ARTISTIC PERCEPTION (AP) ® CLASSICAL CREATIVE EXPRESSION (CE) Artsource CONTEMPORARY HISTORICAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT (H/C) The Music Center’s Study Guide to the Performing Arts EXPERIMENTAL AESTHETIC VALUING (AV) MULTI-MEDIA CONNECT, RELATE & APPLY (CRA) ENDURING FREEDOM & THE POWER THE HUMAN TRANSFORMATION VALUES OPPRESSION OF NATURE FAMILY Title of Work: About the Artwork: A Cajun Medley: Valse; Parlez-Nous à Boire; Tit Galop Pour Cajun is a colloquial diminutive of the word Mamou from the repertoire of Dewey Balfa Acadian. The culture, indigenous to the state of Creators: Louisiana, originated in Nova Scotia, then called Producer: AMAN Folk Ensemble (active 1964-2003) Acadia. Acadians were French people who settled in Music Director/Fiddler, 1984-94: John Zeretzke b. 1958 the New World before the Pilgrims arrived. The Artistic Director, 1984-96: Barry Glass British overtook Acadia, and in time ordered the deportation of the Acadians. For more than thirty Background Information: years the Acadians roamed until they finally settled What makes violinist John Zeretzke special is his never- in Louisiana, which still retained its French beginnings. ending search for new ideas and idioms of music and art. The Cajuns were diligent, hard-working people who But, as a child he didn’t start out feeling very capable. established settlements primarily in the southern By third grade he was unable to keep up with the learn- section of Louisiana. Cajun music has survived, much of ing capabilities of his classmates. He began to feel like a it in its original forms, for over two hundred years. failure in school because he had difficulty doing math and was identified as a “slow reader.” It was suggested Creative Process of the Artist or Culture: that he stay back a grade, but at about this time a “Music In the 1800s each community had several fiddlers. Man” named Don Zimmerman began an instrumental Songs, often added to the instrumentals, were program in his school. When John heard the sound of repetitious and simple without strong beginnings or the violin, he was fascinated and joined the music program. endings. They fall in the folk music category because As soon as he connected with the violin and music, he they were never written down. Like other folk began to feel really happy and dramatically improved in music, the songs focused on the lives of the people. other subjects at school. He began in the classical style, Many were about love and unrequited love. They but as a teenager expanded to folk and finally to the were usually accompanied by fiddles, and perhaps a music of world cultures. His expertise in violin styles guitar and a triangle to carry includes Cajun, Greek, Hungarian, Romanian, the basic beat. By the mid- Appalachian, Eastern European Gypsy, Asian, jazz, nineteenth century accordions classical and country. Serving as Music Director for the became one of the standard AMAN Folk Ensemble for ten years, his talent and Cajun instruments. expertise were compatible with their international repertoire. His work also includes scores for choreographers such as Photo courtesy of John Zeretzke Laura Dean and for companies including the Royal Danish Ballet, Ohio Ballet and Ballet Folklorico del “Folk music stems from the Pacifico. John has received numerous awards, tours soul and heart of all humans.” John Zeretzke nationally and continues to do research. California So.Louisiana Discussion Questions: • Read Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem, After listening to the audio recording: Evangeline, a literary resource that chronicles the life of • Can you identify the instruments heard in the an Acadian woman exiled from her homeland. Compare recording, Tit Galop Pour Mamou (Tee Ga-lo Pour Evangeline with historical accounts of the period. Ma-moo), from A Cajun Medley? (guitar, triangle, • Learn about the dances of the Cajun people. Compare accordion and fiddles) them with the folk dances of other American cultures. • Which instruments are playing the melody? • Discuss the practical reasons why the violin became (accordion and fiddle) one of the most popular instruments used by the Cajuns • Which instruments are playing the rhythmic and other early American musicians. (small, carry a melody) structure of the piece? (guitar and triangle) Audio-Visual Materials: • Can you name the wind, string and percussion • Artsource® audio recording: A Cajun Medley: Valse; Parlez- instruments of this ensemble? (wind - accordian; Nous à Boire; Tit Galop Pour Mamou, courtesy of AMAN. percussion - triangle; bowed and plucked stringed • Special thanks to John Zeretzke for collaborating in the instruments - fiddle and guitar) revisions and rewrite of this unit (May 1997). Additional Information: Additional References: The people of the Cajun culture are quite fond of • Recordings: Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band (Arhoolie socializing and dancing. In the early years, families Records 5029); Louisiana Cajun Music, Vol. 3: limited their festive gatherings to the immediate • Books: The Makers of Cajun Music (Barry Jean and extended family and intimate friends but Ancelet), The Cajuns from Acadia to Louisiana (William restricted their merriment to the seasons when it Faulkner Rushton). was permitted by the church. These gatherings were held in the home. As time passed, these social events Sample Experiences: became community events, and often began on LEVEL I Saturdays, stopping for church services on Sunday * • Listen to the three pieces in the Cajun Medley and mornings, and continuing through Sunday. These identify the instruments and musical elements used. dances became known as ‘fais-do-do,’ and the • Percussion sounds for early Cajun music were often facilities where they were held were also labeled provided by playing spoons and washboards, items easi- ‘fais-do-do.’ Those familiar with the French lan- ly found in homes. Find or make some of these musical guage know that ‘fais-do-do’ means ‘go to sleep,’ instruments and try to accompany the Artsource audio certainly a misnomer for a dance. However, it is recording by playing a basic beat or adding more com- assumed that this term comes from the practice of plex rhythmic patterns. placing all of the babies in a room to sleep under the LEVEL II care of a willing grandmother or aunt while the * • Learn more about the folk music of the American adults danced. South and identify similarities and differences. • Have students conduct research within their families Multidisciplinary Options: to learn about the songs and music of their own cultures. • Trace the sojourn of the Acadians from their LEVEL III French roots to their Louisiana settlements. • Trace the evolution of southern American styles of Conduct research to discover where Acadia was * music from their origins to present-day. Compare and located , what it is called now (Nova Scotia), when contrast the past, present and future of these styles. it was settled, why the Acadians left, when/why • Examine the significant contributions of individuals they settled in Louisiana. who have preserved the folk music of Louisiana. (See • Name some of the cultures that have influenced Addenda) Cajun music. (French, African, New Orleans) * Indicates sample lessons 2 MUSIC CAJUN MEDLEY- A LISTENING LESSON ENDURING VALUES LEVEL I Sample Lesson INTRODUCTION: Understanding any type of music, whether it is Japanese taiko drumming, classical European quartet music or regional traditional music of the southern United States, requires concentration, the ability to focus and good lis- tening skills. Learning what to listen for in music and how to listen is very important. Unfortunately, few of us ever are instructed how to develop good critical listening skills. We can train our ears to focus on different sounds in music, specific elements such as rhythmic meter and patterns, melody, harmony and other significant building blocks of musical structure. When we listen to or hear music that is different, new or foreign to us, we rarely understand it or know its historical or cultural context, understand why it is performed or played, or what type of people play it and for what occasions. Cajun music is a regional folk music of a specific group of people who have a unique culture and history in the United States. When we listen close- ly to the music of the Acadians, or Cajuns as they are called, we can begin to understand these people through their own style of music that evolved mostly in Louisiana. What can we learn by just carefully listening to their music? OBJECTIVES: (Student Outcomes) Students will be able to: • Demonstrate good listening skills and habits when listening critically to music. (Artistic Perception) • Identify the individual sounds of instruments played in a typical Cajun band. (Artistic Perception) • Begin to understand basic elements of music, such as beat, rhythmic pattern, melody and tempo. (Artistic Perception) • Describe, discuss, analyze and connect information and experiences based on this lesson. Refer to Assessment at the end of this lesson. (Aesthetic Valuing) MATERIALS: • Artsource® audio recording of A Cajun Medley: Valse; Parley-Nous à Boire; Tit Galop Pour Mamou. • A recording of an orchestra, a jazz band and a rock and roll band. 3 PROGRESSION: • Discuss with the students the definition of some of these terms: Focusing Concentrating Hearing Listening Analyzing • What is the difference between focusing and concentrating? • What is the difference between hearing and listening? • Why is analyzing important when we learn about music? • Critical listening is when we listen to sounds and try to listen closely to everything we possibly can. To hear and listen to music, we must first learn to be still and quiet. Sit very still, don’t move or talk. Listen to the sounds in the room for one minute. Now write or discuss what you heard. Use descriptive words in discussing the sounds. How did this exercise make you feel? Describe how the sounds made you feel. • To hear music more clearly and accurately, we must be able to hear and identify specific sounds.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Southeast Texas: Reviews Gregg Andrews Hothouse of Zydeco Gary Hartman Roger Wood
    et al.: Contents Letter from the Director As the Institute for riety of other great Texas musicians. Proceeds from the CD have the History of Texas been vital in helping fund our ongoing educational projects. Music celebrates its We are very grateful to the musicians and to everyone else who second anniversary, we has supported us during the past two years. can look back on a very The Institute continues to add important new collections to productive first two the Texas Music Archives at SWT, including the Mike Crowley years. Our graduate and Collection and the Roger Polson and Cash Edwards Collection. undergraduate courses We also are working closely with the Texas Heritage Music Foun- on the history of Texas dation, the Center for American History, the Texas Music Mu- music continue to grow seum, the New Braunfels Museum of Art and Music, the Mu- in popularity. The seum of American Music History-Texas, the Mexico-North con- Handbook of Texas sortium, and other organizations to help preserve the musical Music, the definitive history of the region and to educate the public about the impor- encyclopedia of Texas tant role music has played in the development of our society. music history, which we At the request of several prominent people in the Texas music are publishing jointly industry, we are considering the possibility of establishing a music with the Texas State Historical Association and the Texas Music industry degree at SWT. This program would allow students Office, will be available in summer 2002. The online interested in working in any aspect of the music industry to bibliography of books, articles, and other publications relating earn a college degree with specialized training in museum work, to the history of Texas music, which we developed in cooperation musical performance, sound recording technology, business, with the Texas Music Office, has proven to be a very useful tool marketing, promotions, journalism, or a variety of other sub- for researchers.
    [Show full text]
  • Weltmeister Akkordeon Manufaktur Gmbh the World's Oldest Accordion
    MADE IN GERMANY Weltmeister Akkordeon Manufaktur GmbH The world’s oldest accordion manufacturer | Since 1852 Our “Weltmeister” brand is famous among accordion enthusiasts the world over. At Weltmeister Akkordeon Manufaktur GmbH, we supply the music world with Weltmeister solo, button, piano and folklore accordions, as well as diatonic button accordions. Every day, our expert craftsmen and accordion makers create accordions designed to meet musicians’ needs. And the benchmark in all areas of our shop is, of course, quality. 160 years of instrument making at Weltmeister Akkordeon Manufaktur GmbH in Klingenthal, Germany, are rooted in sound craftsmanship, experience and knowledge, passed down carefully from master to apprentice. Each new generation that learns the trade of accordion making at Weltmeister helps ensure the longevity of the company’s incomparable expertise. History Klingenthal, a centre of music, is a small town in the Saxon Vogtland region, directly bordering on Bohemia. As early as the middle of the 17th century, instrument makers settled down here, starting with violin makers from Bohemia. Later, woodwinds and brasswinds were also made here. In the 19th century, mouth organ ma- king came to town and soon dominated the townscape with a multitude of workshops. By the year 1840 or thereabouts, this boom had turned Klingenthal into Germany’s largest centre for the manufacture of mouth organs. Production consolidation also had its benefits. More than 30 engineers and technicians worked to stre- Accordion production started in 1852, when Adolph amline the instrument making process and improve Herold brought the accordion along from Magdeburg. quality and customer service. A number of inventions At that time the accordion was a much simpler instru- also came about at that time, including the plastic key- ment, very similar to the mouth organ, and so it was board supported on two axes and the plastic and metal easily reproduced.
    [Show full text]
  • 6 Inspiring Cajun Musicians
    LeadingLadies 6 INSPIRING CAJUN MUSICIANS In what has become our now annual music their voices have been heard and met with guide, we decided to do something a little praise – even Grammy nominations. All six different. Rather than focus on venues, clubs of these women are carrying on the tradition and places to go, we chose to focus on faces of their Cajun ancestors and bringing it to look for – and more importantly, voices to into the future, and we hope that the trend hear. In the music industry in general – and of women leading their own bands will gain especially when it comes to Cajun music, momentum as they continue to inspire others. women are outnumbered by men. Fortunately, That, we think, is worth singing about. By Michael Patrick Welch \\ Photos by Romero & Romero acadianaprofile.com | 31 gigs as Petite et les Patates (Little and the AT THE AGE OF 18, Potatoes), a quieter three-piece traditional musician Jamie Lynn Fontenot was Cajun band. overtaken by the desire to learn Cajun Along with accordion player Jacques French. “My grandparents, Mary ‘Mimi’ fontenotBoudreaux, Petite et les Patates also often Fontenot and John ‘Toe’ Fontenot, from features Fontenot's husband, French fiddle Opelousas are great, really strong Cajun player Samuel Giarrusso, who moved to speakers,” says Fontenot from her home in Louisiana in 2012 from France to be near his Lafayette. “My siblings and I wanted them father, also a Cajun French musician. “Petite to teach us Cajun French, so she would play et les Patates is actually a constantly rotating me all these old Cajun vinyl records, and band, where I am the only constant,” says she’d tell me the stories the singers were Fontenot.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 2 Music in the United States Before the Great Depression
    American Music in the 20th Century 6 Chapter 2 Music in the United States Before the Great Depression Background: The United States in 1900-1929 In 1920 in the US - Average annual income = $1,100 - Average purchase price of a house = $4,000 - A year's tuition at Harvard University = $200 - Average price of a car = $600 - A gallon of gas = 20 cents - A loaf of Bread = 20 cents Between 1900 and the October 1929 stock market crash that triggered the Great Depression, the United States population grew By 47 million citizens (from 76 million to 123 million). Guided by the vision of presidents Theodore Roosevelt1 and William Taft,2 the US 1) began exerting greater political influence in North America and the Caribbean.3 2) completed the Panama Canal4—making it much faster and cheaper to ship its goods around the world. 3) entered its "Progressive Era" by a) passing anti-trust laws to Break up corporate monopolies, b) abolishing child labor in favor of federally-funded puBlic education, and c) initiating the first federal oversight of food and drug quality. 4) grew to 48 states coast-to-coast (1912). 5) ratified the 16th Amendment—estaBlishing a federal income tax (1913). In addition, by 1901, the Lucas brothers had developed a reliaBle process to extract crude oil from underground, which soon massively increased the worldwide supply of oil while significantly lowering its price. This turned the US into the leader of the new energy technology for the next 60 years, and opened the possibility for numerous new oil-reliant inventions.
    [Show full text]
  • Musical Traditions of Southern Louisiana
    Musical Traditions of Southern Louisiana Rosalon Moorhead GENERAL INTRODUCTION This unit was developed for use in French classes at the secondary level. It gives students opportunities to Research the history and patterns of French settlement in Louisiana Discover three types of music (New Orleans jazz, Cajun, Zydeco) which are representative of the Francophone presence in Louisiana. Make connections between the rhythms of the music and those of the French language. Although I intend to use the unit in my fourth-year French classes at Bellaire High School, the material is probably better suited to the curriculum of second- or third-year classes, as some of the state-adopted textbooks at those levels have chapters that deal with Louisiana. I believe that the unit could be modified for use at any level of French language instruction. BACKGROUND NARRATIVE In the nearly twenty years that I have been teaching French, I have observed that while the students‟ motivations to take the class have remained largely the same (it‟s a beautiful language, I want to travel/live in France, my mother made me), the emphases in the teaching of the language have changed quite a bit. As a student and in the early years of my teaching career, I (along with other Americans) studied the sound system and patterns of the language, attempting to mimic the pronunciation and intonation of French as my primary goal. That approach was superseded variously by those focusing on the grammar, the vocabulary, or the learning of language in context as revealed by reading. The one aspect of the study of French that seemed to be static was the culture; until very recently, the references were to France, and more specifically, to Paris.
    [Show full text]
  • Jerzy Wieczorek—AHS Capstone Spring 2006— Final Draft of Deliverable—May 10, 2006
    Jerzy Wieczorek—AHS Capstone Spring 2006— Final Draft of Deliverable—May 10, 2006 Managing the Accordionist’s Identity in America: A Labeling/Interactionist Perspective Although the accordion was one of the best-selling musical instruments in the United States between the 1930s and the 1950s, nowadays it is frequently portrayed as “nerdy” and “cheesy.” In American popular music of the last few decades, the instrument is rarely heard and almost never seen unless to draw a laugh. Nonetheless, there are many accordionists who still choose to play the instrument despite its reputation. If this once-popular instrument, its music, and the musicians who play it are so marginalized in popular culture today, how do accordionists deal with their marginalized status? This paper begins to answer this oft-overlooked question through the labeling/interactionist approach pioneered by sociologists Howard S. Becker and Erving Goffman. The result is an analysis of how accordionists present themselves to others in light of their understandings of the cause and nature of the accordion’s unpopularity. Because attitudes towards the instrument are not uniform throughout American society, even accordionists in the same geographic location can choose to respond to their stigmatized status in different ways. Several interviews with accordion players indicate that these musicians may attempt to Avoid the stigma by playing only in settings where the accordion is accepted; they may attempt to Overcome the stigma by challenging the assumptions that they believe the audience holds about the accordion; or they may attempt to Flaunt the stigma by drawing on stereotypes about the accordion, usually for humorous effect.
    [Show full text]
  • Unpacking the Louisiana Ballad Tradition: Cajun and Creole Songs of Love, Loss and Drink on the West Texas Stage Stacey Jocoy Mo
    Unpacking the Louisiana Ballad Tradition: Cajun and Creole Songs of Love, Loss and Drink on the West Texas Stage Stacey Jocoy Modern Cajun music, Creole music, and Zydeco are often grouped together at festivals and dance halls throughout Louisiana and around the world. These music styles are considered distinct by scholars and fans, yet they are all the result of related generations of Creolization; the product of the variegated host of older localized styles created and impacted by patterns of immigration beginning in the eighteenth century. General audiences, from outside the Southwestern Louisiana area, experience this music as “traditional”: seemingly a closed style, particular to the people from that region and social culture. This perception, which has been both intentionally and unintentionally fostered over generations, has worked in a culturally exclusive fashion, creating stereotypes and socio-cultural barriers to understanding. These barriers can be mitigated, however, through performative study of the music, especially that of one of its integral genres, the ballad. Although ballads are not the first genre that most listeners associate with this region, as dance music by and large reigns supreme, songs with stories primarily of love, loss, and ameliorative drink form a notable backbone throughout this repertoire. Our Cajun Ensemble, part of the World Music Ensemble at Texas Tech University, is also part of the Texas Tech Vernacular Music Center, the mission of which is: “research, teaching, and advocacy.”1 As such, we study the music of the southern Louisiana regions, effectively deconstructing it with students and audiences to better illustrate the richness of its origins.
    [Show full text]
  • Found Poem - Found Song
    Louisiana Voices Folklife in Education Project www.louisianavoices.org Unit VI Louisiana's Musical Landscape Lessons 1 and 2 Found Poem - Found Song Name Date TOPIC: Louisiana_Music TASK: A Found Poem is made with words and phrases from something you read. It uses someone else’s language, but the poet combines it in a new way. Write a Found Poem following these directions. 1. Your teacher will assign one of these articles for you to read: • The Treasured Traditions of Louisiana Music, by Ben Sandmel • Cajun Music: Alive and Well in Louisiana, by Ann Savoy • Cajun Music as Oral Poetry, by Carolyn Ware • Hayride Boogie: Blues, Rockabilly and Soul from the Louisiana Hill and Delta Country, by Mike Luster • North Louisiana String Band, by Susan Roach • Since Ol’ Gabriel’s Time: Hezekiah and the Houserockers, by David Evans 2. As you read, choose ten main key words or phrases that give the meaning of that music genre to you, and jot them down. 3. Arrange these words or phrases in a pleasing and meaningful way to make a poem. 4. Write or type the poem and illustrate it with drawings or pictures you have collected for this lesson. 5. Read or recite your poem to the class. 6. Work with your group to choose a song in the genre you have read about, then arrange words and phrases to make a song about the genre. Use the Tempo, Dynamics, and Rhythm that are unique to the genre. If possible, locate some of the instruments used in that genre to accompany the singing.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Blues
    MU 012 D1 SL: Music and Culture in New Orleans Spring 2020 Course Syllabus Instructor: Clyde Stats Phone: 238-1730 (cell) email – [email protected] Course Meets: Hybrid – online plus 4 required in-class meetings – 1/21; 3/4; 3/24; 4/14; 7:00 – 9:30 p.m. Location: Lafayette L202 Required Text - Rose, Chris. 1 Dead in Attic; (available from instructor) Other excerpts (available online) from: The World That Made New Orleans by Ned Sublette Keeping the Beat on the Street by Nick Burns The Civically Engaged Reader by Davis & Lynn New Directions for Teaching and Learning by R. Rhoads Essential Jazz: The First 100 Years by Martin and Waters Musical Gumbo: The Music of New Orleans by Grace Lichtenstein Cajun Music Vol. I by Ann Allen Savoy Websites: Louisiana Folk Regions Map: http://www.louisianavoices.org/Unit4/edu_unit4_3subregions.html The Treasured Traditions of Louisiana Music: http://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/treas_trad_la_music.html A Brief History of New Orleans Jazz: http://www.nps.gov/archive/jazz/Jazz%20History_origins_pre1895.htm History of Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs: http://www.mardigrasdigest.com/Sec_2ndline/2ndline_history.htm History of Mardi Gras: http://www.eastjeffersonparish.com/culture/MARDIGRA/HISTORY/history.htm History of Mardi Gras Indians: http://www.mardigrasindians.com/ Origins of Cajun and Zydeco Music: http://www.scn.org/zydeco/nwczHISTORY.htm Hurricane Katrina Timeline: http://www.nola.com/katrina/timeline/ Required Listening – Various examples posted online Videos Vulnerable New Orleans:
    [Show full text]
  • UPDATED & REVISED 5 EDITION* Cover Design by Bob Mcgrath
    UPDATED & REVISED 5th EDITION* Cover design by Bob McGrath CAJUN RECORDS 1946-1989 – A DISCOGRAPHY © Nick Leigh 2019 INTRODUCTION TO THE REVISED EDITIONS I began collecting blues records in 1959 but it was another 7 years before I heard Cleveland Crochet & the Sugar Bees on the Storyville anthology “Louisiana Blues”. My appetite whetted, I wanted more. Buying the Iry Le Jeune LPs on Goldband a few months later (not one but two volumes – and purchased as imports on a student’s allowance!) fuelled an appreciation of Cajun music that has remained undiminished. In the mid 1960s, however, there was little information available about the great music I was listening to, other than the catalogues I obtained from Goldband and Swallow, and the early articles by Mike Leadbitter and John Broven in “Blues Unlimited” and “Jazz Journal”. Thanks to people like Mike, John, Neil Slaven, Rob Ford and Les Fancourt there is now a lot of information available to provide the background to blues and rhythm & blues recordings. However much of the information about the post World War 2 music of South Louisiana in general and the French (Cajun) recordings in particular, remains elusive. So far as I know no single ‘discography’ of post-war Cajun record releases has been published and I thought I would try to correct this oversight. This is notwithstanding the increasing amount of well researched material about the music in general and individual artists. Therefore I take only limited credit for the information included herein about the recordings. My aim has been to bring that material together in a single document.
    [Show full text]
  • Accordion (Music Playing) Narrator: Along with the Argentinean Tango
    Accordion (Music playing) Narrator: Along with the Argentinean tango, French musettes, and German polkas, the accordion is one of the defining sounds of Central Texas conjunto bands, as well as Southeast Texas Cajun and zydeco music, country, and western swing. (Music playing) N: With its roots dating back to China thousands of years ago, the popularity of this instrument took off in the early nineteenth century in Europe. N: By the mid 1800s, immigrants had brought the accordion to Texas, where it became emblematic in the way different ethnic groups have shared their musical heritage and influences. (Music playing) N: Patented in 1829 by an Austrian named Cyrill Demian, the accordion spread quickly throughout Europe. N: From Ireland to Russia, versatility and sheer volume of this instrument attracted folk musicians who adapted it to their own style of music. N: However, it was the Germans, Czechs, and French who forever changed Texas music with their use of the accordion. (Music playing) N: German immigrants began moving to Central Texas in large numbers in the 1840s, settling in what became known as the “German Belt,”areas including New Braunfels, Fredericksburg, and Luckenbach. N: German folk songs, with the polka, waltz, and schottische dance steps, were a fundamental part of these immigrant communities, and the accordion was essential to their music. (Music playing) N: By the turn-of-the-century, German Texans and Tejanos were increasingly exchanging musical influences. N: Santiago Jiménez began playing the accordion in 1921 at the age of eight. N: His father, Patricio, had been a successful accordion player in Eagle Pass, Texas, and he encouraged his son to play.
    [Show full text]
  • The Music of Louisiana: Cajuns, Creoles and Zydeco
    The Music of Louisiana: Cajuns, Creoles and Zydeco Carole Poindexter-Sylvers INTRODUCTION The music and cuisine of southern Louisiana experienced a renaissance during the 1980s. Zydeco musicians and recording artists made appearances on morning talk shows, Cajun and Creole restaurants began to spring up across the nation, and celebrity chefs such Paul Prudhomme served as a catalyst for the surge in interest. What was once unknown by the majority of Americans and marginalized within the non-French speaking community in Louisiana had now become a national trend. The Acadians, originally from Acadia, Nova Scotia, were expelled from Canada and gradually became known as Cajuns. These Acadians or Cajuns proudly began teaching the lingua franca in their francophone communities as Cajun French, published children‘s books in Cajun French and school curricula in Cajun French. Courses were offered at local universities in Cajun studies and Cajun professors published scholarly works about Cajuns. Essentially, the once marginalized peasants had become legitimized. Cajuns as a people, as a culture, and as a discipline were deemed worthy of academic study stimulating even more interest. The Creoles of color (referring to light-skinned, French-speaking Negroid people born in Louisiana or the French West Indies), on the other hand, were not acknowledged to the same degree as the Cajuns for their autonomy. It would probably be safe to assume that many people outside of the state of Louisiana do not know that there is a difference between Cajuns and Creoles – that they are a homogeneous ethnic or cultural group. Creoles of color and Louisiana Afro-Francophones have been lumped together with African American culture and folkways or southern folk culture.
    [Show full text]