Music Background ( analytic)

American music was founded in the early 1600s. It originated in Europe, but over time, other influences, including African-American ethnicity, assumed more importance. There are two different types of music. There is Classical and Popular music. Over time, these types intertwined to make the modern music we have today. The first type of music was the classical music of the church. The psalms from the Bay Psalm Book were among the first pieces brought to American and were the beginning of the classical music. As time went by the musical knowledge of the Americans declined because there was only a few tunes set from psalms that were not published. Many congregations, which are religious communities, started to add their own twists to the songs. This caused a larger audience to see the creative process of music making, since church was part of the communities. From the church, there became two sects of music: the religious sect and secular sect. Religious music revolved around god and his gospel, while secular music was considered the nonreligious music. Secular music was more about the livelihood of the local people in the communities. When the songs were published, many lacked rhythm and pitch. Thomas Walter, a musician of the time, decided to write the first instruction manual for music called, The Grounds and Rules of Musik Explained. As more people started to learn music’s structure, more secular music became popular, eventually forming the second type of music, popular music. The first set of popular music was called The Seven Songs for the Harpsichord. This book of secular songs was the first completely American book of secular songs. It was composed by Frances Hopkinson and was dedicated to George Washington in 1788. After the American Revolution, more Europeans dominated the music world, spreading the love for music among the states. When slaves were brought into America, their music began to influence many of the American musicians because of the unique sound. The music sung by the black slaves was used to express their life to those who didn’t understand and to get feelings of anger and depression out of their systems. They used music as a cry for help. Even though the messages didn’t get across to the Europeans, they adopted the different rhythms and pitches to put a new twist on the already structured American music. After the civil war, more music from the African Americans was discovered. The new feelings and emotions of the songs of the African Americans were called jazz. Jazz became the origin of all popular music. The blues branched from jazz and other genres of music branched out of the blues, causing multiple genres of expression to grow into the American society, such as pop, rock, country, hip-hop, and rap. Music was first made as an expression of love towards god. Later, this expression became more nonreligiously connected to people’s lives and eventually music became one of the most dominant ways to express one’s self and show how they feel through authentic rhythms and pitches that are shared all over the world. The music also provides a sense of unity throughout the nation. Music also plays a big role in retelling history. For example, the songs from the black slaves show their lives in song and their beliefs in God, while modern day music shows what goes on in the mind of the new generations of people. Music, such as rap and inspirational, express artists' day to day experiences that others might not face. Music brings a sense of reality to those who don’t see it every day while also providing entertainment that others can relate to and have interest in.