Country and Western Music - Research Paper Example

? Music Analysis John Q. Doe June 13, John Q. Doe June 13, Music Analysis: Country and Western Music: Country Music is a very famous American music style that emerged from the rural Southern side of the United States in 1920s. It is a musical amalgamation of Western Cowboy Music with American Southeastern Folk Music. Country music is consists of beautiful ballads and different dancing tunes that are composed on mostly string instruments such as electric and acoustic guitars, harmonicas, banjoes and sometimes, drums, fiddles, mandolin and piano. The country music became popular in the world of music in early 1940s in preference to the early term known as the famous ‘hillbilly music’. The term ‘country music’ defines various genres, subgenres and styles (Peterson). a- Hillbilly Music: Hillbilly Music is a specific term used to refer a certain group of people who lives in rural and mountainous (hilly) areas of the Unites States. Hillbilly is closely associated with country music. The term refers to denote the old-country music or bluegrass. Hillbilly boogie was the first musical tune that contained the word, hillbilly. It was composed by Delmore Brothers in the year 1946. However, in early 1920s, several records were composed by another called the Beverly Hillbillies. Many people thought of this term as offensive. Therefore, serious efforts were put in by the artists to erase any misconceptions from the minds of the people. Several other music artists recorded their tunes under this label (Peterson). Example of Hillbilly Music: The country musical composition of String Bean-Hillbilly Music Going Round in 1950 is an excellent musical masterpiece with simple lyrics, country dance performed on acoustic guitar and banjo. The song contains the simple lyrics and simple musical formation that was performed in a simple country background that gives the originality and simplicity of the country music. b- Bluegrass Music: Bluegrass Music is another form of American music which is a subgenre of country music. It is a musical composition of different regions such as it contains musical influence of Scotland, Ireland and England’s traditional folk music on the other hand; it has some musical touch of African American compositions due to the combination of few jazz elements. This kind of music is highly inspired by the music of Appalachia (Peterson). Example of Bluegrass Music: Blue Moon of Kentucky is a beautiful composition by the bluegrass musician, Bill Monroe. It is basically a waltz which was written in 1946. Later, this song was sung and recorded by different other artists including Elvis Presley. It is an official song of Kentucky. The song starts with slow smooth tunes and then picks it pace a bit faster on the notes of banjo and acoustic guitar. The song discusses the moonlight and the romantic aura it creates in the night. The lyrics are simple but very captivating. It has different expressions of love, sadness on saying goodbyes to the loved one and a prayer that this moon will always shine brightly on the one who has just said goodbye. In simple words, it’s a beautiful bluegrass musical composition ( Blue Moon of Kentucky). c- Hanks Williams: Hanks Williams was an American country music artist. He was famous for his excellent musical compositions and song writing. ‘Your Cheating Heart,’ ‘Hey Good Looking,’ and ‘I am so Lonesome I Could Cry’ represent some of his magnificent musical work. His songs have been sung and recorded by different musicians and singers. He was associated with the band Grand Ole Opry. He gave 11 number-one hits in his musical career. His song, Hey Good Lookin’ is a simple musical composition on guitar and banjo. It contains simple lyrics and simplest musical notes. d- Bob Wills: Bob Wills was an American Western swing musician. He was an excellent songwriter. By many musical figures, he is considered as the co-founder of the western swing. He is often known as the ‘King of the Western Swing.’ He was fond of producing jazz based compositions. His some of the famous numbers are Steel Guitar Rag, New San Antonio Rose, Smoke on the Water and last but not the least, Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima (Townsend). His song Steel Guitar Rag is a simple yet beautiful musical composition of the rock and roll with the touch of western swing. The music itself represents the excellence of the great maestro (Steel Guitar Rag). e- Chet Atkins: Chet Atkins gave a new meaning to the American music. He was known for his excellent command over guitar through which he created the most fascinating country music which is now known as Nashville Music. Through this step he created and appealed the adult pop music lovers who found the music entertaining and classic enriched with the latest notes (Kienzle). f- Johnny Cash: Johnny Cash was an American singer as well as he was also known for his song writing and acting. He played an influential role on the American music scene. Though he is known for his country music style but at the same time, this great musical composer has touched many different genres such as rockabilly, rock and roll, blues, folk and gospel (Turner). Johnny Cash’s song ‘Hurt’ is an excellent masterpiece with deep lyrics and musical notes. His voice has given volume to the song on the lower-higher notes of guitar (Hurt). The song contains a mix touch of modern and traditional music which make it more worth listening. g- New Grass: New Grass is one of the major subgenres of bluegrass music. It is a musical revival and combination of different genres used with each other to create a new kind of music. Electric instruments and other genres especially, rock and roll has played a significant role in creating this type. It became known in late 1960s and early 1970s. h- Nashville Sound: During 1950s to 1960s, Nashville sound industry pushed the country music to huge success. It was mainly due to the efforts of Chet Atkins, Owen Bradley and Billy Sherrill that this genre picked its pace and got famous within the musical industry. By the efforts of these artists, more and more people were attracted towards this type of music. i- Gospel Music: Gospel music defined the personal, spiritual or communal belief related to the Christian life. It gave new dimension to the musical industry and musical compositions. The musical compositions differ from one another in terms of culture and social context. Gospel music contains different messages catered to fulfill different purposes such as it can be religious, spiritual, pleasurable or for the entertainment of the audiences. It gained its popularity during late 1800s. Pianos, organ, guitar, drums and bass guitar are some of the typical instruments that are used in the compositions (McNeil). j- Rockabilly and Elvis Presley: Rockabilly became very popular among the fans especially during 1950s. However, 1956 could be pronounced as the true year of rockabilly. It is an excellent musical mixture of both the genres that are hillbilly and rock and roll. Elvis Presley has played an efficient role in giving hype to this genre. His role in the musical industrial is unforgettable. He converted to country music which made this genre more rich and powerful. Three songs that always made up their way to the Billboard charts during this period are Elvis Presley’s ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, Johnny Cash’s, ‘I walk the line,’ and ‘Blue Suede Shoes,’ by Carl Perkins. Elvis Presley’s musical compositions have made huge contributions in expanding the sphere of this genre. k- Country Pop: Country pop is a subgenre of country music. It first came into the musical limelight in 1970s. It is an excellent combination of countrypolitan sound and rock. Due to the efforts of Chet Atkins and Owen Bradley, this musical genre was intended to capture the adult audiences in the 1950s. As a result, they produced Nashville Sounds which is the origin of country pop music. In 1970s, the country pop music emerged as a strong musical genre with the efforts of the singers like Glen Campbell, Anne Murray, john Denver and many more. ‘Rhinestone Cowboy,’ song by Campbell took this genre to its heights across the country. In 1990, the country pop revived itself. This revival was taken to a new height by the efforts of Shania Twain, Tirsha YearWood, Billy Ray Cyrusm Faith Hill and many more. The success of this music genre continued in 2000 and 2010 by the emergence of new country artists such as Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Dixie Chicks and the Band Perry (Ivey). l- Cajun Music: Cajun Music is a symbolic music that represents Louisiana. It is comprised of ballads of the French speaking Acadians of the Canada. This has greatly influenced the American pop music in a very different way (Terry Miller). Fiddles and Cajun accordion are some of the typical instruments that used in this type of music. The contemporary Cajun music is heavily under influence of rock, RnB, blues and many others. They give a less traditional effect with more modern music. Doug Kershaw’s ‘Louisiana Man’ was known as one of the famous piece of modern Cajun music. It has a rich blend of music which is highlighted on the notes of fiddle supported by modern instruments such as drums (Louisiana Man). m- Western Swing: Western swing music is a subgenre of ever-green American country music. This type of country music dates back to late 1920. It has originated from the West and South towns of the United States. The music is supported by the simple dance steps which are often performed on the up-tempo beats of the music. It is combination of folk, polka, jazz, swings and rural cowboy. The music is composed on different instruments that include saxophones, fiddles, guitar, banjo and steel guitar. Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, Milton Brown and his Musical Brownies and The Light Crust Doughboys are some of the bands that gained popularity during those times (Boyd). Works Cited Bill Monroe- Blue Moon of Kentucky. YouTube. 2007. 5 June, 2012 Boyd, J, A. Jazz of the Southwest: An Oral History of Western Swing. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1998 Hey Good Lookin’. YouTube. 2008. 5 June, 2012 Ivey, B: "The Nashville Sound." The Encyclopedia of Country Music, page 371-372 Kershaw-Louisiana Man. YouTube. 2009. 5 June, 2012 Kienzle, R. "Chet Atkins". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. NewYork: Oxford University Press. 1998, pp. 26–7. Miller, T. E. and Shahriari, A. World Music: A Global Journey (1 ed.).. Routledge. 2006, pp. 374–5 McNeil, W. K., Ed. Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music. Routledge, 2005. Peterson, Richard A. Creating Country Music: Fabricating Authenticity, 1999, p. 9. String Bean-HillBilly Music Going Round in 1950s. YouTube.2009. 5 June, 2012 2012 Steel Guitar Rag 1936. YouTube. 2009. 5 June, 2012 Hurt. YouTube. (2007. 5 June, 2012 Townsend, C, R. "Bob Wills". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kinsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. 1998, pp. 594–5 Turner, S. The Man Called Cash: The Life, Love, and Faith of an American Legend. W Publishing Group, 2004, pp. 43–44. Read More