AP US Music Project

Track #1

The recording artist for this first particular track was looking to show the spiritual devoutness that was common in the European world at the time. Music during the middle ages and into the renaissance and age of exploration was still very focused on the Church and often many facets of life were centered around the Church. This track is a reminder how the first American settlers were truly and purely European in their origins. They carried over their music to the New World and certainly the Pilgrims and Jamestown settlers all still sung in hymns like this. These voices show how starkly different the way of life for Europeans was compared to that of the Native Americans like the Iroquois or Apache.

Track #2

Drums were much more than an instrument in the Native American way of life, they were integral to life of any ceremony. Each tribe in every area of the United States has their own type of drum and how they play it can differ drastically. This type of music reminds one of the simplicity and beauty of native music. Just a beat, a little soul, and a drum and one has music. The recording artist wanted to show that life before Europeans was just as vivid and rich in culture as it was later once they arrived. This music highlights the time when life was more simple and natural for the Indians and this type of music is an example of music from the many hundreds of years the Natives lived in America and the history they had before any other foreign influences came in.

Track #3

Another really cool tribal track here for #3. The point to me of this piece was to illustrate the Native American ability to play instruments as good as the Europeans. This start is soothing and again is a reminder of the days before the expansion of the European world into this wilderness. Pieces like this remind one of a bird in the woods, or an owl at night. All things were much simpler in the US before the foreigners came to these shores. This piece illustrates a time in history where an instrument could surpass all other forms of entertainment with its elegant beauty and distinct sounds. This simple song and simple instrument served as an influence to future settlers and this voice helped to show the new Americans what was truly in the New World, a wonderful spirit of people.

Track #4

This piece was recorded recently and i have heard of Mark O'Connor and his folk fiddle music skills but i certainly enjoyed this duet with the great Wynton Marsalis. The piece has no lyrics but i believe it is about the General Wolfe who died fighting the French in Canada. At least that is what my research suggests. The piece is quite beautiful and i believe it is a musical example of the blending of styles. One can hear overtones of Native American music in the piece and it can be classified as being "folk" music. Mark O'Connor is providing a historical outlet to the past by illustrating the wonderful music that can be created using the simple melodies of the early Americans.

Track #5

This song dates from the Revolutionary war period and has quite a simple message. It laments the fact that a soldier has gone and sold his former tools of trade for weapons of war like the sword. The woman too cries over her loss and will now beg in the streets for bread and food. This song lets us learn of the first war America ever undertook and the cold, hard facts that surround war. These voices of the past describe that the war against the British was one that effected everyday life and normal people lost loved ones and possessions too. The singer is offering a current view on the events of the war as they are happening. The song clearly shows the first pains of war the American people would face. I was not wild on this version of the song but i very much appreciate the simple lyrics and their clear message. I believe the part about dying the woman's dress red is a powerful image of how the women is going to show the fact that her lover could die at anytime.

Track #6

This very popular song of the time period was written in 1854 and played a role as being quite popular during the Civil War. This song begs people to remember the times when things were not easy or to think about those who are currently suffering. The song speaks of times of funerals and a woman who was once merry but is no more. The song's popularity during the Civil War is not surprising since so many people lost their lives the thoughts of a time where hard times could really come again no more would be a very attractive one. This song speaks of how horrid things were in America at the time. I think the song itself is not a very nice one and certainly would not do much to lighten one's mood on an occasion, but it does have another strong message about war and how we should remember the hard times even if those hard times are about anything.

Track #7

This song is about an Irishman's journey to America. After some research I have found this song is actually about the Civil War and this particular Irishman is fighting in the war even though he is not American. The Irishman has lost a lot in Ireland but is forced to go to America by hunger and other factors. This Irishman was one of thousands that would come to America for work and other circumstances. This is a very enjoyable Irish tune and has strong historical overtones as well. The song is from the actual view of someone in the midst of the immigration to America.The Irish diaspora was one of the largest immigrations by foreigners into America. The Irish can be seen as early immigrants just as Central Americans are today. I believe the story of an immigrant should be seen from the immigrant's eyes and the pain the experience should be realized by the host nation. This song speaks much of America's history in the ways in which we treated immigrants.

Track #8 Jesus Christ

Date: 1940 (?)

The song, in a nutshell, describes Jesus Christ's attempts to get the rich to give to the poor. Woody Guthrie was a man who was committed to change and was considered one of the first, so dubbed, "protest singers" In the song "Jesus Christ" he is showing how Jesus was killed by people who would not be parted with their money. The song is sending a message of anti-capitalism through the depictions of Christ's death by bankers and others. Woody also points out that if Christ were to go to New York he would be killed there too, despite the fact that people there already know of Christ's actions. The message is clear, America's drive for more power and money was creating poverty and extreme wealth which are still problems today.The image of a lone migrant worker is a powerful one in my mind and Woody Guthrie's soulful voice and ancient guitar plucking is sacred ground. I believe that he was one of the last great Folk musicians ever, only rivaled by those great bluesmen who came out of the south. Woody was an Anglo version,in some ways of the great, Robert Johnson. I thoroughly enjoy Woody and own many of his recordings and appreciate the awareness he brought to those poor workers during the late 30s and 40s.

Track #9 Do Re Mi

To begin with, I absolutely despised this version of the great song "Do Re Mi" by Woody. The song is about one of Woody's most popular topics, Dust Bowl migrants. The song says, put basically, that migrants should stay right where they are whether it is Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma, or Tennessee. Too many of these immigrants entered California looking for work which, frankly, did not exist. The term "do re mi" refers to money. Woody is implying that with our money it is not possible to make a living in California. This term is very useful since it is a musical term referring to the first three notes of any major lonian scale. I believe Woody is using the term to indicate how these migrant workers often sung songs and by using a musical term for money is indicating that they wished their talents (such as music) could somehow be used to make a living in the harshness of the time period. Again, the version on the CD was terrible. I am not one who believes all old tunes should be modernized and made to sound like popular pop favorites. Leave Woody alone!!! But that is beside the point, the song is once again showing how in US history there have been times of extreme hardship and the human spirit remains nonetheless through it all. Politics and economic woes aside, people like Woody Guthrie helped keep people's hopes alive through the times.

Track #10 Strange fruit

Date: 1939

"Strange fruit" by Billie Holiday is one of the first and most well-known songs that protested racism in the Southern United States. The song describes how trees in the South are bearing a very peculiar fruit that is covered in blood. The song is describing how black men's bodies were lynched from trees and left there to hang. I believe personally that this song sends a very powerful message of how things were in that time of history and that we should not forget what happened to here in the South to the African-Americans who bore the front of racial prejudices. Billie Holiday certainly has a first person perspective of the events since she lived during the time period and probably took some flak since she herself was black. Billie Holiday (nicknamed Lady Day) was probably the world's best jazz singer and her unique, and to me, personal touch to her music made her a true trend setter for modern jazz music. This song in particular acts as a portal to the world as it was then and shows one how the US at that time was having some deep problems in the South that often resulted in bloody, unnecessary killings.

Track #11 A Change is Gonna Come

This song is quite simple. It is all about the impending change of something, probably in society or the politics. It has a broad meaning, but isn't that the spirit of America in a nutshell? Things come, things stay for awhile, and then they pass. Technology, fashions, people all come and go but the one thing that doesn't change is change itself. We all know down with the old and up with the new happens all the time. The U.S has played host to many radical new concepts at times and then changed to even newer ones. In this sense the song is written about current events as they pass since the emotion of new things and ideals is constant and therefore this tune is immortal. I liked this song very much since it was very simple and in that sense anyone can apply it to their own life or any experience they have ever had. Simplicity is really at the heart of American history, simple faith in raw human potential.

Track #12 Youngstown

Date:

For reference, when Springsteen mentions "Sweet Jenny," I have discovered he is referring to the the Jeanette Blast Furnace in Youngstown, Ohio. In the song, the character has been working at the furnace for many, many years and is suddenly faced with the most common of economic woes, unemployment. Bruce describes how the furnace had been around for many years and even helped the Union win the Civil War. He goes on to tell how his father had worked in the "hell" of the furnaces. The singer now wonders how he could be kicked out of a job after all the effort of his family. This song describes many U.S history events in it. It describes how this furnace helped fuel the World Wars by supiling bombs and weapons to the soldiers. Bruce Springsteen had a good perception of the Vietnam War and also feels similiar to many about how pointless the War was. "The Boss" goes further to describe the plight of the worker in his song. I very much like Bruce and many of his songs are some of my favorites.

Track #13 The Times They are A-Changin'

This song is a classic Dylan tune of the power of the people and change. Change is all around and as Bob puts it " For he who gets hurt will be he who has stalled." The song goes on to say that those who cannot understand the change should not stand in its way. Also Bob says that though on the bottom will rise to the top. This song is a great example of a protest song. However it is not clear as to what Dylan is protesting. That point is up to the listener to make the call. However, it was written in 1964, a time of civil unrest in the South and a landslide presidential election. Bob Dylan was certainly an activist and I am sure this song is written from the standpoint of someone who is active in the current issues of the day. Bob is notorious for be only concerned with his music, but I feel the Bob really cared about issues of the day and his best medium for showing disapproval is song. A good Bob Dylan song for this example is "Hurricane" which is about a black man's lopsided trial. I personally love Bob Dylan's music and have been hooked on his tunes since my 8th grade year. I know, I'm not very good with modern music but i sure as anything know the masters like Bob.

Track #14 The Hands that Built America

The Hands that Built America is another song that shows that many people of many, many ethnic backgrounds came together to build what we know today as "America". The song is quite simple and tells how the singer has come a long way. The songs lists many of the ethnic groups that a helping hand in shaping America. These groups are from Russians to the Hindus and Sioux. This song seems to be specific in its address and is about specifically the Irish and their migration to America, especially the part about "freckled hills to steel and glass canyons" This song speaks more of just the Irish but broadens to all those who helped America come what it is today and that fact makes it all the more important of a song about American history. Again, another good tune on this CD that I liked!!

Track #15 We Didn't Start the Fire

This song is basically a list of ever event (sometimes people, movies, or objects too!) that ever occurred in Billy Joel's life. He mentions some very crucial events in U.S history in this song including the Korean wars, Watergate and Nixon, JFK's death, Woodstock, Malcolm X, and the Atom bomb. My oh my, that is a long list, and it goes on and on. These events are all combined into one long stream of words that, in a sense, serve as a summary of the big news stories of Billy Joel's life. The song is from a historical standpoint but offers no actual history into any of the events.The song kind of shows how chaotic and out of sync some things were after World War II. But isn't everything like that? If a country goes to war its mind is one thing, a war machine. Social whims and faux pas go away and are replaced by the drive of the machine to defeat the enemy. Life is the same way. If we are so focused, obsessed, about one thing everything else becomes secondary. That all changes when perhaps that obsession or drive for something goes away and life must go back to "normal" and we must concern ourselves with less drastic things and deal with the complexities and pains of society in general. Perhaps Joel is sending more of a historical list of events, perhaps he is saying that on a personal level that such a list of intricacies can occur in our own lives and we might look back on them in a different way. Or perhaps I think too much. Anyways, this song is an excellent portal to the past and I personally like it.