15 - Popular Music in America; 1950-2010

The outline that follows covers two sessions of presentation. Please note that not all genrés of popular music are presented because the list is nearly endless and the change in popular musical development is always constant.

14 - Popular Music as Developed in America; 1850-1950

The three major categories of music that exists in our world may be defined as folk, classical and popular. In this entry I cover aspects of Folk and Popular as it developed within the US between 1850 and 1950.

13 - Music of the New World; 1620 - 1850

Note: This post is the first of three parts that will ultimately cover musical developments in the United States from 1620 to 2000. These sessions will be interspersed with those covering a traditional review of the Western European classical periods of music. Though aspects of classical music are included, the main thrust is presenting America’s dominant religious and secular music traditions. The secular tradition includes both folk and popular types including those that emerged from the confluence of multiple musical styles.

Difficult Beginnings

It was in the early 1600 when Western Europeans began coming to the shores of North America in pursuit of land, natural resources and opportunities related to expanding the territories under the control of the English, French and Spanish. This was 100 years after much of the Caribbean region had already seen inhabitation by Europeans. In general, the Spanish tended to settle the area around Mexico and the northern portion of South America. The French tended to come into the area we now know to be Canada. The English tended to migrate up and down the mid-Atlantic coastline of North America. The settlements later officially became the colonies of England. As a result, what free time was devoted to the making of music included continuing the traditions and habits related to music in the homeland, England.

During the 1700’s people from other countries (France and the Netherlands) began coming to Colonial America. These settlers also brought with them their religious practices and beliefs as well as their music preferences.

12 - The Romantic Era; 1820 - 1900

The 19th Century saw several revolutions in many countries throughout Europe following America’s successful revolution from Great Britain. It was a time in which the ideals of liberty were spreading. Just prior to the 19th century the civilization also witnessed the collapse of the Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Holy Roman and Mughal empires. This paved the way for the growing influence of the British Empire, the German Empire and the United States, spurring military conflicts as well as advances in science and exploration. After the defeat of the French Empire and its allies in the Napoleonic Wars, the British Empire became the world's leading power, controlling one quarter of the world's population and one fifth of the total land area.

 The 19th century was an era of invention and discovery, with significant developments in the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, electricity, and metallurgy that lay the groundwork for the technological advances of the 20th century. The Industrial Revolution was beginning in Europe. 

It was also a time of reaction against the Classic period (Age of Reason) which emphasized the primacy of deductive reasoning. By contrast, Romanticism emphasized intuition, imagination, and feeling, to a point that has led to some Romantic thinkers being accused of irrationalism.