CHAPTER TWO – Origins of Pop

Who decides what is Pop anyway?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The cultural stewpot of America blessed this land with uniquely geographic styles of music.  Indeed, European Classical music was taught and learned by the landed gentry.  But the folks were listening to and creating their own brand of traditional music as well.  It was borrowed from Europe to be sure, but as civilization spread across the American Continent the music of the people began to reflect the mix of its storied citizens.  Each region celebrated it's own particular brand of cultural song.

Traditional Folk Music arrived in America on a boat.  Jigs and Shanties of the British Isles were played on instruments brought from the old country and sung by the new citizens of the new world.  American folk music developed from these root songs into a broad spectrum of recognized styles from Bluegrass and Old Time Music,  to Gospel, and Appalachian Folk.  They were the predecessors of the Country and Western genre which developed into today's Country Music.

Traditional Blues arrived by boat as well.  The slave trade brought Africans to America.  They brought with them a rich tradition of rhythmic chants and songs of celebration and communication.  The call and response format and long melismatic phrasing can be traced directly to Traditional African music.  A melismatic phrase is a one syllable musical sentence.   The singer will embellish a word with a long improvised series of notes. The earliest record of the Blues form was discovered by an archaeologist in Mississippi in 1901.

The Gospel Tradition of the American South owes it's style to a distinctly American cultural mix of white Protestants and African American slaves.  Although the two groups were segregated, it is clear that they lived, worked and prayed within earshot of each other.  The Southern Christian owners taught their slaves Christian Hymns.  Black Church musicians and singers expounded on these hymns and performed them with fervor.  And in a style to which they were accustomed.

Dixieland and Ragtime gave birth to American Jazz.  Although Jazz musicians have had a profound effect on the world of Rock and Roll, as an artform, Jazz has remained pure and unto itself. It's direct influence on early Rock and Roll is negligible.  It's purveyors and enthusiasts had a profound effect on American Pop music.

Rock and Roll would spring onto pop culture from roots music.  But, lets take a look at where American Pop music originally came from.

American Folk Songs

Origins of the Blues

Gospel Music

Jazz

Take a great melody, tell an engaging story of tragic proportions, add a handsome lad in a spiffed up costume and sprinkle in some well coiffed ladies of questionable repute and what do you get?  That's easy.  Country Music!  Hey, they don't call it the Grand Ole Opry for nothin'. 

Blame it on the Italians.  They invented the artform way back in the 16th century, but every Western culture had they're favorites.  And although the styles varied slightly, the ingredients were all the same: drama set to strong melodies, performed by dynamic, romantic singers, dressed in grand style, set upon festive stages, backed by outstanding musicians in grand orchestras. 

Fast forward to the dawn of the 20th century, considered by most as the golden age of opera.  Wagner in Germany and Verdi in Italy refined the artform, while  Puccini lifted it to frenzy proportions.  Make no mistake, in his day Enrico Caruso was every bit the superstar that Elvis was in his.  You want to hear a dude sing?  Check this out.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aef9DGvZ8Qo

American music can easily be traced to its English roots.  The Puritan's Hymns, the sailor's sea shanties and lyrical limericks, along with Irish jigs arrived along with our early settlers.  The popularity of Gilbert and Sullivan operas was not lost on the American audience either.  Opera Houses sprang up all over America, and Americans flocked to see these productions.   Entertainment would also include, drama and variety shows.   By combining drama interspersed with song-  Musical Theater would soon dominate Broadway and eventually the movies.

From the 1880s to the 1930s entertainment  was centered on the Opera House.  Most towns had one and people from far and wide would flock to town to be dazzled.  The entertainment would arrive on the train.  Every conceivable act: dancer, singer, acrobat, comedian, and orator would ply their trade from town to town.  Singers and musicians would perform hits of the day.  The variety show was born out of necessity. It was part burlesque and part circus.  It could be bawdy and patriotic.  The early stars of Radio and TV (and pop music) learned their trade one show at a time.  By the time LIVE TV came along, they were polished, professional and ready to go.

Nobody likes to talk about Minstrel Shows, and with good reason.  Not so much for what they were, but for what they became.  Make no mistake, they were bawdy and contemptuous from the beginning, but it was from the Minstrel stage that the first truly American songs were performed and made popular.  For this reason, they deserve mention in the search for the roots of Rock and Roll.  Even prior to the early 19th century white comedians would paint their faces black, assume an exaggerated Southern Negro accent and portray blacks as lazy,  ignorant, happy go lucky singing and dancing fools.  But the first full Minstrel Show, with the entire cast and all the musicians in blackface is attributed to Dan Emmett's Virginia Minstrels on January 31st, 1843 at the Chatham Theater in New York City.  (Dan Emmett is attributed with writing one of America's first bit hits, "Dixie.")  Soon after, The Christy Minstrels refined the Minstrel Show artform by toning down the low humor and  focused on the more song and dance aspects of the show.  Their composer (under contract) was none other than the father of American song, Stephen Foster.

Dan Emmett

Christy Minstrels

Stephen Foster

In 1896 Guglielmo Marconi patented the first radio.

Marconi

Tin Pan Alley

The surest way to determine what is the most popular music is to just look at the sales figures.  Before records and radio play, sheet music sales measured the success of any song.  Music Publishers, aware of the economic impact of a popular song hired the best songwriters to churn out potential hit songs. At the turn of the 20th century, virtually every music publisher was centered in New York City. Particularly in an area call Tin Pan Alley.  (Tin Pan Alley was the block on West 28th St. between Fifth and Sixth Avenue.) Never before in history had so many great song writers congregated in one place to ply their trade. Vaudeville entertainers, Broadway performers, musicians and song pluggers streamed in and out of this district.   Scott Joplin was the King of ragtime, which soon gave way to jazz.  George M. Cohan was the toast of Broadway.  Irving Berlin began his career there and lived in Manhattan until his death in 1989.  George Gershwin go his start writing tunes and would eventually cross over into the symphonic world.  And Hoagy Carmichael placed many a song into the American song book from his piano in the neighborhood.  Even Cole Porter's roots are traced to this hotbed of inspiration and talent.  And each of these composers was influenced by the spread of American jazz across the land.  The early Rock and Roll songwriters were born into this tradition.  Follow the link to the right.  See where these early songwriting pioneers lead you.

Tin Pan Alley

So, what was Pop at the turn of the 20th Century?  Before recording really took hold, sheet music sales would indicate that from 1897 to 1918 Ragtime was king.  George M Cohan's "Give My Regards to Broadway" was a monster.  And let's not forget "Alexander's Ragtime Band".  By the 1920s, American Jazz was the rage.  And out of this revolution sprang the Big Band.  The Saturday night dance party was a staple in every American city and town.  The barn dance, the cotillion, the ball, all called out for musicians to provide the beat and the tune.  The first Pop Stars cut their teeth as band singers.

It wasn't until 1926 that the term Pop Music was used.  And tracking of what was top of the pops didn't really start until the 1940s.  There were three charts: record sales, Jockey plays, and jukebox plays.  Then in the 1950s Billboard Magazine started tracking all sales and play categories in it pages.  The Hot 100 would count, catalog and codify for the culture just who and what were the Pop Songs of the day.

Only one song at a time can be the Number ONE hit in the land based on sales.  And since 1940, Billboard has kept very close tabs.  Check out the list at the right.

Pop Music

Big Bands

Top Hits thru the years

1930

Hits of the 1930s

More on Sinatra

NEXT PAGE - CHAPTER THREE - SETTING THE STAGE