A Norwegian Fiddler’s Farewell to America
Vilde AaslidWho was Lars Fykerud? Why was he saying goodbye to America? How did a song about America end up among those about Norwegian waterfalls and mountains?
Category: traditions
What Was the Aerobics Craze?
Destiny MeadowsSpandex fabric, disco music, Reebok sneakers, and celebrities like Jane Fonda. Each of these points back to a time, a sound, and a distinct cultural moment: the aerobics craze of the 1980s. But what was the aerobics craze? What was its music and how did it sound?
Mexican Music and the South
Sophia M. EnríquezWhat kind of music do you think about when you think about the Southern U.S.? Your answer might include country music, bluegrass, the blues, or southern rock–but you probably didn’t think of Mexican music! The U.S. South has a growing Latinx community that has brought with them many Spanish-language music traditions.
How Have Recording Technologies Changed Music-making?
Catherine ProvenzanoIn 1887, Thomas Edison wrote about a new machine: the phonograph. He described how the machine worked and what this [...]
Passing Along Traditions in the Mississippi Hill Country
Ben DuPriestShardé Thomas began learning to play the fife at the knee of her grandfather, the great Otha Turner. Turner was [...]
Listening to Dayton Funk
Dr. Rickey VincentListening to the band Lakeside’s #1 R&B hit “Fantastic Voyage” in 1980, one can hear lead singer Mark Wood chant that [...]
How Are Songs Used in Seminole Legends?
Emily Ruth AllenLegends of the Seminole Tribe of Florida have been passed down orally from one person to the next. Sometimes these [...]
How Did Publishing Help Gospel Music Grow?
Christopher LynchImg. 1: The Pace Jubilee Singers, ca. 1930, with Charles H. Pace in the back row on the far left. [...]
Black History and the Creative Arts of Rhiannon Giddens
Hilary GreenRhiannon Giddens. (Credit John Peets) Blending traditional folk music with Black musical traditions, Grammy-award winning Rhiannon Giddens has made Black [...]
Channeling A Voice from the Past: A New Opera About Omar Ibn Said
Hilary GreenOmar Ibn Said, 1850s. (Public Domain) On May 27, 2022, Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels debuted a new opera called [...]
What is Kansas City Jazz?
Marc RiceCount Basie at the piano in 1955. (James J. Kriegsman, CC) The city of Kansas City, Missouri, is known around [...]
Why are the ladies in The Music Man posing?
Marian Wilson KimberThe “Grecian urn” ladies in the movie, The Music Man (1962) Meredith Willson’s Broadway musical, The Music Man, has been [...]
What does it mean to “revive” old-time music?
Esther Morgan-EllisSamantha Bumgarner, fiddler, banjoist, and guitarist from Asheville, North Carolina, 1937. (Library of Congress) A “music revival” takes place when [...]
What is “old-time” music?
Esther Morgan-EllisHog-Eyed Man, composed of Rob McMaken (dulcimer) and Jason Cade (fiddle), play Old-time music at the Kennedy Creek Old Time [...]
What is a “sea shanty”?
James Revell CarrIllustration of sailors singing sea songs, British National Maritime Museum at Greenwich In December 2020, a Scottish singer named Nathan [...]
Music in Diplomacy: Just a Show?
Danielle Fosler-LussierUniversity of Michigan Jazz Band members discuss their instruments with interested spectators after a workshop. Photograph courtesy of Lanny Austin. [...]