It is a desire of mine to become more acquainted with some of the great songwriters of the 20th century, specifically the American ones, to start. That should keep me busy for a while until I get distracted by something else! I am curious about nearly everything and sometimes have trouble sticking to one or only a few tasks. I am hoping that giving myself a structured timeline to research and post about American composers will keep me on track.
I have a collection of postcards printed with old Vanity Fair covers from the first half of the 19th century. I thumbed through them to see if any referenced popular music of that time, hoping for some inspiration or insight. There were a few, and I also set aside one of a cowboy wrangling a shape of the states because he seemed so quintessentially “American.” “Hoedown” from “Rodeo” came immediately to mind so I definitely need to study up on Aaron Copland.
There’s so much to learn. I am interested particularly in what their upbringing was like, if they (probably) came from a musical family, what was happening culturally and politically, any monumental travels, occurrences or tragedies that shaped their perspective? How did they learn, where did they study, and who were their patrons? Which instruments were they particularly fond of and why, what about their personal life? What were the triumphs and troubles that chiseled them into the distinguished figures they are today?
Of course I can only read about these things from a distance, trusting others to sift fact from fiction for me. I have a tendency to put composers and legendary songwriters on a pedestal, as if their talent was given freely and their creative brain divinely blessed. It’s so easy to gloss over the steps they invariably took to get to those places, it’s not as fun to read about the blood, sweat, and tears. What about the years it took to hone their skills and the time they spent writing dozens, if not, hundreds of works before maybe one made them smile with satisfaction? It helps to form a more holistic view of a person’s life and struggles and work if some of the gritty details are shared. But we don’t often hear about the details. And I want to know the details! Not many people produced their piéce de résistance in their twenties, and by that I am encouraged.
Though I wouldn’t boast being a music history buff by any means, I did study music a bit during college and with that pursuit came a few requisite music history courses. These covered mostly European composers of the Baroque and Classical periods and I did learn so much I hadn’t before. My knowledge from younger years was a parade of hazy dates, character idiosynchrasies, and a few well-formed opinions about men wearing tights and powdered wig trends.
While there is always plenty more to learn, I found myself wishing I could take a Jazz history course or something that covered the indigenous peoples of North America. My awareness of what was happening on this continent before colonization is shameful. I hardly know about the people let alone what they were singing about, or instruments they were making – the amazing sounds of their tradition. Jazz is huge in my home town but most of middle and high school we were learning how to play it, not studying the accompanying culture and history. But that’s what being done with formal schooling means, right? You can learn about whatever you like, however you like. If immersing yourself in a textbook is so intriguing you could do that. Or casually read a few chapters in a smattering of library books whenever you are feeling in the mood. Learning things you’re curious to know, on your own time table – is one of the perks of being an adult I suppose.
So even though I just talked about Native American music and Jazz, I’m not going to get into contributors from those genres just yet. I’ll start with someone else, maybe with more of an emphasis on strings. I’m sure I’ll come around to the others at some point on my learning journey. Any suggestions I definitely shouldn’t miss out on?
That Violin Vibe 
