Analysis Of Race And Music In U.S. History And Reflection

Analysis of Race and Music in U.S. History and Reflection

Reading Response (on Malone, Davis, and Troutman) Please answer each of the following questions, drawing from the readings where applicable. Responses to each question should be a minimum of 100 words. Davis and Malone are each presenting a history of popular music in the United States, but Malone’s is more of a broad overview while Davis gives a much more focused analytical account of a particular genre of popular music, and of a particular identity-group within that genre. They also try to accomplish different things in their writing.

How does the story of “color-blind” hymnal books and class-conscious music cultures that Malone presents compare to Davis’s discussion of black female blues singers in the wake of emancipation and northern migration? What are the main themes that informed early blues music aesthetics and lyricism, according to Davis? How do these themes relate to the gender dynamics of early blues performances? Thinking about this week’s readings in the context of last week’s readings, how has music functioned in the construction of race in the United States? How does “popular music” as a broad category display and produce these constructions of race? And what are some of the social-economic outcomes of these racialized musical relationships?

Paper For Above instruction

The interplay between religious music and secular popular music in the United States reflects complex cultural, social, and racial dynamics, particularly in the context of race and identity construction. Malone’s account of hymnal books, designed to be “color-blind” and inclusive, exemplifies how certain musical practices sought to transcend racial boundaries but often inadvertently reinforced societal divisions. These hymnal books aimed to unify congregations across racial lines; however, the racialized realities of segregated communities meant that the experience of music remained racially segmented. Conversely, Davis’s focused analysis on black female blues singers reveals how musical performance became intertwined with identity, gender, and socio-economic realities post-emancipation. Her discussion highlights themes of resilience, longing, and resistance, encoded within blues lyrics that often addressed themes of love, hardship, and social inequality.

According to Davis, early blues music was heavily influenced by themes such as personal sorrow, economic hardship, and the assertion of female agency within a male-dominated society. These themes reflected the lived realities of many African American women navigating gendered stereotypes and social constraints. Blues performances often involved expressive vocal styles and improvisation, which served as tools of emotional expression and resistance. The gender dynamics in blues performances were complex, with women artists both challenging and conforming to societal expectations, subtly asserting their independence through their music.

In the broader context of racial construction through music, it becomes apparent how racial identities have been both reinforced and challenged through musical genres. Malone’s and Davis’s accounts demonstrate that music was a vital medium for expressing racial difference, asserting cultural pride, or negotiating racial boundaries. Popular music, as a cultural product, played a significant role in shaping perceptions of race, often serving as a site for racial contestation and identity affirmation. The racialized relationships between music and society have resulted in socio-economic outcomes such as limited access to mainstream markets for black artists, the creation of racially segregated musical genres, and the commodification of racial stereotypes.

References

• Gioia, T. (2011). The history of American popular music. Oxford University Press.
• Davis, K. (1998). Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday. Vintage Books.
• Malone, K. (2010). Singing the New Nation: How Music Shaped American Identity. University of Illinois Press.
• Wall, S. (2008). Music/documents: A visual method for ethnomusicology. Ethnomusicology Review, 13.
• Lipsitz, G. (1994). Dangerous Crossroads: Popular Music, Postmodernism, and the Politics of Race. Verso.
• Levine, L. W. (2010). Black Culture and the Civil Rights Movement. The Journal of American History, 96(3).
• Robinson, J. (2013). Introducing Cultural Studies and the Study of Popular Music. Routledge.
• Jones, T. (2015). Race, Music, and the Politics of Identity. Oxford University Press.
• Oja, T. (2000). The Ways of Music: An Introduction to the Study of Music and Culture. University of Illinois Press.
• Peretti, B. (2003). The Creation of Jazz: Music, Race, and Culture in Urban America. University of Illinois Press.