Culture, Music, and the Melting Pot of the United States

Culture, Music, and the Melting Pot of The United States

Group Members:

Lindsay Wagner

Andrew Javosky

Hui Ying

Kris Richardson

Ali Miller

Carl Chbier

GROUP 1

EDP 101 B

Our group wanted to investigate our diverse backgrounds and apply how music from our different cultures has influenced the ‘melting pot’ of America today. We have explored our cultures from the Czech Republic, Lebanon, China, Germany, Poland, and Italy.

The nation known as the Czech Republic (as it is known as today) and the area surrounding it has gone through a wide transformation over the years. Certain unrest in the area is what probably caused many of its inhabitants to migrate away from the area.. The Czech people have been coming over to the United States since 1850. At that time it is estimated that 10,000 Czechs were living in the United States in cities such as St. Louis, Cleveland, New York, and Milwaukee. Over the years, the Czech population in the United States continued to grow and spread out. Along the influx of Czech immigrants came the tradition, customs and beliefs that they had practiced in their homeland. One of the main staples of the Czech culture is music.

Today, Czech immigrants and Czechs born here in the United States (commonly refered to as Czech Americans) are spread out all over the United States with large populations in Texas, California, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas, etc. Still in many of these states, Czech's celebrate and promote their culture with festivals that are open to the general public. The genre that is most associated with the Czech people and their culture is the polka. Daniel Levitin states that “Historically, and particularly evolutionarily, music has been involved with social activities”. This is especially true for polka music which is commonly played during gatherings of people such as weddings, social dances, or the bar scenes. Polkas upbeat tempo easily allowed for these locations to become the common venues in which the polka is played.

In addition Levitin also states that “music listening and music therapy have been shown to help people overcome a broad range of psychological and physical problems”. Musics healing ability is something quite extraordinary and is something that has been gaining a lot of interest over the past couple of years. Back in time when Czechs were just coming to America in search of a new future, many were unsure of where their lives would end up in this new land. This uncertainty can place much stress psychologically on a person which in turn can lead to living a unhealthy physical lifestyle. Polkas upbeat tempo that makes people dance provided a perfect remedy for Czechs in the United State. It kept them optimistic about the future.

Since the entry of Czech's into this country, their music has gradually grown to be very popular not just for Czechs but for the community as a whole . When using the word popular, the words meaning does does not entail that Czech music has gone mainstream. No, instead the word popular is used to describe those areas in cities where large Czech communities sprung up. These Czech communities played the music from their homeland and as more years passed, the style of would eventually become assimilated into American culture To my surprise, Texas has one of the biggest populations of Czechs living within the state. In the book The History of Texas Music, Gary Hartman writes about the the great importance of music to them and this is importance can be seen in the great number of music venues that they had established through the state along with the entire country. These venues were built by the Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas (SPJST) which also served as multipurpose buildings. Originally designed as centers for Czech settlers their musical use became open to the public to include other genres such as blues, country and rock and roll. Yet they never lost their original purpose for the performance of Czech music.

Culture defines who people are and the way they act and one of the biggest role players in differentiating cultures and make them unique is music. Music differs from one culture to another and some people can recognize the origin of the music just from listening to the style. Lebanon is a country that is on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and their music is very interesting. In the United States resides a large groups of Lebanese people and they have introduced their music to the western world.

Music has always been an integral aspect of the affluent Lebanese culture. From its early days the music of Lebanon has been creating a worldwide reputation for itself through its power to captivate its listeners, its beautiful rhythm and its Arabic tunes.Music of Lebanonassimilates the diverse tunes of Arabia and the idiosyncratic characteristics of gypsy music of the country. The result is a rich production of Arabic music with an enchanting quality.
Modern tunes blend with the traditional Lebanese music to create various genres of music in Lebanon. Ranging from the vibrant duo of rock-pop “Soap Kills” to a number of hip hop Arabic groups like Rayess Bek, Kitaayoun etc, alternative Lebanese rock like Meen and a number of other groups, Lebanon music has made a name for itself in the arena of international music.
Folk music and traditional music from Lebanon too holds a high position in world music. Singers like Fairuz, Nasri Shamseddine, Marcel Khalife etc emerged during the period post World War II. Modern artists of lebanon include Najwa Karam, Rola Saad, Diana Haddad, Haifa Wehbe, Walid Toufic, Amal Hijazi, Elissa, Ragheb Alama etc.

Lebanese music is known around the world for its soothing rhythms and wild beats. Traditional and folk music are extremely popular as are western rhythms. The beats are lively and they are very fast. A Lebanese instrument called Derbake is used to create those beats and with addition to the beats the singers like reaching high notes that are a very good addition to the beats of the Derbake. That combination is very popular and it has been in the Lebanese culture since the Phoenician age.

Lebanese music in the United States is much liked and many Americans go to Lebanese restaurants to so they would listen to the music. That start created love for the music and it evolved to become part of the Music listened to in the United States. It started slowly being put in the American music and now people get to enjoy some Lebanese beats, rhythms and high notes in their music. Dave Matthews Band is a perfect example of the mixed culture because he has some folklore, alternative and jazz in his music and he reaches some really good high notes that sound like the Lebanese music but it’s in English.

Culture is never separated, especially in the melting pot of the United States. One can easily see Chinese people all around the country, and for sure, Chinese people have brought their culture to this foreign land as well. Chinatown has become kind of representative of Chinese culture in the states, where gathers lots of Chinese people. In Chinatowns, one can eat Chinese food, experience Chinese culture, and hear Chinese music. Everything there is like in another China. As time pass by, the Chinese ethnic group, together with their culture, becomes to influence America bit by bit.

One can hear Chinese songs during the weddings of some Chinese couples in Chinese restaurant. Although they chose to come to the States, they still keep the habit of what they enjoy when they are in China, since people’s brains help to memorize some typical combination of sounds they enjoy at an early age. According to Alexandrea Lemont of Keele University in the UK, “a year after they are born, children recognize and prefer music they were exposed to in the womb” (Levitin, 223). And therefore one can have a hypothesis that people’s preference of music were determined long time ago, and will continuously affect their whole life even though they are immigrated to another country. In this case, lots of Chinese immigrants have brought Chinese music pieces to American society. As a cultural melting pot, which widely accepts other diverse culture, America has been affected more or less.

Besides the immigrants influence, with the enhancement of globalization, the corporation between China and America become tighter. More Americans nowadays choose to learn Chinese language. As part of culture, music is often a good approach to learn a new language, since lyrics helps to convey the emotions, which contains lots of Chinese tradition as well. Daniel Levitin points out “music and language do, in fact, share some common neural resources, and yet have independent pathways as well” in “This is Your Brain on Music” (Levitin, 127), which indicates the possibility of learning a kind of music can contribute to a new kind of language.

Chinese music now has become an important part of Chinese culture added into Chinese learning. When introducing Chinese culture, Chinese people will definitely point out Beijing Opera as the quintessence. As it includes lots of cultural distinctions from western cultures, like the singing methods, the costume and the make-up, many American people are also willing to accept such cultural diversity into this huge cultural melting pot.

Together with Chinese operas, there is also much instrumental music, performing by dizi, sheng, paigu, gong, as well as folk music, invented in different regions, which has distinct characteristics. The regional folk music usually adopt the regional customs, like performing in regional characterized costumes, adding regional news into the lyrics, and are often sung in dialects.

Having a long history as China is, Chinese ancient people have invented lots of Chinese musical instruments as well. Those instruments can maybe made out of same principal, but different styles and usage methods. Take flutes for instance, the Chinese flute is usually made of bamboo. Rather than play the flute vertically like most other countries, it is played horizontally. It enriches the musical history, as well as adds the joy of learning music.

As one of the important countries in the world, China is surely influencing America more or less. Despite the fact that Chinese music does not enter the mainstream of American music, it brings America a sort of cultural diversity. One cannot stop more contact between these two music kinds. On the contrary, these two cultures probably melt further, and create more diverse music genres.

Having a German heritage, I have been very interested in German culture and traditions. My great-great grandparents emigrated from Germany looking for a better life and used their culture to start a business- the German art of brewing beer. The cultural aspect of music is something I have never explored until now.

There are many varieties of German music. Traditional language music includes Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW), Krautrock, Hamburger Schule, Volksmusik, German hip hop, trance, Schlager, and multiple varieties of folk music. One of the most widely recognized German folk music is “Oom-pah”, which is played using brass instruments and can be heard in many of the beer halls. Another widely recognized folk music is Bavarian. When you think of traditional German folk music, Bavarian is usually what comes to mind. Bavarian music is so recognized globablly because it is usually directed towards tourists- it involves some yodeling and traditional lederhosen attire. Some of the most famous classical composers have come from Germany- Wagner, Bach, and Mozart.

As with all cultures, music has changed over time. Today, pop music in Germany is called ‘Schlager’, and includes ballads sung in German. A singer named Heino is one of Germany’s most popular Schlager singers today. Rock music is also very popular today in Germany, and one of the most famous German rock bands, Ramstein, has actually made its way to the United States.

German music can be seen in the United States and reflects the ‘melting pot’ culture. Very few German bands have become popular in the US, but traces of German culture and music can be seen all over. Personally, I see a lot of German culture and music in Cincinnati. After growing up in Cincinnati, I have learned that it’s history is rich in German culture. Over the Rhine was originally a heavily German-populated neighborhood. Oktoberfest is held every year downtown and celebrates the German tradition and Cincinnati’s rich German heritage. Traditional folk music, like the kinds I described earlier, is played at the festival. There is also a Hofbrauhaus just across the river, where the entertainment is entirely German and live German Bavarian folk music is played on the weekends. While German pop and rock music has not caught on in the US, people in Cincinnati and all over the United States celebrate German culture through traditional folk music.

The Polish people first immigrated to the United States in 1608. The exact number of immigrants is unknown but these days there is a definite presence of their culture in many different aspects of the American culture. Most people recognized the most popular Polish contribution to American culture being their cuisine, some of which include pierogi, kielbasa, and golabki. Along with their cuisine though and like most other cultures, they too have brought over their music.

The origin of Polish music can be traced back to the 13th century where manuscripts of polyphonic compositions were found. While the history of their music can be traced back to the 13th century, the first well-known composer was in during the 15th century. During the 16th century is when the rapid innovation of polish music took off. Italian guests of Polish royalty had a large influence on the direction the Polish music would go in. Tradition operatic productions directed by Italians began to appear often in Poland, but at the end of the 17th and 18th century during the decline of Poland, the music scene also hindered.

From this time the most important development in Polish music was invented: the Polonaise. This is possibly the most distinctive Polish art music. The most popular of the Polonaises were for piano and to this day remain popular by those such as:Michał Kleofas Ogiński, Karol Kurpiński, Juliusz Zarębski, Henryk Wieniawski, Mieczysław Karłowicz, Józef Elsner, and, most famously, Fryderyk Chopin. “Chopin remains very well-known, and is regarded for composing a wide variety of works, including mazurkas, nocturnes, waltzes and concertos, and using traditional Polish elements in his pieces.” During the same time period, a composer, Stanisław Moniuszko, became successful in the genre of opera. He is still renowed for operas such as Halka and The Haunted Mirrors.

During the 19th century, as a part of the national revival, Polish Folk Music was collected, but with the world wars and the communist state the traditions were oppressed. These days the mazurkas and the polonaises remain the most popular of the Polish dances. These are triple time dances that were popularized by Chopin. The polonaise is the French word for polish, which gives recognition to the Polish aristocracy from which it originated. The polonaise went on to enter the lower class music and became an integral part of Polish music. Now a day the most common ways to hear Polish originated music is through these dances and through operas. Polish music may not have had major influence on American culture but it is definitely within the mixture of all the other “melting pot” contributors.

Music has been a great part of Italy’s culture and ethnic identity. There is a broad spectrum of music that is derived from Italy. The music of Italy ranges from opera to instrumental classical music. The instrumental classical music is the representative part of the Italian culture, bringing together experimental art music and international fusions to symphonic music and opera. Opera has also become a major portion of Italian popular music. Other imported genres that are important in creating popular Italian music are jazz, rock, and hip hop. Italian folk music, which includes a variety of regional styles, instruments, and dances, plays an important role of Italy’s musical heritage as well.

Italy’s historical contributions to music also play a role to the country’s national pride. Some influences that Italian music has kept around include from Arabs, Greeks, Slavic Peoples, French, and Spain. The Mediterranean area, more so Greece, Balkans and North Africa, have influenced the folk music in Sicily and southern Italian mainland’s. Some aspects that are utilized from the Mediterranean area include nasality in the voice and a patterned approach to pitch.