Summary of Music of the United states: a historical introduc

The text first begins with the Protestants and there relationship with music. Being that they left England because of religious persecution on tiny colonial ships, large instruments like organs and harpsichords could not be accommodated. Also most of the colonists were not of the wealthy aristocracy that had created and gave life to music in England. Therefore the colonists in the beginning did not have the elegant and sophisticated music that the British and Western World came to have. Nevertheless, the colonists could and did enjoy only music that was quite simple and fully functio

nal, such as social and worship music. This is where “American Music” first began. John Calvin, Leader of the Protestant movement in the mid 1500’s, believed that the only proper music for Church had to be based on the lyric poetry of the bible, more specifically the book of Psalms. He also believed that any polyphonic, instrumental, and non-biblical based text music was to much associated with Catholicism, therefore all hymns up till the late 1500’s were unison based and quite simple compositionally wise.

It’s quite ironic how America came to be because of Great Britain’s suppression yet our hymns, folk songs, and even our national anthem have deep British roots. But that’s what is so great about music its meaning is far more universal then any language known to man. Though the colonists and loyalists were in great conflict there was still one thing in which

Some topics in this essay:
Wiley Hitchcock, Pennsylvania Moravians, Leader Protestant, America Britain’s, Puritan Ministers, Church England, John Tufts, Francis Scott, World Nevertheless, David Tannenburg, music america, mid 1500’s, music british, church music,