FREE ESSAY ON COUNTRY MUSIC

COUNTRY MUSIC

Country Music
When some people hear talk of country music, they think only of singers of sad songs with
stereotypically twangy accents. These misconceptions did impede country music's growth at
its birth, but the stereotype did not prevent it from becoming one of the most popular
music forms of the 20th century. In fact, country music is one of the best-selling genres
after rock/pop. . 
The fiddle (or violin) was the most common instrument since it was easy and inexpensive
to make and not a major burden to carry around. At first it was the sole lead instrument,
but later it became popular to add more accompanying instruments. The banjo, brought to
the American South by slaves, became popular in the mid-1800s. The guitar did not come
into the picture until the early 1900s when they became mass-produced and affordable for
the everyday person. At first, the guitar was only a rhythm instrument, but picking
styles later became popular. Contemporary country music often uses the electric guitar,
which became popular in the '50s. Other stringed instruments include the dobro, the
dulcimer, the steel guitar, the mandolin, the zither, bass guitar and the autoharp. 
In other types of country music you might hear the accordion (since the 1920s), the
harmonica, the piano (beginning in the 1930's with the rise of Western swing), washboards
(as rhythm instruments) or drums (not popular until the 1960s). Country music has its
beginnings in music styles brought over by the first European settlers. In medieval
times, storytelling was a tradition that allowed history to be recorded when few were
able to read and write. When the first British settlers came to America, they brought
this tradition with them, along with songs they had learned in Europe. 
The people who settled in the Appalachian mountains and the West did not have an easy
life and their music gave them an outlet to express their hardships. While country music
began with the ballads and songs of the British Isles, it changed in content and
personality as it grew in America. The British songs were objective, often relating
gruesome stories matter of factly. They had many themes of the supernatural, avenging
spirits, loves found and lost, and violent happenings. In America, the songs became very
subjective and personal, downplayed the supernatural, and, in songs of crimes, emphasized
the evil acts while minimizing the gore. When the songs had to do with love gone bad, the
Americanized ballad removed the violence and vulgarity altogether. The change may have
been due to the rise of the Victorian Age, but it might also have been because it suited
the philosophy of the Southern lifestyle better. 
Another characteristic of the Americanized ballad is the addition of moral statements at
the ends of songs. This was in reaction to the Puritan belief that art must be functional
or else it is frivilous. Ballads were often written to convey current events, but in
America these ballads became more journalistic than the British ones. They became a
fairly accurate way for the more isolated townfolk to hear about happenings in the rest
of the world. Many people wonder how country music was able to develop so differently
from northern music. The short answer is that the South was an entirely different world
from the North. The climate was more suited for agriculture and encouraged a more rural
existence. Their livelihoods depended on the fruits of the land and many people
experienced great hardships when the land did not produce enough. To both preserve and
justify this lifestyle, those who lived down South began to emphasize the importance of
values and pure country living over material things. Soon, the North and South grew into
very different, isolated cultures, which enabled the music of the South to develop
without major Northern influence into what we have come to know as country music. 
The church was one place where people were able to hear music besides in the home. In
America's early years, there were more opportunities for social gatherings, mostly in the
church. Since electronic communication did not exist, these social gatherings were most
people's sole source for information about what was going on with the world. The church
was where most people learned about music, harmony and singing, either from local
performers or hymnals. Early songs were similar to those that the first settlers brought,
talking of love, war, work, adventure and religion. 
Now in the America, the adventures of living in a new land were added to the repetoire. A
major factor in allowing country music to spread beyond the home and local church was the
popularity of the medicine show, the minstrel show and vaudeville in the late 19th
century. Country musicians learned the staging and promotion techniques of these
performers and used them to get their music noticed. Another influence was seen in the
addition of humor-themed and novelty songs, which were popular in travelling shows. After
the invention of the microphone and the phonograph in 1877 and the invention of the flat
disc in 1887, music could be recorded and replayed. The industrial revolution also
allowed for greater communication over large distances and country music was able to
travel beyond the American South to the entire country and, eventually, the world.