Cajun music has a folk-like beat that places the accordion at the center of the rhythm. Cajun music originated from the United States of America but more specifically, the state of Louisiana. This music came to Louisiana through the French-speaking immigrants that settled there. These immigrants once called the Acadians, or Cajuns, found a new home in Louisiana after being expelled from Nova Scotia (Ancelet). Due to their harsh exile from Nova Scotia, much of Cajun music describes death and desperation. Soon after arriving in Louisiana, the Cajuns began incorporating the sounds of the surrounding cultures into their music (Edmondson, 173). Acculturation contributed greatly to the origin and development of Cajun music due to its borrowing of sounds and instruments from a variety of different cultures. They started incorporating the Native American’s singing style as well as the Spanish guitar into their own original music (Ancelet). This created the unique sounds of Cajun music that we know and listen to today. Paired with their music, the Cajun culture also created their own unique Cajun dance style. Their dances incorporated waltzes, and …show more content…
haunting ballads with great African influence (Owens). The world had its first real exposure to Cajun music in 1928.
Joe Falcon and his wife Cleoma Breaux Falcon made the first commercial recording of Cajun music (Edmondson, 174). These two artists were considered to be the greatest Cajun accordion artists of their time, as they recorded “Allons a Lafayette” for the commercial (Edmondson, 174). This opened many doors for Cajun music, as it’s exposure brought new popularity to the music. Next in 1946, a Cajun fiddler known as Harry Choates would bring even more attention to Cajun music with his hit “Jole Blon”. Many DJs around the country made this song popular and many country artists started to become increasingly interested in Cajun music. Some started to record their own covers of popular Cajun songs. This also helped Cajun music gain popularity nation and worldwide
(Neal). Cajun music is still alive today, but we see it in a different light. Many bands today play Cajun music in a different way than in the past. Many incorporate a wide range of styles into Cajun music. For example, some artists have blended modern country rhythms into their music. Because of this, there are also a few artists that are working hard to bring the original Cajun music back into popularity. Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys are a good example of bands that are following this movement (Savoy). They continue the traditional style of Cajun music by focusing on the accordion and the fiddle in their songs. Many agree that Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys are an exceptional example of the future of Cajun music. Cajun music is very similar to the type of music that I listen to. I enjoy listening to a variety of music styles, including hip-hop, R&B, rock, pop, rap, and country. I think that Cajun music and the country music that I listen to are very similar. In some popular country songs you can even hear elements of Cajun music. This is because they both originated in the southern United States at about the same time. They also both share roots in folk and blues music. Cajun and country music also share a variety of the same instruments. Some country songs today still use the fiddle, the accordion and the guitar that also make up the basis for Cajun music. An example of a modern band that uses these elements of Cajun music is Zac Brown Band. In their popular cover of the song “Devil Went Down To Georgia” the main focus of their rhythm revolves around the fiddle. R&B and rock music have also had some influences on Cajun music as well. Contemporary Cajun music incorporates the electric guitar and keyboard that are found in modern R&B and rock music.
In New Orleans, where the jazz music started, music was not a luxury, it was a necessity. Ethnicities represented in New Orleans were as follows: French, Spanish, and African, Italian, German, and Irish (Herbert Asbury, 1938). This unique combination provided a unique mix of cultural influences which gave birth to such unique styles of music: ragtime, blues, spirituals, marches, and of course jazz. The workers needed the music as a way of communication, relief, and hope for freedom, during the mind-numbing labor.
Cajun cuisine is a fusion of food from different regions with very rich histories, such as France, Canada, and the southern U.S. It was originated by peasants of French ancestry. These immigrants settled in the "Acadian" region of the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia from 1604 to 1654. By 1755, the population of these settlers had grown to about 15,000. They survived on cereal crops such as wheat, barley and oats, and garden vegetables including field peas, cabbage, and turnips. This diet was supplemented by domestic livestock, wild game, and fish. (History of the Cajuns. (2001). www.terrebonneparish.com)
Southern culture is based upon three main things. The south is known for its hospitality, language, and food. Here is a bit of an overview on the history and background of the Cajun culture and language. Cajun culture began with the arrival of French Acadians who migrated to and settled in what is now Louisiana mainly between 1765 and 1785 (Cajuns, 1996). Cajun French is a variety of the French language spoken primarily in Louisiana, specifically in the southern parishes (Cajun French, 2016). The Cajuns spoke French almost exclusively until the 20th century. Many would learn English get along in an increasingly Anglo society as the 19th century progressed, but their main language was Cajun French. The basics of the language is their Acadian
Since the first emergence of Jazz in the late 19th century, new styles and versions of the genre have been popping up in various locations across the world. Jazz first appeared in New Orleans. This is because New Orleans was one of the only places in the world that allowed the slaves there to play musical instruments, most importantly the drums. People in New Orleans of all social groups attended VooDoo rituals, which was where European horns met African drums. The two sounds joining together was “like lightning meeting thunder”. The locals then put the two styles together and used music they heard in churches or in barrooms for inspiration, thus creating an entirely new style of music; Jazz.
The two concerts that I chose to go see were Stanislaus State Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensembles & Combos Concert. These two concerts are both very similar yet different in their own ways. Each piece also has many attributes to contribute and it was fun being able to watch two very different genres.
To better understand how Cajun music was invented we need to know the history of the culture and its people. To start, the word Cajun originates from Acadian who were the original settlers of the area that is now known as Nova Scotia and Quebec. In 1604, Acadia was a colony of New France in northeastern North America and the people who lived there were known as Acadians. Eventually they were conquered by the British but were allowed to keep their lands through
The two cultures that I identify myself with Haitian culture and American culture. The American culture is more dominant and I identify myself most with this culture. Although I was born in Haiti and Haitian culture was once my dominant culture, it is now my co-culture. Nonetheless, a combination of these two cultures would be Haitian-American culture.
Louisiana is filled with a great number of diversified and varied people all ranging from French, Spanish, English, German, and Acadian to West Indians, Africans, Irish, and Italian, and they were all a part of the original settlers that established the state (“About Louisiana”). They are also the ones who inspired the “Cajun Country” that Louisiana is today by bringing their culture, traditions, and heritage with them. The original French pronunciation of the w...
In the 1920s there was a growing interest in country music, and bluegrass was one of the genres in hillbilly music that caught the attention all over the country. Known for the unique guitar sound, religious and gentle ballads, and mountain singing practices, the Carter Family is considered to be one of the great representatives of the bluegrass music in the Appalachian region. Loved by the audience all over the country, they established a “standard” sound that people would expect from bluegrass music. Taking a deeper look into the genre, almost all of the bluegrass groups are formed by solely white people. Why there were no traces of other races in the region being involved in the music? As the listener could imagine on the good old days and pretty scenery depicted in the bluegrass ballads, very little details on the lives of the people living in the present were heard from the songs. Bluegrass music is not a genre that provides listeners a genuine image of the musical and social landscape of the Appalachian region, but the commercialized music genre that is created by the white Appalachian residents for the whites in the whole United State America using newly-developed broadcast and commercial recording technology.
The Delta Blues is one of the richest musical genres in the world. With it’s racially empowered background and unique upbringing, no wonder why it is one of the biggest inspirations of rock n roll. The Delta Blues has one of the most distinct history and musical styles.
Ironically, it is nearly impossible to find the pinpoint of where jazz got started. Many early types of music, such as: Blues, Afro-Latin Caribbean rhythms, work songs, Protestant church hymns, Jewish songs, silly contemporary tunes, English and Irish dance music, gospel and spiritual, and ragtime, all went into the creation of jazz. A lot of credit goes to the African Americans for the creation of jazz. (Taborelli, Giorgio). “Jazz was born out of the cultural experience of African Americans and can be traced in a direct line to the slave songs of the plantations through the Negro Spirituals, Ragtime, and the Blues”("Jazz Musicians as
Cajun music derives from the customary music of the French-speaking Acadians who were barred from Nova Scotia by the British in the mid-1700’s and took a journey south to Louisiana. The style of music was a cappella, with only rhythm sticks to keep the tempos. It was later in Louisiana, all of the other instruments were added. The Zydeco sound belonged to the black Creoles whose ancestry is a multifaceted mix of African, American, Caribbean and European. Although the sound in the original state included the fiddle it was later replace and favored by the accordion. Some musical gurus have a differences of opinions on which state actually birth Zydeco. Michael Tisserand the author The Kingdom Zydeco believes that Zydeco originated in, Houston, Texas also known as the Bayou
What are some types of Rand B music that stands out in the world? In this essay I would be discussing three types of Rand B music; rhythm and blues, contemporary r and b, and r and b soul. Rhythm and blues regularly abbreviated as R&B, is a classification of popular African American music that started in the 1940s. Music can sooth the soul if one listens to different kinds of R&B music. In this essay, I would like to discuss the different categories of R&B music. There are many types of music in the world however, the one that stands out in everyone's brain is the sound of rhythm and blues. It has been around for a very long time. It has taught individuals interest around the globe. Rhythm and blues began in the late 1940s by slaves in the south which brought about new music, designed, and move styles.
Jazz is a music genre that is very rich in culture which is why I decided to attend a Jazz concert. This was my first Jazz event I had ever been to. I went to see the band The Chairman and the Board. This was a blues swing band. Having been to other concerts, I was expecting something similar as far as atmosphere and crowd. I was proved very wrong as this concert defied all my expectations and was in a whole different field as far as life entertainment goes. The first thing I noticed right off the bat was the audience. The age range of this audience was mainly 40-70. I definitely felt like the odd man out when I was there. It did get me thinking though, why was this audience so much older? I looked into the era of when most of those people
Theatre has heavily evolved over the past 100 years, particularly Musical Theatre- a subgenre of theatre in which the storyline is conveyed relying on songs and lyrics rather than dialogue. From its origination in Athens, musical theatre has spread across the world and is a popular form of entertainment today. This essay will discuss the evolution and change of musical theatre from 1980-2016, primarily focusing on Broadway (New York) and the West End (London). It will consider in depth, the time periods of: The 1980s: “Brit Hits”- the influence of European mega musicals, the 1990s: “The downfall of musicals”- what failed and what redeemed, and the 2000s/2010s: “The Resurgence of musicals”- including the rise of pop and movie musicals. Concluding