\N NS Introduction Mellonee V- Burnim and Portia K, Maultsby ‘As ethnomusicologists with a specialization in African American music, our entire careers as teaching professionals have been engaged in the dissection and interpretation of the rich content this sub- ject matter embraces. The textures of African American music have historically attracted considerable scholarly attention, for the music has made an indelible imprint on American culture. Yet, identifying a primary source suitable for covering the wide range of topics our courses address has always proven challenging. The pioneering works of the late Harvard Professor Emeritus Eileen Southern—The Music of Black Americans: A History and Readings in Black American Music—first introduced in the early 1970s, have long been acknowledged as stan- dard texts in the field, The wealth of data included in these two vol- umes has undergirded emerging perspectives on African American music for over 30 years. As the study of African American music has become broader and ue the need to supplement instructional materials in the seme ees eee and more evident. Probably the most common sheer Seer works in teaching African American music challenging to ib eae packet, which has proven increasingly Stringerit, African ie oe copyright guidelines have become more designed to ex sneer Music: An Introduction has been expressly Southern in hears 0” the knowledge base provided by Eileen jen 1n her pioneering work: P : : the discussion of African io a while at the same time advancing "sen to the forefront in pete music to include topics that have temporary discourse.‘Music: An Introduction isan’ outgrowth of t the Aftican nn content of volume 3 of the Garland Encyclopedia of Worlg “Music: The United States and Canada (Garland Publishing, 2001). From, she Izarticles included in the Garland Encyclopedia, all of which were Conceived as chronologies of specific genres, the present work has more than doubledin volume co ‘include 30 essays by 25 authors representing the fields of ethnomusicologYs musicology, composition, cultural history, sociology, library ‘and information science, music education, and gender ethnic, and cultural studies. Witha majority of contributors presenting che field ofechnommusicology, We have sought to structure pete pacieflets a fundamentally ethnomusicological perspective~ aoe embraces the socio-culcural content that brings the musi onli as expressions of human beings and at che same time includes the kind of musical specificity thar brings clarity to the structural melodic, and rhythmic characteristics thar both distinguish i unify the genres represented. For the student of music, transcri a discographies, and music analyses are interwoven into the eee = sihose approach to Aftican American musics less technically c ei will welcome the historical and social contextualizations olfered by the multiple disciplinary perspec represented among the pied as well as the richness of eth i research conducted by Seat a ean African American Music: An Int ins wit is tit Gentian Rrateas aged dooce yess of say inthe field from the anesbellumm pefiod co om of the twenty-first century. Beginning with aioe ee etm accounts, which were largely descriptive focused prin nina gions mic; andstrongly teflected che prevail eprenine edhe oni prevailing racial bias of the the impacts -diciglitary pesapective, rack areas eal atta eeerma Tane e ana ee yi ping the discourse on African Section I of the text of major Aftican aerate chronological development Haire Eo arae articles have hes a an eye Se a exiginally iad her ecko oan include informa: were Comin ae pet etcuded or minimized, and new sis sont define bah ae pas a otk Our objective in this Sends dinars ction is introduced with D ee ae Sand dicusin of secular musie dar = Epstein and Rosita Conftonting the long standing premise ring the antebellum period tral nonexistent among the sla thar secular music genres wert the Widespread practice of pat aves, Epstein and Sands document Kay mock songs, children’s ig juba (rhythmic body percussion) 35 | Mellonce Bumnim's eae ne a4 Popular dances of he on religious music begins with the “African America Affican Amariran 2...:.half of the eighteenth century and cheAftican ia of World 101). From vhich were k has more resenting Peuleoral -ducation, aeributors jseructure spective— che music » includes erucrural,, uish and criptions, xt. Those “centered ffered by authors, ‘om field cllectual the pro- the curn travelers’ ‘on reli- as of the xploring politics, African lopment case, the informa- w essays : in this al genres ne genre d Rosita period. wres were scument ssion) as 25 of the with the in the latter half of : i f traditional and con- vae-day manifestations of chrough Prest advert? the distinctive character of spiritu- coi spel music eee See elas eee ciee aes tat fi gospel ee ol similarly for African Americans over time— ob ene bave Pe culeural and religious identity. pressions Of POT ology of blues urges the reader to rethink tra- 5 wid Evans Car distinguish one form of blues from another ajional ate80r the fluid relationships that allow regional and and insta co > coexist. “Blues in Transcultural Contexts” by india! S76" plements Evans’ essay by providing an in-depeh ea oehlet Complex process by which urban blues migrated cite ot inanly ‘African American contexts to predominantly fom predom™ yan settings and che musical transformations that pt borg Harer’s chapter on ragtime addresses the complex est een oral and written tradition in the evolution and i ent of ragtime, noting in particular how ragtime has been doce conceived a8 song, dance, and instrumental music. Ingrid ianson’s eeatment of jazz identifies its myriad styles, from bebop tr awing to modal, among others, establishing throughout how the poles of race prompted jazz's movement from the margin to the hainsteam, and how it also shaped public perceptions of jazz as an American rather than an African American genre. The correlating study of jazz by Travis Jackson carefully examines the dominant ana- lytical frames thar have shaped interpretations of jazz and the conse- quent limitations these standard models of critique have imposed on continuing perceptions of the field. Thomas Riis’ interpretation of musical theater provides a portrait of African Americans on the formal stage, ranging from allBlack theater companies from the nineteenth century, to min- stelsy, to twentieth-century Broadway musicals. Two essays are as on the topic of African Americans in classical music. The iS» by Josephine Wright, documents the participation of Blacks inmrallletery sphere ofthis genre, including opera, cheater, and dhru and vocal composition. As a complement to Wright's Afieay eee Olly Wilson narrates the culcural terrain that ing ther cat a ComPoset of classical music negotiate in express- 85, Wilson Recoenizing the duality of African American iden- the acistey op eats {he challenges inherent in the effort to define rican American composers through a prism which Negates ei t ‘i i a ther the African or the American component of African can identity, che spiritual inane music adit of the chapters in this section focus on popular Writes on thyth; ‘at have emerged since the 1960s. Portia Maultsby “Wing records we ond blues, soul, and funk, in each instance iden- and artists who profoundly shaped the development Ineaductonsocio-culeural and historical of the genre, as well as ee Kai Fikentscher’s discussion forces that fueled musical ee ee gare arel ee mere of disco and house Mg e cing with he charactet of virtually i ee Se cea are cana Vibegeschers tases alse all earlier conceived genres. Import rating che chariccer OLS h documents the politics of gender in shaping Gt Sy pe my of chon ets ate ce ogy-centered genre, one which was birthed in the neighborhoods of African American urban youth, but which, over time, migrated and evolved into a genre that became more strongly identified with Whites than with African Americans. The section on genres con- cludes with Dawn Norfleet’s exploration of hip-hop and rap music, a dominant force on the popular music scene today. Norfleet goes beyond mere description of seminal artists and recordings to critique regional styles, gender roles, and even the political debates that have challenged rap’s musical and cultural viability. In addition to the segment of the book that focuses on genre, three additional segments are devoted to synchronic interpretations of music-making that traverse genre boundaries—mass mediation, gender, and agency. The section on mass mediation focuses on the politics of the music industry in defining the creative process and marketing the creative products of African Americans. Reebee Garofalo introduces the segment with a discussion of the socio-cultural and economic forces that drive the production and dissemination of African American musicin the popular musicindustry. The discussion of the gospel music industry by Mellonee Buraim explores how the variables of race, religion, and culture are negotiated in generating million-selling recordings in a historical period where sales of such magnitude were a rarity. These two broad discussions of the music industry are followed by detailed profiles of industry giants Motown, Philadelphia International, and Stax Records, clarifying how industry Policies were enacted in different regions and time frames, The topic of gender is the unifying thread for Section Ill, Mellonee Burnim examines the lives and caters of three pioneering women in 8ospel music~Mahalia Jackson, Lucie Campbell, and Willie Mae Ford Smith—all of whom confronted and. ‘overcame major obstacles in theit career development, prompted by their identities as women. Theit Stories address the strategies of resistance and accommodation women of faith employed to achieve their career goals, much Like thet cou terparts in secular music aren, ide e ‘as. Daphne Harrison and Sherrie Tucker Provide probing glimpses of the professional lives of African America women in blues and jazz, respecrveh ; sare chose the life ofthe Hei bectivey, suggesting char wore ° ian did so at a cost that sometimes out” "hed the corresponding gains. They argue thar ce omen oe African American MusicS aig. men, nor did hey seek t0 follow 1 1 1 ; > 1 rd elves, a5 erparts. Their entrepre- gine ehems ‘peir male counterP: a sot ls csablshed by she or hey wore nor only vocalists as nue as constearh bur also instrumentalists—on keyboard, al sp ‘cally represen turf that transgressed the boundaries musi persion ie rable for women. Pe peidentified music explores the highly ote music festivals as they have evolved meal and eransracial audiences. In this jnereasingly in which every aspect of women’s human- S os subele currents of racial and cultural repne roscer of artists showcased at festival sponses to performers’ repertoires in znce of African. American women in 2 Fare arges a reconsideration of the defini- cis Mare ondares of rock music. Through the prism vind power dynamics in the music industry, Mahon of har Afican American, women performers and composers si neatscable component in che development of rock music as eget ‘on musical agency seeks to broaden our snimtandingof modes of resistance African Americans have utilized fiom the antebellum period to the present. Historian Lawrence Line's compelling discussion of sacred and secular music expres- sons fiom slavery through the first decades of the twentieth centu- ry eninds us of the degree of cunning and guile that slaves often embodied to communicate surreptitiously, avert harm, and maintain asense of individual and collective dignity. From the spiritual ro the blues, the music of African Americans has always been more than mere entertainment, even when those outside the shared community vereabsolutely unaware of that fact. rae Sa tates during the Civil Rights Movement, Bernice Temi nis a a very personal and intimate voice to the ee bones music during this historical period. The aad old, Black and W ea propel and sustain communities of} young tion and violence is ov through repeated experiences of intimi- she provides details fies Tecurrent trope. At the same time, embattled year Of how the creative process thrived during the "Pets ofa paling songs were formulated from che rich weal Mark Maer gospel, and popular music. : the 19705 the post. y 4 leal advances the discussion of agency Concept ofrese euler. From this historical reference point, fo tien toinclude etree beyond the framework of racial dis- mance hayes et Sexuality and class, Although the sites Ived markedly, the need for African American iyi af which imp: sis both Og the audience Feoo’ musicians to constantly mitigate against a music industry prone to disempower and disregard them in its eapital-driven marketplace ies not ceased. While African American Music: An Introduction makes no claims tg bean exhaustive study, our objective has been to provide collection, of essays with sufficiently broad coverage to meet the needs of mule. ple scholarly constituencies, including undergraduate and staduare students of musicology and ethnomusicology; folklore ang nee Pology; and African American, ethnic, gender, and women's Studies, Extensive bibliographic and discographic references are included fo, those who are interested in further study. Our creation of this work results from our lifelong engagement with the subject matter, both, as performers and as scholars, The issues we have addressed a7 on we have repeatedly confronted in the classroom and in other sites of Scholarly discussion. Ieis our hope that this work will serve oy bringa sense of greater clarity, substance, and understanding to people and music long misunderstood and misrepresented.