Copland
Gershwin
Ives
Bernstein
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The United States of America
Though passed over by the 1848 revolutions, "folk
music" gets an extremely divers meaning in the United States of America.
A combination of Native American (Indian) music,
Afro-American slave music - jazz
and blues,
Hispanic dances (of Latin America descendants) and American "country"
music - all stand at the disposal of composers
who wish to incorporate them into their work.
Aaron
Copland,
the most celebrated American classical composer of the 20th century, used
American songs and dances in the ballet
"Rodeo" and Latino music
in "The Mexican Dance Hall". Gershwin
incorporated jazz in his "Rhapsody in
Blue",
and Blues - in his opera "Porgy and Bess",
written during his stay in South Carolina,
where the music of the local black community had a profound influence on
him.
Charles Ives,
a fascinating American composer, considered the father of American 20th
century art music, drew the characteristic American landscapes into his
works (among which "Three Places in New-England"
and "Central Park in the Dark"),
and the occurrences for which they serve as a stage.
The United States, and New York
especially, became a major crossroad in the world of music throughout the
20th century. Leonard Bernstein's
music demonstrated the life in the big city in a realistic way. His musicals,
such as "On the Town" and the groundbreaking
musical "West Side Story", have
been widely popular. His works brilliantly combine a romantic intensity
with jazz and Latin American elements.
Indeed, the world map of music in the 20th century is
not as centralist as it used to be in previous times, yet the musical events
in today's America are more important than ever.
Other
styles originated in this country:
Rock & Roll
- the dance music of the 1950s.
Gospel
- the religious popular songs of the Afro-Americans.
Rhythm & Blues
- the rhythmic blues.
Soul
- the more commercial Rhythm & Blues.
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