The idea of American music containing unique elements that is only found in American music is quite an interesting concept. I do believe that American music is unique from that of other countries.
Traditional Irish reels, for example, have their own distinctive sounds that are not found in Russian folk songs. American music is a combination, or “melting pot,” of various traditional forms of music from around the world.
Looking back at American history shows us that “Americans” are a diverse people, coming from all around the world. As these cultures mixed with one another, so too did their music. As a result, a new style of music, previously unheard of, was formed and became known as American music.
American music is more than just music composed by “Americans.” It is representative of our culture and it tells us who we are. Music is an important aspect of any country’s culture and is representative of the society’s values and standards and works to describe the people part of it.
While I believe that there is a distinctively American music, this is not to say that this form of music does not contain some elements of other countries’ music. However, American music has taken the most desirable elements of other country’s music and shaped it into something unique. European countries, for example, are primarily homogenous in terms of their culture.
This is also the case with their music, since it is reflective of the society. Consequently, traditional Spanish folk songs and traditional Hungarian folk songs have relatively nothing in common. Only in American music, could these two styles of folk songs be related in any fashion. Various styles of music have come together as the many cultures in from around the world have to create a society that is distinctively American.
While I believe there to be a unique style of American music, I do not believe that it is something that American composers have striven to create. Instead, the music composed that is classified as American is representative of the writer’s culture and heritage. When this is coupled with the influences surrounding the composer, something previously unseen is developed: American music.
I feel that American music is more than just simply music composed by people living in America. It is a mindset and a way of life that has emerged over the country’s two hundred plus year history. It is dependent upon the ever-changing influences on society and is not possible without the combination of several types of homogenous styles of music.
