Black Music

4 Pages 1052 Words

Black Music in America: A History Through Its People Tahirah Carter by James Haskins Intro to Music I have definitely learned allot about the Evolution of American Music in this class. I found it to be very intriguing. So when I was faced with the chore of deciding which book I would do my report on, I chose Black Music in America by James Haskins. This book gave a detailed account of not only the music genres but it’s performers. We already know that American music is made up of music from many different types of ethnic backgrounds. What gives this book a plus is that it highlights some other aspects of American music, and its performers. The items and events that really caught my attention were the concert singing, Minstrelsies, Jubilee songs, and brass bands. Born as a slave, a girl by the name of Elizabeth Greenfield moved to Philadelphia. She moved there with her Mistress and her parents. Luckily while in Philadelphia they were set free. At the age of forty-two she moved to buffalo New York in order to embark onto new opportunities as a singer. When she reached New York opportunity came knocking. She began a career of concert singing. With a range of three and one quarter octaves you would think that opportunity kept knocking, but it didn’t. Therefore she moved to Europe where she would get the attention and credit that was due to her. While in Europe Elizabeth was shown great appreciation for he talent? Even Queen Victoria demanded that she performed for her at the Buckingham Palace. On the account of Elizabeth doing so well in Europe, She gained newfound popularity in the states. As you see, it wasn’t easy for blacks to make a living in the U.S. That forced blacks to either perform in Europe or the northern states of the U.S.. Some blacks even had to resort to performing in Minstrelsies. Minstrelsies started out as an avenue for whites that were trying to embark on new and exciting culture. At this time America was free fro...