HIST390

Let’s start by saying that this week’s context was very controversial!

American Popular Music: An Introduction

The Mistral Show-  US form of entertainment developed in the 19th century of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the U.S. Civil War, by black people. I personally believe this was very racist and unfair to black  men as their talent was stolen and did not receive any credit for it. Minstrel Shows helped to invent whiteness in the United States by painting your face black it brought attention to the whiteness.  This was literally cultural appropriation.  What makes it cynical is the fact that Yellow Rose of Texas was written by a white man, black painted face and used to march in war. This lecture goes to show how everything was race related in the past and it was allowed and seem as something normal. We also talked about how technology makes it so much easier to create rhythm, music. This has a good and bad side to it. Some “artist” creates a piece of music online and sell it making it unfair to the real artist who take their time to learn how to play an instrument and create a piece. In other words, why hire a musician to record their piece when you can make it on the computer or simply find it online, buy it and save money. It takes the hard work from those artists. On the good side, it makes it easier to create a piece of music or any sound, especially for us who will be doing it as our final project.