Editing Music of the United States (section)

==Characteristics==
[[File:Ray Charles classic piano pose.jpg|thumb|Ray Charles in 1969]]
The music of the United States can be characterized by the use of [[syncopation]] and asymmetrical rhythms, long, irregular [[melody|melodies]], which are said to "reflect the wide open geography of (the American landscape)" and the "sense of personal freedom characteristic of American life".<ref>Ferris, p. 11.</ref> Some distinct aspects of American music, like the [[call-and-response (music)|call-and-response]] format, are derived from African techniques and instruments.

Throughout the later part of American history, and into modern times, the relationship between American and European music has been a discussed topic among scholars of American music. Some have urged for the adoption of more purely European techniques and styles, which are sometimes perceived as more refined or elegant, while others have pushed for a sense of musical nationalism that celebrates distinctively American styles. Modern classical music scholar John Warthen Struble has contrasted American and European, concluding that the music of the United States is inherently distinct because the United States has not had centuries of musical evolution as a nation. Instead, the music of the United States is that of dozens or hundreds of indigenous and immigrant groups, all of which developed largely in regional isolation until the [[American Civil War]], when people from across the country were brought together in army units, trading musical styles and practices. Struble deemed the ballads of the Civil War "the first American folk music with discernible features that can be considered unique to America: the first 'American' sounding music, as distinct from any regional style derived from another country."<ref name="Struble_2"/>

The Civil War, and the period following it, saw a general flowering of [[Art of the United States|American art]], [[literature of the United States|literature]] and music. Amateur musical ensembles of this era can be seen as the birth of American popular music. Music author David Ewen describes these early amateur bands as combining "the depth and drama of the classics with undemanding technique, eschewing complexity in favor of direct expression. If it was vocal music, the words would be in English, despite the snobs who declared English an unsingable language. In a way, it was part of the entire awakening of America that happened after the Civil War, a time in which American painters, writers, and 'serious' composers addressed specifically American themes."<ref>''Rolling Stone'', p. 18.</ref> During this period the roots of blues, gospel, jazz, and country music took shape; in the 20th century, these became the core of American popular music, which further evolved into the styles like rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and hip hop music.

===Social identity===
[[File:Grammy Museum.JPG|thumb|left|The entrance of the [[Grammy Museum at L.A. Live]]]]

Music intertwines with aspects of American social and cultural identity, including through [[social structure of the United States|social class]], [[race (classification of human beings)|race]] and [[maps of American ancestries|ethnicity]], [[geography of the United States|geography]], [[religion in the United States|religion]], [[languages in the United States|language]], [[gender]], and [[human sexuality|sexuality]]. The relationship between music and race is perhaps the most potent determiner of musical meaning in the United States. The development of an [[African American music]]al identity, out of disparate sources from Africa and Europe, has been a constant theme in the [[music history of the United States]]. Little documentation exists of [[colonial America|colonial]]-era African American music, when styles, songs, and instruments from across West Africa commingled with European styles and instruments, leading to the creation of new genres and self expression from enslaved people. By the mid-19th century, a distinctly African American folk tradition was well-known and widespread, and African American musical techniques, instruments, and images became a part of mainstream American music through [[spiritual (music)|spirituals]], [[minstrel show]]s, and slave songs.<ref>Radano, Ronald with Michael Daley, "Race, Ethnicity and Nationhood" in the ''Garland Encyclopedia of World Music''.</ref> African American musical styles became an integral part of American popular music through [[blues]], [[jazz]], [[rhythm and blues]], and then [[rock and roll]], [[soul music|soul]], and [[hip hop music|hip hop]]; all of these styles were consumed by Americans of all races, but were created in African American styles and idioms before eventually becoming common in performance and consumption across racial lines. In contrast, [[country music]] derives from both African and European, as well as Native American and Hawaiian, traditions and has long been perceived as a form of [[white (people)|white]] music.<ref>Wolfe, Charles K. with Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje, "Two Views of Music, Race, Ethnicity and Nationhood" in the ''Garland Encyclopedia of World Music''.</ref>

[[File:Capitol Records sunset.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Capitol Records]] headquarters building]]

Economic and social classes separates American music through the creation and consumption of music, such as the upper-class patronage of [[symphony]]-goers, and the generally poor performers of rural and ethnic folk musics. Musical divisions based on class are not absolute, however, and are sometimes as much perceived as actual;<ref>McLucas, Anne Dhu, Jon Dueck, and Regula Burckhardt Qureshi, pp. 42–54.</ref> popular American country music, for example, is a commercial genre designed to "appeal to a working-class identity, whether or not its listeners are actually working class".<ref>{{cite book |author=Peterson, Richard|year=1992|chapter="Class Unconsciousness in Country Music|title=You Wrote My Life: Lyrical Themes in Country Music|editor1=Melton A. McLaurin |editor2=Richard A. Peterson |pages=35–62|location=Philadelphia|publisher=Gordon and Breach}} cited in McLucas, Anne Dhu, Jon Dueck and Regula Burckhardt Qureshi, pp. 42–54.</ref> Country music is also intertwined with geographic identity, and is specifically rural in origin and function; other genres, like R&B and hip hop, are perceived as inherently urban.<ref>Smith, Gordon E., "Place" in the ''Garland Encyclopedia of World Music'', pp. 142–152.</ref> For much of American history, music-making has been a "feminized activity".<ref>Cook, Susan C, "Gender and Sexuality" in the ''Garland Encyclopedia of World Music'', p. 88.</ref> In the 19th century, amateur piano and singing were considered proper for middle- and upper-class women. Women were also a major part of early popular music performance, though recorded traditions quickly become more dominated by men. Most male-dominated genres of popular music include female performers as well, often in a niche appealing primarily to women; these include [[gangsta rap]] and [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]].<ref>Cook, Susan C, "Gender and Sexuality" in the ''Garland Encyclopedia of World Music'', p. 88–89.</ref>