Music of the United States
American music blends global influences into globally heard genres.
The music of the United States reflects the country's multi-ethnic population, blending influences from Indigenous peoples, West Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, North Africa, and many other regions. Since the beginning of the 20th century, some forms of American popular music have gained a near global audience, with genres such as jazz, blues, rock, country, and hip-hop heard around the world.
- field
- Music
- nationality
- United States
- known_for
- Diverse array of genres including jazz, blues, rock, country, hip-hop, and soul
- characteristics
- Syncopation, asymmetrical rhythms, long irregular melodies, call-and-response format
- key_influences
- African-American, European, Indigenous, Latin American, and immigrant traditions
Lore & Background
The Civil War and the period following it saw a general flowering of American art, literature, and music. Amateur musical ensembles of this era are seen as the birth of American popular music. 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, evolving into rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and hip-hop. The relationship between music and race is a potent determiner of musical meaning, with African American musical styles becoming integral to American popular music through blues, jazz, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, and hip-hop.
Reader's Guide
The music of the United States is significant for its global reach and its role as a cultural melting pot, taking in influences from across the world and creating distinctively new methods of cultural expression. The most distinctly American musics result from cross-cultural hybridization through close contact, such as the French-African music of Louisiana Creoles, the Native, Mexican and European fusion Tejano music, and the hybridized slack-key guitar of modern Hawaiian music. American music intertwines with social and cultural identity, including through social class, race, ethnicity, geography, religion, language, gender, and sexuality. The development of an African American musical identity, out of disparate sources from Africa and Europe, has been a constant theme. Country music derives from African, European, Native American, and Hawaiian traditions and has long been perceived as a form of white music, while genres like R&B and hip-hop are perceived as inherently urban. The folk revival of the mid-20th century appropriated the musics of various rural peoples, in part to promote certain political causes, which has caused some to question whether the process was appropriate.
Did You Know?
- The United States' music is a mixture influenced by Indigenous peoples, West Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North Africa.
- Genres such as jazz, blues, rock, country, and bluegrass arose from the interaction of African-American and European musical traditions.
- The Civil War ballads were deemed 'the first American folk music with discernible features that can be considered unique to America'.
- Country music derives from African, European, Native American, and Hawaiian traditions and has long been perceived as a form of white music.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Music of the United States?
Music of the United States is the collective musical tradition of the country, shaped by the blending of Indigenous, West African, European, Latin American, Middle Eastern, and North African heritages. It represents one of the most genre-diverse entries in the regional musics canon.
What are Music of the United States's signature characteristics?
Its sound is marked by syncopation, asymmetrical rhythmic patterns, long irregular melodic lines, and a call-and-response structure. These traits give it a distinctly rhythmic and interactive identity compared to many other regional traditions.
What genres does Music of the United States include?
The tradition spans jazz, blues, rock, country, hip-hop, soul, and numerous other styles. Since the early twentieth century, several of these forms have achieved a near-global audience.
Why is Music of the United States important in the regional musics canon?
It shows how a multi-ethnic population can fuse diverse musical heritages into entirely new, globally influential genres. Its outsized impact on world music culture since the 1900s makes it a central entry in any regional musics collection.
What key influences shaped Music of the United States?
African-American, European, Indigenous, Latin American, and various immigrant traditions all contributed layers to its development. This stacked inheritance is what gives the music its characteristic diversity and rhythmic complexity.
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