Citizendia

Western music
Stylistic origins
Cultural origins
Typical instruments
Derivative formsWestern swing
Other topics
Western arts

Western music is a form of folk music originally composed by and about the people who settled and worked throughout the western United States and western Canada. Traditional music is the term now used in the terminology of Grammy Awards for what used to be called " folk music " The Western United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American West or simply the West &mdashtraditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost This article is about the style of old-time American music The term string band also referred to the ensembles now known as Scratch bands part of the Music of the A mandolin is a musical instrument in the Lute family (plucked or strummed The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles The double bass is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed String instrument used in the modern symphony orchestra. The violoncello (abbreviated to cello, or 'cello, plural cellos or celli —the c is tʃ The banjo is a Stringed instrument developed by enslaved Africans in the United States, adapted from several African instruments A harmonica is a free reed Wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers or This article is about the Musical genre. For the popular western swing Steel guitar tuning see E9 tuning. The Western is a fiction Genre seen in Film, Television, Radio, Literature, Painting and other Visual arts. Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous The Western United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American West or simply the West &mdashtraditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost The Canadian Prairies is a region in western Canada, which may correspond to several different definitions natural or political Directly related musically to old English, Scottish, and Irish folk ballads, western music celebrates the life of the cowboy on the open ranges and prairies of western North America. A ballad is a Poem usually set to Music; thus it often is a story told in a Song. [1] The Mexican music of the American Southwest also influenced the development of this genre. Western music is related to country music, which shares similar origins but developed in the Appalachians and reflected the life of the people of that region. Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian Mountains ( often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. Guitars, fiddles, and the accordion are the most common instruments used in Western music. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles The accordion is a portable box-shaped Musical instrument of the hand-held Bellows -driven free-reed aerophone family sometimes referred to as a Squeezebox

Contents

Origins

The origins of Western music can be traced back to the folk music traditions of England, Scotland, and Ireland. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The music was brought to North America during the mid-nineteenth century by pioneers and ranchers who settled the western plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the American Southwest. Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a Mountain range in western North America. The mix of ethnic English, Scotish, Irish, German, Mexican, and Eastern European peoples who settled these regions gave the music its unique qualities. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. Reflecting the realities of the range and ranch houses where the music originated, the early cowboy bands were string bands supplemented occasionally with the harmonica. This article is about the style of old-time American music The term string band also referred to the ensembles now known as Scratch bands part of the Music of the A harmonica is a free reed Wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers or Otto Gary, an early cowboy band leader, stated authentic Western music had only three rhythms, all coming from the gaits of the cowpony—walk, trot, and lope. [2]

In 1908, N. Howard Thorp published the first book of Western music, titled Songs of the Cowboys. The book was very popular west of the Mississippi. The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to It included many songs of unknown authorship, but it contained the first popular cowboy song, "Little Joe, the Wrangler," which was written by Thorpe. [3] The book did not include musical notation.

In 1910, John Lomax, in his book Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads, first gained national attention for Western music. John Avery Lomax (September 23 1867 - January 26 1948 was a pioneering musicologist and folklorist. His book contained many of the same songs as Thorp's book (he collected most of them before Thorp's was published). However, Lomax's compilation included many musical scores. Lomax published a second collection in 1919 titled Songs of the Cattle Trail and Cow Camp.

With the advent of radio and recording devices the music found an audience previously ignored by music schools and Tin Pan Alley. A university school of music or college of music, or academy of music or conservatoire ( French, but used in British English) &mdash Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City -centered music publishers and Songwriters who dominated the popular [4] Many Westerners preferred familiar music about themselves and their environment.

The first successful cowboy band to tour the East was Otto Gray's Oklahoma Cowboys put together by William McGinty, an Oklahoma pioneer and former Rough Rider. Otto Gray and his Oklahoma Cowboys were the first nationally famous cowboy band and the first cowboy band to appear on the cover of Billboard (June 6 1931 Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. The Rough Riders was the name bestowed by the American press on the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment during the Spanish-American War The band appeared on radio and toured the vaudeville circuit from 1924 through 1936. They recorded few songs however, so are overlooked by many scholars of Western Music. [5]

Mainstream popularity

Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, western music became widely popular through the romanticization of the cowboy and idealized depictions of the west in Hollywood films. Singing cowboys, such as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, sang cowboy songs in their films and became popular throughout the United States. Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye) (November 5 1911 &ndash July 6 1998 was a singer and Cowboy Actor. Orvon Gene Autry ( September 29 1907 &ndash October 2 1998) was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Film producers began incorporating fully orchestrated four-part harmonies and sophisticated musical arrangements into their motion pictures. Bing Crosby, the most popular singer of that time, recorded numerous cowboy and western songs. During this era, the most popular recordings and musical radio shows included western music. Western swing also developed during this time. This article is about the Musical genre. For the popular western swing Steel guitar tuning see E9 tuning.

Decline in popularity

By the 1960s, Western music was in decline. Relegated to the Country and Western genre by marketing agencies, popular Western recording stars released albums to only moderate success. Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Rock and Roll dominated music sales and the Hollywood recording studios dropped most of their Western artists. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Caught unawares by the boom in Country and Western sales from Nashville that followed, Hollywood rushed to cash in. In the process, Country and Western music lost its regionalism and most of its style. Except for the label, much of the music was indistinguishable from Rock and Roll or Popular. Some Western music traditionalists oppose the association of Western music with the Country and Western genre, which does not reflect the spirit of true Western music.

Rediscovery

Still, many Westerners prefer music about themselves, their culture, and the land around them. Older music is still available at retail stores in major population centers, through mail-order, or by the internet. New Western music is constantly written and recorded, and performed all across the American West and western Canada.

In recent years, Michael Martin Murphey has almost single-handedly resurrected the cowboy song genre, promoting western singers and groups and cowboy poets. Michael Martin Murphey (born March 14, 1945) is a writer and performer of American Music. The singing group Riders in the Sky recorded a mix of Western and Western Swing and have won Grammy Awards for their work with Disney on Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc. This article is about the group For the song see (Ghost Riders in the Sky A Cowboy Legend. This article is about the Musical genre. For the popular western swing Steel guitar tuning see E9 tuning. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Toy Story 2 is a 1999 Academy-Award -nominated CGI Film, the Sequel to Toy Story; the third Monsters Inc is a 2001 Computer animated Comedy film and the fourth feature-length film produced by Pixar Animation Studios.

List of Western songs

List of Western singers

References

  1. ^ Lomax, Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads, Collector's Note: "Out in the wild, far-away places of the big and still unpeopled west—in the caňons along the Rocky Mountains, among the mining camps of Nevada and Montana, and on the remote cattle ranches of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona—yet survives the Anglo-Saxon ballad spirit that was active in secluded districts in England and Scotland even after the coming of Tennyson and Browning. " Along the Navajo Trail " is a country / pop song written by Dick Charles (pseudonym for Richard Charles Krieg) Larry Markes and Edgar De Lange " Back in the Saddle Again " was the signature song of American Cowboy entertainer Gene Autry. Big iron, as the hacker 's dictionary the Jargon File defines it "refers to large expensive ultra-fast computers " Buffalo Gals " is a traditional American Song, written down and published as " Lubly Fan " in 1844 by the Blackface minstrel " Cool Water " is a song written in 1936 by Bob Nolan. Oh My Darling Clementine is an American western folk ballad usually credited to Percy Montrose ( 1884) though sometimes to "Deep in the Heart of Texas" is an American popular song elaborating on the merits of the state of Texas. Originally written in 1934 for Adios Argentina an unproduced 20th Century Fox film musical "Don't Fence Me In" was based on text by a poet and engineer with the " El Paso " is a country and western Ballad written and originally recorded by Marty Robbins, and first released on Gunfighter Ballads Git Along Little Dogies is a traditional cowboy ballad, also performed under the title "Whoopie Ti Yi Yo "Happy Trails", by Dale Evans Rogers, was the Theme song for the 1940s and 1950s radio program and the 1950s television show starring Roy "Home on the Range" is the State song of Kansas. Dr Brewster M I'm an Old Cowhand from the Rio Grande is a comic song written by Johnny Mercer for the movie Rhythm on the Range ( 1936) sung by Bing Crosby " I Want to be a Cowboy's Sweetheart " is a Country-and-Western song The Last Roundup is a series of novels by Irish writer Roddy Doyle. Red River Valley is a Folk song and Cowboy music standard of controversial origins that has gone by different names&mdashe " (Ghost Riders in the Sky A Cowboy Legend " is a country and cowboy-style song "San Antonio Rose"/"New San Antonio Rose" was the signature song of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. "Streets of Laredo" ( Roud 2 also known as the "Cowboy's Lament", is a famous Cowboy Ballad in which a dying cowboy dispenses " Sweet Betsy from Pike " is an American ballad about the trials of a pioneer named Betsy and her lover Ike who migrate from Pike County (probably Missouri) to California " Tumbling Tumbleweeds " is a song composed by Bob Nolan, one of the founding (albeit reluctant members of the Sons of the Pioneers. " The Yellow Rose of Texas " is a traditional folk song which has long been popular in the United States and is considered an unofficial state song of Texas "Zebra Dun" is a traditional American cowboy song dating from at least 1890 Orvon Gene Autry ( September 29 1907 &ndash October 2 1998) was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy Wilf Carter (December 18 1904 - December 5 1996 also known as Montana Slim, was a Canadian Country music singer songwriter guitarist and yodeller The Girls of the Golden West ( Mildred Fern Good & Dorothy Laverne Good) were a female Country music girl group that was popular during the "Western Ruby(e Blevins (she added the "e" herself later in life aka Patsy Montana ( October 30, 1908 &ndash May 3, 1996) was Tex Ritter (January 12 1905 &ndash January 2 1974 was an American country Singer and Actor and the father of actor John Ritter Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye) (November 5 1911 &ndash July 6 1998 was a singer and Cowboy Actor. The Sons of the Pioneers was an American cowboy singing group founded in 1933 by Leonard Slye (better known by his later screen name Roy Rogers) with Tim John I White (born 1910 was a western music Singer. He was born in 1910 and originated from Washington DC. Raymond Otis Whitley ( December 5, 1901 – February 21, 1979) also known as Ray Whitley, was a Country and Western Martin David Robinson ( September 26 1925 – December 8, 1982) was an American singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Martin Murphey (born March 14, 1945) is a writer and performer of American Music. This article is about the group For the song see (Ghost Riders in the Sky A Cowboy Legend. Don Edwards is a Cowboy singer and guitarist who plays Western music. Chris LeDoux ( October 2, 1948 &ndash March 9, 2005) was an American Country music Singer-songwriter, bronze Bob Nolan ( April 13, 1908 - June 16, 1980) was a Canadian -born singer songwriter and actor Joe Bethancourt (born El Paso, Texas 1946) is a traditional American musician (a player of Folk music) based in Phoenix Jim Wilson may refer to Jim Wilson (comics, friend of the Incredible Hulk and Rick Jones who later dies of AIDS Jim Wilson (first baseman Juni Fisher (born c 1957 is a western and folk Singer-songwriter. Ian (Dawson Tyson Singer songwriter guitarist rancher b Victoria BC 25 Sep 1933 honorary D LITT (Athabaska 1993 honorary LLD (Calgary 2001 . . . In some such way have been made and preserved the cowboy songs and other frontier ballads contained in this volume. "
  2. ^ Shirley, "Daddy of the Cowboy Bands", p. 29: " 'There were only three rhythms to the real songs of the range—not the distorted versions you hear today,' Otto pointed out. 'They came from the gaits of the cowboy's horse—the walk, the trot and the lope. Lope is an old Spanish given name derived from Latin lupus, meaning "wolf" ' "
  3. ^ Thorp, Songs of the Cowboys, 1921, p. 96: "'Little Joe, The Wrangler', by N. Howard Thorp. Written by me on the trail of herd of O Cattle from Chimney Lake, New Mexico, to Higgins, Texas, 1898. New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. . . . It was copyrighted and appeared in my first edition of Songs of the Cowboys, published in 1908. Copyright is a legal concept enacted by Governments, giving the creator of an original work of authorship Exclusive rights to control its distribution usually for
  4. ^ Quay, Westward Expansion, p. 179, "Finally, the popularity of radio stations like 5XT, KFRU, and KVOO, all out of Oklahoma, which featured western bands like Otto Gray and his Oklahoma Cowboys, brought the sound of western music to greater number of Americans. "
  5. ^ Early Cowboy Band: "While Gray has long been acknowledged as an important figure, genuine respect for his achievements and acknowledgement of just how influential the Oklahoma Cowboys were has been grudging. This is partly due to the understandable tendency among country music historians to focus chiefly on recordings as a measure of an artist's importance. "

Bibliography

External links

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