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Benjamin Franklin- The Armonica
Benjamin Franklin is known for a great many things. One of them is for being the inventor of the glass harmonica, then called the Armonica (Italian for "harmony") in 1761. It is played by mechanically rotated glass bowls (representing each semitone) which, when carefully touched by watered hands, create a light and haunting tone. The glass harmonica became something of a novelty in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was used by Mozart, then even Donizetti for his Lucia di Lammermoor. -
Peter Billings- New England Psalm Singer
This hymnal is the first ever original tunebook published by an American composer. In an effort to create a completely original sound, Billings purposefully departed from Western theoretical convention by incorporating fourths and octaves. -
Francis Scott Key- Star Spangled Banner
Set to the popular melody "The Anacreontic Song" from Britain, the Star Spangled Banner was written in 1814 during the bombardment of Fort McHenry, itself part of the War of 1812. Francis Scott Key, a lawyer and amateur poet, witnessed this event and was poetically inspired, writing the lyrics. In 1889, it was adopted as an anthem for the American Navy, then Congress proposed it be registered as the USA's national anthem, which Herbert Hoover put into motion. -
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Trail of Tears
Due to the discovery of gold in northern Georgia, the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern United States were forced to relocate to territories west of the Mississippi. About 15,000 men, women, and children died during this time. Many tribes developed songs as an expression of their pain; Orphan Child is a perfect example. -
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Jenny Lind and P.T. Barnum's American Tour
Due to the heavy amount of promotion and advertising led by PT Barnum, the soprano Jenny Lind quickly became world-famous, where she was especially admired in the United States. She often gave recitals, where she would perform familiar arias and American folk tunes. -
Gottschalk- The Banjo, Op. 15
A piano salon piece designed to imitate the timbre of a banjo. -
Slave Songs of the United States
Edited by abolitionists William Francis Allen, Lucy McKim Garrison, and Charles Pickford Ware, this book was the first and most influential collection of African American spirituals ever recorded. -
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall, then the "Music Hall" was built by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and opened in May 1891 with a concert containing Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 3 and Tchaikovsky's Festival Coronation March, which was conducted by Tchaikovsky himself. Despite many threats of demolition from the city, Carnegie Hall has remained standing due to the efforts of benefactors and admirers. -
Dvorak- String Quartet 12
Composed during Dvorak's time in Spillville, Iowa, it incorporates the musical dialect of Native Americans and African-Americans. -
Joplin- Maple Leaf Rag
31-year-old Texan African-American composer Scott Joplin composed the Maple Leaf Rag in 1899. This rag quickly became popular throughout the country, and was key in cementing ragtime as one of the most popular music genres in the country for the next two decades. It remains his most famous rag after The Entertainer, and it regained popularity during the rag revival of the 1970s after the release of "The Sting". It possesses a march structure with a trio in the subdominant. -
W.C. Handy- St. Louis Blues
Along with his Memphis Blues, the St. Louis Blues was one of the earliest and most popular examples of the early blues style, created by W. C. Handy to "reinvigorate" the ragtime style. -
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The First Golden Age of Broadway
Rodgers and Hammerstein's collaborative musicals are key examples from this movement. -
Allons a Lafayette
The first piece of Cajun music ever recorded: Allons a Lafayette (Let's go to Lafayette), recorded byJoe Falcon and his wife Cléoma. It maintains many of the distinct features of Cajun music-- accordion and guitar, with a light style of vocal singing. -
Florence Price- Symphony 1
Florence Price was one of the great composers of the Harlem Renaissance. -
Copland- El Salon Mexico
Based upon the sounds and sights of a danceclub in Mexico City, this is one of Copland's first American "character pieces." -
Irving Berlin- God Bless America (Kate Smith Recording)
First heard on radio from "The Kate Smith Hour" on November 11th, 1938. It was written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and was revised also in 1938. The song is a good example of the United States' deep connection to Christianity during this time, as the song itself is a "solemn prayer". -
Marian Anderson's Lincoln Memorial Concert
In 1939, as a response to Marian being rejected by the Daughters of the American Revolution from their Constitution Hall concert, as featuring her sing would garner a multiracial (GASP!) audience, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt gave Marian Anderson permission to sing in front of the Lincoln Memorial on April 9th, garnering a crowd of over 75,000 people. -
Woody Gutherie- This Land is Your Land
As a response to the detached and sappy gravitas of God Bless America, Woody Gutherie wrote this song in 1940 that could appeal to all Americans of any religious, racial, or economic background. The lyrics were a suggestion of Gutherie's socialist beliefs, where it criticizes the concept of private property. However, these lyrics were removed in 1944. -
Duke Ellington- Cottontail
This work is a signature example of Ellington's big band style. It was originally written for the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and lyrics were added later. Saxophone solos abound, added by Ben Webster. -
The Bluegrass Style- Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys
In December of 1945, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs joined the Blue Grass Band, thusly forming a distinct and original style inspired by Anglo ballad and African-American styles, consisting of banjo, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and string bass. -
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John Cage- Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano
The prepared piano emulates the percussive effects of a Latin ensemble in these wonderful works. -
Folk Song U.S.A.: the 111 Best American Ballads
Collection of songs, collected by John and Alan Lomax. The efforts of the Lomax family have brought widespread awareness to the genre of the American folk ballad, and this book is one of the largest compilations of the said genre. -
Alan Freed- Rock and Roll
In June of 1951, Cleveland radio disc jockey Alan Freed began using the term "rock and roll" to describe rhythm and blues music without eliciting the prominent racial stigma of the time. Because of this, rock and roll music became popular amongst white youths. The term "rock and roll" before this was a sexual euphemism. -
Bernstein- West Side Story
Premiered in 1957, this musical combines Romeo and Juliet with a contemporary, urban setting, fueled by racial tension. -
Miles Davis- Kind of Blue
Miles Davis recorded this album in 1959 with himself playing trumpet, John Coltrane and Julian Adderley on sax, Bill Evans on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums. It is slightly cooler in comparison to the more upbeat and intense bebop jazz found around this time. It remains as one of the most successful jazz albums ever released. -
We Shall Overcome
The modern version of this song, adapted from "No Auction Block For Me", was first sung in 1945 by workers on strike in Charleston. However, folk musician and musicologist Guy Carawan sang the modern version in the South during a Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee meeting in 1960, where it immediately became associated with the Civil Rights movement. -
Beach Boys- Good Vibrations
Good Vibrations was released as a single on October 10th, 1966. Along with the Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Good Vibrations is a perfect example of rock inspired by the Flower Power movement. It expands and departs from rock structures and conventions, so much so that the track became the most expensive single ever made. -
The Beatles- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
This album was one of the very first concept albums, meaning that the whole album must be listened to when absorbing the music. It takes influence from the Beatles' use of psychedelics and their growing attachment to Asian philosophy and avant-garde musical practices. The album was produced by George Martin. -
Dolly Parton- Coat of Many Colors
Coat of Many Colors was a single released from the album of the same name by Dolly Parton in 1971. Around this time, Dolly was still business partners with Porter Wagoner, and had yet to fully embrace her later country-pop style, but we get a sense of genuineness and religiosity in this moving single not just due to the songwriting, but also the instrumentals. -
Sugarhill Gang- Rapper's Delight
This single is credited as the piece of music to popularize Bronx hip-hop throughout the United States (and even the United Kingdom) on a commercial level, recorded by New Jersey group Sugarhill Gang, consisting of Wonder Mike, Master Gee, and Big Bank Hank. It initiated a revolution of Southern Hip Hop in the 1980s. Apparently, Rapper's Delight was recorded in one take. -
Run DMC covers Aerosmith's "Walk This Way"
The Hip Hop group Run DMC covered the 1975 track "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith in the hope of gaining a wider audience. The music video for this cover represents the competing genres of rock and hip-hop during this time, and also the blending of these two genres. However, the negative effect of this cover has been much discussed-- people presumed that Run DMC could not have been as popular if not for Aerosmith, which is not exactly true. -
John Adams- The Death of Klinghoffer
A collaboration between stage director Peter Sellars and minimalist composer John Adams, this opera was controversial for its pro-Palestine message. -
James Horner- Titanic Soundtrack
James Horner was one of the most prolific film composers of the 1990s. Titanic is notable both for its success and its blend of diagetic and non-diagetic music. -
Lin-Manuel Miranda: Hamilton
This musical caused an instant sensation when it premiered, and it is now known as one of the most successful blends of hip-hop and musical theater.