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Music has helped tell America’s story, reflecting our triumphs and struggles through its multiplicity of traditions. Indeed, the richness and diversity of American culture has created such foundational genres as jazz, blues, country, rock, and hip hop, and is a powerful expression of who we are.
Part One ~ American folk music is among the richest and most diverse musical traditions in the world, a direct reflection of our uniqueness as a country of immigrants. Its early iterations—a confluence of Indigenous, European, and African influences—would prove foundational to such genres as urban folk, country, folk rock, etc. During our evening together, we will trace its development from the backwoods of Appalachia to the activism of the 1960s to the music of the late great Dolly Parton.
PRESENTER:
Robert Hartwell holds a doctorate in music education from Columbia University. As professor of music at Foothill College, he specializes in welcoming the uninitiated into the world of classical music. He co-authored a three-volume series on the history of Western music, and contributed to the New Pedagogies in Higher Education series. He has served as a pre-performance lecturer for the San Francisco Opera.