The African-American Art Song: A Musical Means for Special Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Upon initial consideration, the might seem almost antithetical to genuine African-American experiences. Many would perceive this form as an extremely impractical device for teaching or sharing any but the most remote lessons of upper-class, European-originated cultural experiences. When compared with the songs to which most AfricanAmericans have been accustomed since birth, the European-originated would appear foreign in subject matter, text, and musical style. This paper, however, will discuss the existence of an African-American song. It will demonstrate that, in this variant of the form, we possess what is not only an aesthetically beautiful and entertaining indigenous form but one that is also a teaching tool of unique potential for instilling the lessons of our history. The form is also an effective means of preserving and dispensing information about many of our most treasured and valuable cultural personalities and customs. The most immediate problem in dealing with the musical genre art song occurs in the lack of a broad and consistent understanding of the term. The New Harvard Dictionary of Music offers the following definition: A intended for the concert repertory, as distinct from a folk or popular song. An traditionally is a setting of a text of high literary quality and, unlike most folk and popular songs, includes an accompaniment that is specified by the composer rather than improvised or arranged by or for the performer (Randel 1986, 56). The general concept WILLIS PATTERSON is professor of voice and Associate Dean of the School of Music at the University of Michigan. He has concertized as a bass soloist and has taught master classes on the at various colleges and universities. He is the editor of Anthology of Art Songs by Black American Composers (Marks, 1977) and of a second anthology soon to be released.