Whether it is in a motion picture soundtrack, the back round to a conversation or setting the mood on a romantic evening with your significant other music plays an integral part in the lives of every American. Many people's lives, especially younger people's, revolves around the world of music in some way. As with most things in the world in the twentieth century, music as we knew it and know it now has changed significantly. From the hymns and prayers of church and the early days jazz and blues music has evolved to many different things. We now have enough genres or styles of music to need binomial nomenclature but just enjoying the music we have today is not enough. It is important to know how music as we know it came to be.
The start of the twentieth century saw a big change in the world as new inventions and advances in science and technology were altering the way people lived every aspect of their lives.
A cropped photograph depicts singer Elvis Presley'...
English: Elvis Presley meeting Richard Nixon. On D...
United StatesThe changing world of music was no different. At this point in history music in America was mainly limited to songs sung at church or the European influenced opera. At the turn of the century, however, a new style of music was beginning to emerge. Combing the ideas of gospel and the feelings of African American people the blues style began. Pioneered by artists such as George W. Washington and Mamie Smith blues music "combined the styles of the past with a new type of song" (Oliver, 2). At first popular only to black people and for a time blues music could be found in stores for blacks only causing the acceptance of blues for non-blacks to be slow and therefore it became known as race records. Although slow to start the music...