Post for Week #2

 

Michael Ventura states in his article, "The DNA of Pop," that "the music we know as American, and that increasingly we separate into sharply defined categories (often according to race and class), is in fact a tapestry of cultures and DNA's 'little pieces' that go back to the beginning of time, an amalgam of affinities bridging what some still claim cannot be bridged" (November, 1994). I completely agree with his idea. In class we discussed how you can't talk about music without talking about race and ethnicity. People in America may identify with one specific race or ethnicity, but in the end they are American. They don't call America "the melting pot" for no reason. All kinds of people from different backgrounds come together to create their own culture: American Culture. In a way, music is extremely similar. The DNA of music may come from all different parts but it is all still music. Like Michael Ventura said at the beginning of his article, "it is a small world after all" (November, 1994).  In addition, one common theme throughout history in American music is the recycling of different sounds and influences to create "new" music. Basically new music comes from old music, with its own taste and style incorporated. For example, Elvis "had taken the moves and beats of the 'Big Boy' Crudup and Wynonie Harris and combined them with a singing style based mostly on Dean Martin, of all people (Ventura, 1994). For years people have been moved and influenced by music from the past and taken bits and pieces of old style and put together their own tastes and style with the old to create new music. This isn't just one common theme for Americans though, it is a common theme for music all over the world. Without it, the DNA of Pop wouldn't exist, and for that matter the DNA of all music probably wouldn't exist either.