About Music in Colonial Times

Every era, country and person enjoys a different style of music, and this was no less true 250 years ago then it is today. Just as we have a variety of music now, so did the people in the colonial times. Colonial music in general was not usually written in America, at least before the Revolution. In fact, it was brought over by countries such as England, Ireland, Germany, Africa, France and Scotland by the people who immigrated to the United States.

History of

Music provided much entertainment in colonial times

The music of colonial times really helped to define the era and helped to build a new country. The music that was most popular in colonial times included ballads, folk songs, dance tunes, parodies, drum signals, minuets, military marches, comic opera arias and sonatas. With such a wide range of musical tastes and talents, it is no wonder that music helped wile away the hours and provide lots of entertainment for folks. The music of colonial times grew to express people's lives, and while dependent on other countries for their musical choices, Americans started to make the music their own very quickly.

Type

Typical colonial sheet music

Colonial folks starting experimenting with different sounds and instruments to show the rich history of the country and how it was constantly changing. This was the birth of America's own music styles. Colonial music involved many different processes; both written and oral. What would happen is that they would take a certain tune that they knew by ear and then find a new set of words to fit the tunes. Also, songs that were sung at home also were used as theater music, a dance tune or a military march and in general were interchangeable with each other. The songs would change through the years and would be styled to fit that certain area or fashion trend of the year, just as they are today.

Significance

Man carving a colonial violin

As the years of the colonial times wore on, instruments became even more important to the music. Everyone loved the piano, but the most popular instrument was the violin. It seemed that everyone from the slaves to the president of the United States played either a violin or a fiddle. Violins were being imported from all over the world, as were flutes of various types. Played mostly by men, there were fifes, English flutes and transverse flutes. Women were limited in what they could play, but they did manage to practice their harpsichords for family and friends. Also, they were the first to play the English guitar, known then as a 10-string version of the Renaissance cittern. Finally, within a specific colony, you could find the drums, trumpets, French horns, cellos, clarinets, bassoons organs and more, but they were very area specific.

Misconceptions

A common folk family

While all classes of people in the colonial era enjoyed listening to music and singing along, it was the upper class of folks that got to hear and inspire the new music styles. It was only when a particular style was growing old that it would make its way to the common folk. And, it is quite likely that common folk never even got to see a real live opera in their lifetimes. But church music was available for all colonial people, and that was a very important part of worship, no matter what class you were in.

Expert Insight

Colonial stage performance

One of the main benefits of having music was as a way for the people in the colonial times to let loose and have fun. The most popular music choice was theater music, which gave an entire family a chance to get out and experience other cultures before heading home and practicing the music themselves. Whether they were dancing, marching, or just simply singing, music became so important during the colonial times that it shaped much of the history after that.