Music and Dance

Teaching with Primary Sources — MTSU
PRIMARY SOURCE SET
PERFORMING ARTS: MUSIC & DANCE
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
America has a rich history of performing arts. Music and
dance have long served as both an outlet of entertainment for Americans and as a commentary on different
eras. America is also a melting pot of different cultures.
Traditions from these many different cultural groups
shine through in America’s music and dance traditions.
Looking closely at trends in the performing arts over the
years will reveal commentaries on different eras. Slaves
performed the “Cakewalk” dance, which mocked the
mannerisms of the Southern elite. The Fisk Jubilee Singers, originally comprised of former emancipated slaves,
toured America and helped to negate stereotypes of African Americans. Songs written during the Great Depression are often a commentary on the hard times many
Americans faced. Folk singer Pete Seeger’s songs were
often a form of political and social activism. These dances
and songs serve as a reminder of the racial, social, and
economic divisions in America at the time that they were
popular.

Lyrical Legacy: 400 Years of American Song and
Poetry (from the Teachers Page)
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Music and Dance Themed Resources (from the
Teachers Page)
“Now what a Time:” Blues Gospel, and the Fort
Valley Music Festivals, 1938-1943
An American Ballroom Companion: Dance Instruction Manuals, ca. 1490-1920
Omaha Indian Music

Sound Recordings

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The Library of Congress Web site is a great place to
find primary sources related to music and dance, from
songs to sheet music to photographs to films of dances.
This particular primary source set explores several
categories related to the music and dance:
A great place to start is the Performing Arts Encyclopedia, which allows explorers to both search and browse
the primary source collections and exhibitions relating
to various performing arts, including music and dance.
Students can explore the different songs and dances of
different cultural groups, such as Native Americans,
Africans Americans, and Hispanics. Students can also
learn to sing and play songs using sheet music. Do the
lyrics reflect the time period the songs were written in?
If so, why? Look at specific singers and dancers. How
did their personal work impact the music or dance profession throughout the years? How does Tennessee and
your local community support musicians and dancers?
ADDITIONAL LINKS:
Performing Arts Encyclopedia
SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHERS:
p. 2
Popular Music
p. 3
Folk Music
p. 4
Dance
p. 5
Singers & Dancers
(pp. 6-8 are bibliographic citations)
Many American cities have become known worldwide
for their strong performing arts traditions, such as New
York City and its famous Broadway shows, and of
course, Nashville, also known as “Music City,” and its
strong tradition of country music. From the small towns
to the big cities, the performing arts can be found anywhere in any town, so take the time to explore them and
learn a little about their history in the process.

Sun Records Studio, Memphis, Tennessee [2008]
For additional ideas see the June 2009 TPS-MTSU
Newsletter that explores popular culture and the performing arts and the May 2010 TPS-MTSU Newsletter
that explores music.
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POPULAR MUSIC
"We Shall Overcome." [1963]
Close dem windows : the great
end song / words and music by
James Bland. [1879; 4 pages]
Fred R. Hamlin's musical extravaganza, The wizard of Oz
[1903]
ADDITIONAL LINKS:




I can’t do the sum; Babes in toy
land. [1903]
Opera House [1890]
Detail, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee [2008]
Dolly Parton & the Roots of
Country Music
War Song– Buster Brown
[1943]
Amazing grace / Elvis Presley
[compact disc] [1971]- Real
Media Player is required
Amazing grace / Johnny Cash
[compact disc] [1974] - Real
Media Player is required
Sun Records Studio, Memphis, Tennessee [2008]
2
FOLK MUSIC
English guitar, front and side views and elevation,
mechanical drawing drawn by Jos. H. Hando
[1938-1940]
Folklore music map of the United States from the Primer of American Music [1946]
I Like to Live in the Country [Textual Transcription] [1939, detail]
[Alan Lomax playing guitar on
stage at the Mountain Music Festival, Asheville, N.C.]. [1938 and
1950]
Dulcimer made of walnut,
featuring a sound hole framed
by a cross-section of a walnut.
[Photo] [1994]
SONGS:


Gabriel Brown and Rochelle French,
Eatonville, Florida [1935]


I'm Going Away to Leave You, Going to Tennessee [1967]
Disc 13, Side A: Take a Trip on the Canal if You Want to
Have Fun [part 1 of 3] [Audio] [1937]
Smoky Mountain Blues [1939]
[Yo cuando era niño - mi padre querido …] [1939]
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DANCE
Crissie Sheridan / Thomas A. Edison, Inc. [1897]
Carmen Amaya : and her
troupe . [19—?]
Cake walk / American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. [1903]
Montgomery Ballet performs "A New Ballet
by Paul Gilliam" at the Davis Theatre in
downtown Montgomery, Alabama [2010]
Myra Kinch & group "Festival
of modern dance" [1938]
Male Traditional Dancer
[color] [1983]
Wehman Bros.' book on the
way to dance : a book which
teaches the art of dancing
without a master. [190-?; 60
pages]
National Dances - Image 5 (W. Duke Sons & Co.) .
[n.d.; 28 pages]
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SINGERS & DANCERS
[Portrait of Martha Graham and
Bertram Ross, in Visionary Recital] [1961]
Abbott, Emma. Singer [between
1865 and 1880]
Pete Seeger with arm raised and
holding banjo standing with microphones on stage [1967]
Jubilee Singers, Fisk University, Nashville, Tenn.
[between 1870 and 1880]
Alabama born singer Eddie Levert at Alabama Country Music Hall of Fame concert for the Inductees into
the Hall of Fame, Montgomery, Alabama [2010]
Woody Guthrie, half-length portrait,
seated, facing front, playing a guitar that
has a sticker attached reading: This Machine Kills Fascists [1943]
Anna Pavlova, 1885-1931 [c. 1916]
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CITATIONS: Performing Arts: Music & Dance
Teachers: Providing these primary source replicas without source clues may enhance the inquiry experience for students. This list of
citations is supplied for reference purposes to you and your students. We have followed the Chicago Manual of Style format, one of
the formats recommended by the Library of Congress, for each entry below, minus the access date. The access date for each of these
entries is April 19, 2011.
“Abbott, Emma. Singer.” Photograph. Between 1865 and 1880. From Library of Congress: Brady-Handy Collection.
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/brh2003002511/PP/.
“[Alan Lomax playing guitar on stage at the Mountain Music Festival, Asheville, N.C.]. “ Photograph. Between 1938
and 1950. From Library of Congress: The John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recoding Trip. http://
memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/lomaxbib:@field(NUMBER+@od1(cph+3c12693)).
“Anna Pavlova, 1885-1931.” Photograph. c. 1916. From Library of Congress: Miscellaneous Items in High Demand.
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2004679212/.
Aumuller, Al, photographer. “[Woody Guthrie, half-length portrait, seated, facing front, playing a guitar that has a
sticker attached reading: This Machine Kills Fascists]/ World Telegram photo by Al Aumuller.” Photograph. 1943.
From Library of Congress: Miscellaneous Items in High Demand. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002709330/.
Bland, James A. “Close dem windows: the great end song/words and music by James Bland.” Boston: White,
Smith, & Co., 1879. From Library of Congress: African-American Sheet Music, 1850-1920. http://memory.loc.gov/
cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/aasm:@field(NUMBER+@band(rpbaasm+0076)).
Brown, Buster, vocal and harmonica. “War Song.” 1943. From Library of Congress, Fort Valley State College Folk
Festival. MP3. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/ftvbib:@field(DOCID+@lit(6987a1)).
“Carmen Amaya: and her troupe.” Poster. [19—?]. From Library of Congress: Traveling Culture: Circuit Chautaugua
in the Twentieth Century. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/tccc:@field(DOCID+@lit
(tccc000137)).
Cash, Johnny. “Amazing grace.” 1990. From Library of Congress, Amazing Grace. RealMedia. http://
lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200149083/default.html.
Chains, Wallace “Stavin’ Chains” and Sylvenster “Texas Stavin’ Chain” Jones, performers. “Smoky Mountain Blues.”
1939. From Library of Congress, The John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip. MP3. http://
memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/lomaxbib:@field(DOCID+@lit(l2606a1)).
Federal Theatre Project, sponsor. “Myra Kinch & group ‘Festival of modern dance.’” Poster. 1938. From Library of
Congress: Posters: WPA Posters. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/98517806/.
Fleischhauer, Carl, photographer. “Male Traditional Dancer [color]. 1983. From Library of Congress: Omaha Indian
Music. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/omhbib:@field(DOCID+@lit(0276)).
Folklore music map of the United States from the Primer of American Music. Map. New York: Hagstrom Co., 1946. From
Library of Congress, American Women: A Gateway to Library of Congress Resources for the Study of Women’s History and Culture in the United States. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/awhbib:@field(DOCID+@lit
(awh00009)).
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“Fred R. Hamlin’s musical extravaganza, The wizard of Oz.” Lithograph. Cincinnati/New York: U.S. Lithograph
Co., 1903. From Library of Congress: Posters: Performing Arts Posters. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/
var1994001438/PP/.
Handon, Jos. H., artist. “English guitar, front and side views and elevation, mechanical drawing drawn by Jos. H.
Handon.” Drawing. 1938-1940. From Library of Congress: California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the
Thirties. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/cowellbib:@field(NUMBER+@band
(afccc+d26002)).
Herbert, Victor. “I can’t do the sum.” New York: M. Witmark & Sons, 1903. From Library of Congress, Historic
American Sheet Music, 1850-1920 (from Duke University). http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/
dukesm:@field(DOCID+@lit(ncdhasm.a5953)).
Highsmith Carol M., photographer. “Alabama born singer Eddie Levert at Alabama Country Music Hall of Fame
concert for the Inductees into the Hall of Fame, Montgomery, Alabama.” Photograph. 2010. From Library of Congress: Highsmith (Carol M.) Archive. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2010638021/.
Highsmith, Carol M., photographer. “Detail, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee.” 2008. From Library of
Congress: Highsmith (Carol M.) Archive. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2010630827/.
Highsmith, Carol M., photographer. “Sun Records Studio, Memphis, Tennessee.” 2008. From Library of Congress:
Highsmith (Carol M.) Archive. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2010630851/.
Highsmith, Carol (M.), photographer. “Montgomery Ballet performs ‘A New Ballet by Paul Gilliam’ at the Davis
Theatre in downtown Montgomery, Alabama.” Photograph. 2010. From Library of Congress: Highsmith (Carol M.)
Archive. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2010637386/.
Horton Silphia, Frank Hamilton, Guy Carawan, and Pete Seeger. “We Shall Overcome.” New York: Ludlow Music,
Inc., 1963. From Library of Congress: African American Odyssey. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/
aaodyssey:@field(NUMBER+@band(aaohtml+0919)).
Hufford, Mary, photographer. “Dulcimer made of walnut, featuring a sound hole framed by a cross-section of walnut.” 1994. From Library of Congress: Tending the Commons: Folklife and Landscape in Southern West Virginia. http://
memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/cmns:@field(DOCID+@lit(cmns001073)).
“Jubilee Singers, Fisk University, Nashville, Tenn.” Photograph. Nashville: American Missionary Association, between 1870 and 1880. From Library of Congress: Gladstone Collection of African American Photographs. http://
www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2010647805/.
Kavallines, James, photographer. “[Pete Seeger with arm raised and holding banjo standing with microphones on
stage]/World Journal Tribune photo by James Kavallines.” Photograph. 1967. From Library of Congress: Miscellaneous Items in High Demand. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2011645266/
Lomax, Alan, photographer. “Gabriel Brown and Rochelle French, Eatonville, Florida.” Photograph. 1935. From
Library of Congress: Lomax Collection. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2007660099/.
Longino, Grace W. I Like to Live in the Country [Textual Transcription]. 1939. From Library of Congress, The John and
Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/lomaxbib:@field
(DOCID+@lit(st0027)).
National Dances—Image 5 (W. Duke Sons & Co.) n.d. From Library of Congress: Emergence of Advertising in America:
1850-1920. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/eaa:@field(DOCID+@lit(eaa003052)).
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Nye, Pearl R, performer. “Disc 13, Side A: Take a Trip on the Canal if You Want to Have Fun [Part 1 of 3]
[Audio].” Song. 1937. From Library of Congress, Captain Pearl R. Nye: Life on the Ohio and Erie Canal. RealPlayer,
MP3, WAV. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/afcnyebib:@field(DOCID+@lit(afcnye000025)).
“Opera House.” Broadside. 1890. From the Library of Congress: Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850-1920.
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/eaa:@field(DOCID+@lit(eaa000144)).
Presley, Elvis. “Amazing grace.” 1994. From Library of Congress, Amazing Grace. RealMedia. http://
lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200149090/default.html.
Reed, Henry, performer. “I’m Going Away to Leave You, Going to Tennessee.” Song. 1967. From Library of Congress, Fiddle Tunes of the Frontier: The Henry Reed Collection. RealPlayer, MP3, WAV. http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?ammem/afcreed:@field(DOCID+@lit(afcreed000207)).
Suarez, José, performer. “[Yo cuando era niño—mi padre querido…]” Song. 1939. From Library of Congress, The
John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip. MP3. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/
lomaxbib:@field(DOCID+@lit(l2611a1)).
Van Vechten, Carl, photographer. “[Portrait of Martha Graham and Bertram Ross, in Visionary Recital.]” Photograph. 1961. From Library of Congress: Van Vechten Collection. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/
item/2004662952/.
Wehman Bros.’ book on the way to dance: a book which teaches the art of dancing without a master. New York: Wehman
Bros., [190-?]. From Library of Congress: An American Ballroom Companion: Dance Instruction Manuals. http://
memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/musdibib:@field(NUMBER+@od1(musdi+138)).
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