![]() According to an article by David Hinckley for the New York Daily News 1, slaves would entertain plantation owners by dancing in a circle. Some music scholars follow the trail back to a song and dance fad of the 1890s called “the cakewalk” which started in the antebellum South. But first, where did ragtime come from?Ĭultural phenomena don’t just sprout out of a single person or environment, and several credible theories exist about the origin of ragtime. In researching the origin of ragtime and reactions to this new genre of music – which ranged from the equivalent of up-turned noses to full-blown alarm – I was struck by how much the criticism sounded like concerns to the advent of other revolutionary forms of popular music, particularly rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s and rap in the ‘90s. Ragtime, a precursor to jazz and relative of the blues, commonly considered the first purely American style of music, sparked a craze in the Progressive Era, to the dismay of those with more conventional musical sensibilities. In addition, mass production of sheet music gave musicians and their audiences greater access to songs that reflected a wide variety of musical styles and influences, including the rhythms and melodies of African American artists.įrom here, a completely original – and controversial – sound emerged. Vaudeville emerged as theater that cut across class and racial lines and was soon replaced by the equally democratic “moving pictures.” Increasingly, people were also able to tune in for live broadcasts of drama, comedy and music from the comfort of their homes via the radio. The first best-selling book lists were published during the Progressive Era. In this environment, American popular culture was born. As people gained more leisure time, they eagerly sought new forms of diversion and amusement. ![]() Cultural changes during this time also created a fertile climate for the commercialization of entertainment. The period known as the Progressive Era in American history – spanning from the late 19 th century through about 1930 – saw swift social and political reform in response to the rise of industrialization and modernization. ![]() What researching the music craze of the Progressive Era reveals about the evolution of American popular music What researching the music craze of the Progressive Era reveals about the evolution of American popular music.
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