Antonín Dvořák, the notable Czech composer, was remarkably instrumental in shaping the art music scene in America. Having built a significant musical reputation in England, Dvořák decided to extend his influence by joining the Institute of Musical Art, which is now famously known as the Juilliard School of Music. His decision led to a profound exploration to discern the essence of American classical music.

Upon his arrival in New York, Dvořák encountered an enthusiastic reception brimming with respect and admiration from the academic staff at his new institution, as well as the wider New York music community ¹Beckerman 192-210. This affirmation of his abilities encouraged Dvořák to delve deeper into understanding the American music landscape and its potential.

Dvořák’s time in America marked a transition from European musical traditions to exploring something more culturally divergent. His objective was not just to teach, but he also ventured on a quest – determining the unique aspects that would define the texture of American classical music. He sought to encapsulate the pulse of the nation, its folk tradition, and the myriad narratives of its people and translate them into the classical symphony.

The resulting influence of his work, particularly Symphony No. 9, “From the New World,” embodied the integration of Native American and African-American folk melodies into the European-style symphony. This work, which brilliantly and harmoniously blends these individual components, became a pioneering step in creating a universally recognizable ‘American Sound’ in the classical music lexicon. This was greeted by a great fascination by fellow composer Johannes Brahms, who became friends with Dvořák while he was in England and then re-connected once this symphony was premiered. When the New World Symphony Premiered in Viena, Brahms, and Dvořák sat next to each other to celebrate the moment ².

Dvořák’s exceptional contribution to the American music scene resonates even today. His commitment to appreciating and incorporating the unique musical culture of America into his compositions gave birth to an evolving new chapter in the history of American music. An affirmation of his esteemed status as an influential figure in American Art Music.

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Footnotes:

Burleigh, H. T, and Oscar Seagle. Deep River. 1916. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-655500/.

Henry Thacker Burleigh (often known simply as Harry or H.T. Burleigh) was an African-American composer and baritone active during the late 19th and early 20th century. He was a classical composer known best for his arrangements of spirituals, contributions to methodist hymnody, and influence on the music of Antonin Dvořák.¹

Oscar Seagle was a white American baritone active during the first half of the 20th century. He was well known throughout the United States and Europe as a soloist and performer of folk music and early country music. Seagle recorded several singles with Columbia records during the 1910s and early 1920s.²

In December of 1916, Burliegh and Seagle collaborated to record a single of Burleigh’s recently published arrangement of Deep River.³ Deep River is an African-American spiritual with anonymous origins from the early 19th century. It was popularized by Burliegh during the early 20th century, and is now one of the best known spirituals in the United States.

Many people hold the view that country music has its origins in folk music created solely by white people, and that there was no African-American influence during the formation of country music. This rather popular record is evidence to the contrary. For early country performers such as Seagle, spirituals and music by black composers were seen as part of the same genre as other folk music. These white and black folk songs would often be performed together in the same concert program, as was demonstrated in Minneapolis in 1917.⁴

Audiences and performers from the early 20th century would have heard African-American spirituals and white folk music together in the same genre of “folk.” Given the apparent lack of barriers between white and black music in this space, it is impossible to deny the influence that these traditions had on one another. Burleigh incorporated classical western instrumentation into his arrangements, as can be heard in the aforementioned record. Likewise, many many white folk singers took narrative and from styles such as the twelve-bar blues from black folk musicians.

The myth of artistic racial segregation of folk music in the 20th century is a marketing stunt by record labels to associate certain modern day cultural elements with their music. Cross-cultural dialogue has always been and continues to be an integral part of the development of musical cultures throughout the United States and the world.

“Legends and Music of the Navajos” is an article written by Fredrick Starr and published in The Dial in 1897. Starr was an academic and anthropologist active during the late 19th century and early 20th century. As an academic from the late 19th century, Starr demonstrates the commonly held opinions and beliefs of the academic community surrounding Native American cultures. Throughout the article, Starr prides himself on his abandonment of antiquated views, such as the spelling of “Navaho,”¹ which Starr cleverly corrects to the modern spelling, “Navajo.” For innovations such as these, as well as the suggestion that the Navajo people were an “advanced tribe,” Starr was likely seen as progressive for legitimizing the study of Indigenous Americans throughout the United States and Mexico. However, this “forward thinker” has become a prime example of the pervasiveness of dehumanizing and eurocentric ideas surrounding the study and treatment of Indigenous Americans in America in the 19th and 20th centuries. 

Starr claims that “The Navajo are the most advanced tribe in the Athapascan family of Indians.”² This claim is based on the fact that the creation stories within Navajo culture align more closely with the Christian creation story of Adam and Eve, where man and woman are created out of the earth. Starr also cites the true historical nature of other aspects of the Navajo creation story as merits towards their “advanced” status among the tribes. Both a conformity to Christian beliefs and a historical non-fiction account of the past are eurocentric ideas that have been imposed as a standard for “advancement” by an almost exclusively white European academic class.

Starr’s true sentiments about Navajo culture are most apparent when talking about music towards the end of his article. Starr states that Navajo music is largely emblematic of all Indigenous American music, namely, it applies “… Those peculiarly favorite devices among savage and barbarous races…”.³ 

While Starr and Densmore are both examples of antiquated and exploitative anthropologists who dehumanized Indigenous Americans, this example from Starr paints Densmore’s work in a different light. When Densmore began her research, Indigenous American music was considered “savage” and “barbaric” and considered to have no value. Densmore’s work helped to legitimize the study and value of Indigenous music for white academics, despite her flawed methods and eurocentric claims as to why the music was valuable.