{"id":1567,"date":"2017-09-25T22:24:39","date_gmt":"2017-09-26T03:24:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/?p=1567"},"modified":"2017-09-25T22:24:39","modified_gmt":"2017-09-26T03:24:39","slug":"charles-wakefield-cadmans-exploitation-of-native-american-melodies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/2017\/09\/25\/charles-wakefield-cadmans-exploitation-of-native-american-melodies\/","title":{"rendered":"Charles Wakefield Cadman’s Exploitation of Native American Melodies"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Charles Wakefield Cadman\u2019s 1909 work, \u201cFour American Indian Songs,\u201d he attempts to create a \u201cpurely American\u201d music by setting original Native American melodies, as transcribed by Alice Fletcher, in a traditional Western harmonic idiom. \u00a0This musical effort, sometimes described as \u201cIndianism,\u201d may appear at first to be a laudable one. \u00a0By adding English words and Western harmonies, Cadman ensures that these Native American melodies will be heard by a wide variety of people. \u00a0If he could bring these Native American folk melodies into the mainstream of American song, they could be preserved and celebrated for years to come.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Artwork from the First Edition of “Four American Indian Songs”<\/p><\/div>\n

Surely enough, Cadman purports to have a certain amount of respect for Native American culture, and his methods do strive for a sort of \u201cauthenticity.\u201d \u00a0In his article \u201cThe ‘Idealization’ of Indian Music,\u201d Cadman cites the importance of understanding the Native cultures that he borrows from. \u00a0He recommends that an Indianist composer should learn about Native American legends and rituals, attend powwows, and even spend time living on a Reservation if possible, before attempting \u201cidealize\u201d (read: Westernize) Native music.<\/span><\/p>\n