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Article: Predicting black musical innovation and integration: the 1850 Mance Index for Appalachia.
- Article from:
- Black Music Research Journal
- Article date:
- March 22, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Center For Black Music Research. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Imagine, if you will, that you are an open-minded musical enthusiast whose only exposure has been to the classical European tradition, with no knowledge of North American music of the last century or before. You are suddenly exposed to the music of, say, Bessie Smith and Josh White (to name just two diverse African-American performers with Appalachian backgrounds).
Among the first shocks would be to find that these individuals are clearly working to different standards and modes of performance than their European counterparts. For example, there is an emphasis on rhythmic complexity and syncopation that is largely foreign to European notions, while the European ...