How Minstrelsy Reflect Complicated Musical/Racial Relations In The 19th And 20th Century

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1. How does minstrelsy reflect complicated musical/racial relations in the 19th and 20th centuries? Do you think elements of minstrelsy live on in popular music today, especially hip-hop?

During the 19th and 20th centuries, white people were still dictating the rules of the society. The black community at that time had to follow set rules, and had different rights than white people. Even further, the white community was divided as well, by religion and place of birth. Only "true" white Americans could create, and distribute their music into the public. Because of that, music created by oppressed groups was rebellious, calling to arms, and denying the current system of racism. Even till now, there are rebellious messages hidden in the texts. However, most of the music lost its rebellious statements and changed to less aggressive, party compositions.

2. On what basis have critics in the past classified music as "black" or "white?" Do you agree? …show more content…

Black music was most often made by the black population, however many white artist with assigned to them as well. Black music was considered as a unacceptable songs, created by uneducated population and are not allowed to be played on public. That 's when black music became "underground" compositions. Even though they were prohibited, people found ways to listen to what they liked. The classification was made to separate appealing song from "wants and needs" expressions. Of course the division is wrong as freedom of expression is important for everyone, but at that time the classification was totally normal to everyone.

3. Thinking about the readings about hillbilly music, how might socioeconomic class or urban/rural living patterns (rather than race) define musical