{"id":220,"date":"2019-07-17T18:18:01","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wcsu.wpengine.com\/news-archives\/booktracesafrican-americanmusic\/"},"modified":"2019-07-17T18:18:01","modified_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:18:01","slug":"booktracesafrican-americanmusic","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/booktracesafrican-americanmusic\/","title":{"rendered":"WestConn professor\u2019s latest book traces history of African-American music"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DANBURY, CONN. <\/strong>\u2014 From its African roots to the somber songs of slavery and from the dawning of the jazz age to today\u2019s rhythms of hip-hop, African-American music has strong historical connections.<\/p>\n

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An accomplished author and expert on the social history of jazz, Dr. Burton Peretti, professor of history and non-western cultures and department chairman at Western Connecticut State University, has just had his most recent book published. \u201cLift Every Voice,\u201d published Jan. 2009 by Rowman & Littlefield, covers the history of African-American music from its West African beginnings to the popular music of today.<\/p>\n

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The author of \u201cJazz in American Culture,\u201d Peretti was asked by his publishing editors in 2005 to write this book. Thanks to a Connecticut State University System research grant, Peretti was able to expand his expertise on the origins of jazz, as well as territories such as vaudeville and hip-hop. The book, Peretti said, helps illustrate continuity and change.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think music is the most powerful expression of African-American culture over the centuries,\u201d Peretti said. \u201cI was especially excited about the chance to read the recent scholarship of African-American music. I learned that there are strong connections between gospel and soul music and rap and between African-American pop music and the blues.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Peretti said that while much of the music of black Americans differs from its African heritage, \u201cthere are qualities that are preserved,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery new generation always has its new music and it\u2019s innovative.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n Some interesting facts that Peretti discovered while writing the 200-page hardcover book include the African-American roots of the barbershop quartet. \u201cIts black roots are ignored by the early 1900s,\u201d said Peretti. \u201cBut the harmony later reemerges in black gospel quartets of the 1920s and \u201830s, which later influence the doo-wop groups of the 1950s.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The book\u2019s title is spun from \u201cLift Every Voice and Sing,\u201d a famous 1900 anthem written by African-American brothers, J. Rosamond Johnson and James Weldon Johnson, to celebrate the birthday of Abraham Lincoln.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI thought it was appropriate. It\u2019s an admonition. There\u2019s that element of uplifting the people, which is a big motif after emancipation,\u201d Peretti said.<\/p>\n

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Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England\u2019s best small private universities.<\/em><\/p>\n

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DANBURY, CONN. \u2014 From its African roots to the somber songs of slavery and from the dawning of the jazz age to today\u2019s rhythms of hip-hop, African-American music has strong historical connections. An accomplished author …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-220","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/220\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}