Music of Maryland
| Music of the United States |
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The most famous contribution from the music of Maryland is perhaps Francis Scott Key, who wrote the national anthem of the United States, "The Star-Spangled Banner". Famous musicians from Maryland range from pop punksters Good Charlotte and blues singer Billie Holiday. While much of Maryland is a suburb of Washington DC, its musical community has been largely independent. The city of Baltimore, though only thirty-five miles from DC, has had little connection to DC [1].
Colonial era music
The city of Annapolis, Maryland was a renowned center for music during the colonial era.
Upper-class Marylanders during the colonial era generally danced the stately minuet or country dance, while the lower-clases preferred reels and jigs [2]. Instruments included various kinds of guitars, drums, banjos, transverse flutes and recorders, as well as, more rarely, hammered dulcimers and harpsichords [3].
Doo wop
Though doo wop can be traced to many urban areas across the United States, especially New York City, a 1946 band called The Vibranaires, led by Sonny Til, can be considered the first doo wop group, later known as The Orioles [4].
Rock
Baltimore's hardcore punk scene was overshadowed by DC's, but included bands like Law & Order, Bollocks and Fear of God [5]. The city also saw some New Wave action, including Ebeneezer & the Bludgeons and Null Set [6]. Later in the 1980s, emo bands like Reptile House and Grey March had some success and recorded with Ian MacKaye in DC [7].
Music institutions
There is a Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO), first formed in 1916 as the only major orchestra in the country to operate as a branch of the city's government [8]. In 1942, the orchestra was reorganized as a private institutions. The Orchestra claims that Joseph Meyerhoff, President of the Orchestra beginning in 1965, and his music director, Sergiu Comissiona began the modern history of the BSO and "ensured the creation of an institution, which has become the undisputed leader of the arts community throughout the State of Maryland". [9].
The Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras (MCYO) was formed in the 1946 to "nurture, develop and advance young talented musicians in a quality orchestral program" [10]. Beginning in 1964, the Orchestras began to offer new programs, such as a summer camp that eventually became the Maryland Center for the Arts [11].
References
- "The Beginning". All Doo Wop. August 26.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help) - "Baltimore Symphony Orchestra History". Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. August 26.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help) - Blush, Steven. American Hardcore: A Tribal History. 2001. Feral House. ISBN 0-922915-717-7
- "Study Guide for the "Music of Colonial Maryland" Program". Colonial Music Institute. August 26.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help) - "History of Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras". Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra. August 26.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help)