Early European-Americans

Early American Music: European Influences

Commercial and Religious outreach were basis for European “settlement” of America.

· Colonization was encouraged by entrepreneurs in Europe and by Roman Catholic Church

· Southern portion of North America and all of Central and South America were colonized by Spain. Spanish had a history of imperialistic colonizing; purpose was usually to extract natural resources, especially those valued in Europe, like gold.

· Northern North America, especially Canada, was targeted for colonization by the French, who were mostly interested in fur trade.

· The area between Canada and the Spanish New World was eventually more dominated by English settlers, who were as yet less experienced imperialists. Also, 17^th Century English settlers had some different reasons for coming to the new world.

Spanish Missions

· Spanish missionaries established schools to teach reading, writing, singing and playing of instruments, as well as the Christian faith.

· Music in the missions flourished, and was similar to European religious music: liturgy sung in plainsong, but plenty of polyphony added too. Texts were sung in Latin and Spanish, but also in local Native languages, e.g. hymns.

French Settlements

· French Jesuit Priests developed their own kind of colonies in Canada. Quebec City was the center of the trade, and linked it to Europe via the St. Lawrence Seaway. Trappers (European and Native) spread out across wilderness, returning to the outposts periodically with furs. Jesuit priests also followed trappers on trapping routes with dual purpose: to carry flag of French King into North American heart, and to bring Catholic Church’s authority too

Both French and Spanish worked more or less in cooperation with Natives. Protestants who were main settlers between these two were less interested in working with Natives or converting them; they were often more interested in displacing them.