Thoughts on Ives

I've always felt an odd connection with the music of Charles Ives.  I grew up in a small town in central Illinois that was as close to a good old-fashioned slice of Americana as one could hope for.  Many of the songs and hymns Ives quoted in his works are ingrained in my memory, having been played by our community band and sung at church services and fairs as far back as I can remember.   Perhaps a large part of my fascination with his music comes from my need to reconcile the innocence with which I used to enjoy those familiar tunes with the complicated view of music I've developed during my college career.

At any rate, I'm very happy that we're beginning the semester with Ives.  Obviously it makes chronological sense to do so, but his music displays such an interesting balance of tradition and innovation that it allows us to make a smooth transition from the more "traditional" music most of us are probably accustomed to learning about to the more "modern" fare that lies ahead of us (though the preceding terms in quotations are certainly up for debate).

When asked to define a complex concept, some people respond by saying, "I can't put it into words, but I know it when I see it."  So it is with American music for me.  I can't even begin to form a complete definition of American music, but when I listen to Ives's music, there's no doubt in my mind that it fits.  I realize this sort of generalization without closer inspection is frowned upon by the relentless investigation machine that is academia, but sometimes--especially in as subjective a field as music--you just have to trust your gut.

(While I'm on the subject, just a short side note--when I mention "American music," I'm referring only to the music of the United States.  I do realize that there is more to "America" than just the US, but every other country on this side of the world gets a cool adjective that is reflective of its name--Canadian, Trinidadian, Brazilian, etc.  We've certainly been blessed with an abundance of wealth and resources, but one of the things we lack is an adjective that accurately refers to things only of this country.  "United Statesean" just doesn't fly.  So, I'm going to stick to the conventional method of using the word "American."  I know it's slightly inaccurate, but it is usually clearly understood.  And remember, the term "Jerusalem artichoke" is still used to refer to something that is neither an artichoke nor from Jerusalem.  Compared to that, "American" isn't very misleading at all.  But, as I can feel my blood pressure starting to rise, I had best digress...)

Then again, perhaps one of the most American features of Ives's music is exactly what was discussed in class on Thursday:  his ability to blend different traditions so seamlessly into an integrated whole.  His music can be viewed as a kind of (get ready for it) "melting pot" (I warned you!) that brings together disparate musical styles in the same way that the country in Ives's day welcomed in so many people with different cultures and traditions.  In true democratic fashion, each of these musical traditions has an equally important place in his music.  Maybe this was something Ives considered when composing.  Or, maybe I'm just trying to push a convenient metaphor too far.

I suppose the point of this post is that the "American-ness" of Ives's music is two-fold.  His heavy use of American source material is apparent on the surface level, and a little exploration of his music uncovers a synthesis of styles that reflects (whether intentionally or not) the blending of cultures that forms an important part of our society.  Any thoughts?