Personally, I associate the culture of the 1930s with the folk tunes produced by artists such as Woody Guthrie. Of course, there are dozens of folk artists who found success in this time, but not all of them have permeated the modern culture as much. So, it is interesting for us as observers from the 21st century to look at the music produced in the 30s, the common themes and tunes, and how it reflected the reality of the era.
First, it’s important to reflect on the widespread and unspecific nature of the “folk.” There is no single definition for the folk music and culture that became popular in the 30s, and this is part of its strength. The folk movement didn’t idealize a homogenous America, but acknowledged strength through diversity1.
At the same time, the tone2 of folk songs of the time often reemphasized the economic reality faced by millions of Americans during the depression. Slow, sad sounding tunes accompanied individuals who faced a slow, sad economic depression.
Still, not all folk songs maintained the same tone, especially those that had been passed down for a longer time via an oral tradition.
The connective tissue tying all folk music together is a sense of authenticity about the reality of America. This includes an embrace of immigrants and the music they brought with them3 from their own cultures.
Both of the recordings in this post are a result of the Federal One Project’s efforts to encourage and capture the music and folk culture of the time. For one reason or another, these songs were deemed as important enough to listen, record, and maintain over the course of 80 years. The songs recorded as part of the project reflected the reality of American culture, as opposed to just what the mass media produced or valued4.
The fact that we are able to discuss and listen to these recordings decades later and draw conclusions about life during this period speaks to the value of the Federal One Project. Although the projects, especially the Federal Theater Project, received a great deal of scrutiny for their focus on the arts in a time of financial hardship, they have proven their value from a historical perspective. Even without consideration to the direct benefit that the projects had to the artists and individuals involved, the projects provided value to future generations.
In this instance, I believe that the inclusions of sound greatly emphasize the points of the text. I can describe a song as sad or foreign or celebratory, but none of that compares to allowing an audience to experience that for themselves. It’s similar to a game of telephone, every step along the way may lose an aspect of the original recording or song. So, by allowing the audience to hear the song for themselves, some steps are removed, and the audio can be experienced firsthand.
- Filene, Benjamin. Romancing the Folk: Public Memory & American Roots Music. Chapel Hill: Univ. of North Carolina Press, 2008.
- “The Dark cloud and a Caucasian folk song,” California Folk Music Project, Library of Congress, loc.gov/item/2017702005/.
- “On the other side of the lake; Bridal dance,” American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc1939007_afs02315b/.
- Bindas, Kenneth J. All of This Music Belongs to the Nation: the WPAs Federal Music Project and American Society. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2003.
