The Music Of Charley Patton - 938 Words

John Fahey’s 1966 masters thesis A textual and musicological analysis of the repertoire of Charley Patton has the distinction of being the first book-length analysis of the music of Charley Patton. Fahey’s text focused primarily on assembling the historical facts of Patton’s life, while the analytical portions —written with the aid of Dr. David Morton, UCLA —-focused on systematizing Patton’s repertoire based on modal constructs present in his vocal melodies. Fahey’s biographical information focused on characterizing Patton as an entertainer; However, the analytical portion omits significant lines of inquiry that result in an incomplete picture of Patton’s repertoire. Fahey notes the utilitarian function of Patton’s music, but does not detail musical examples of this utility, especially in relation to the guitar. That is the purpose of this document. The music of Charley Patton reflects the utilitarian function of it with in his life: music functioned as his main source of income. Patton was an entertainer; as such, he needed a vast amount of material to fill time in the venues he performed in. Consequently, his surviving recorded repertoire makes extensive use of formulas in the guitar accompaniment and vocal melodies. The use of formula is so frequent in Patton’s music that, instead of culling material from contemporary musicians (an accepted practice among blues musicians) he preferred to borrow from his own repertoire. Moreover, the formulas present in the guitarShow MoreRelatedMississippi History and the Delta Blues Essay686 Words   |  3 Pagesstyle music originated in Mississippi and gravitated outward from there. .Mississippi history and Blues history are intertwined. Delta Blues is a blues style that originated in the Mississippi Delta and influenced many musicians. Another musical art form, Jazz may be considered an offspring from the Blues and also started in the South. 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