The Accordion in the Americas by Helena Simonett

Author:Helena Simonett
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780252094323
Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Conclusion

From the early part of the twentieth century to the present day, accordion music has variously served as a counterhegemonic force and means of assimilation among Italian Americans. The accordion schools and bands that emerged out of a matrix of Italian American musicians and entrepreneurs during the 1920s through the 1960s had a dynamic impact on American popular culture—contributing, like the Italian concert and mandolin bands that preceded them, to the appreciation of an Italian style.

Creating an alternative economy during a crucial period in American culture, when Italian immigrants were vying for economic and political power, the production and distribution of accordion music was, literally and figuratively, instrumental in transforming individuals’ material circumstances. Perhaps its greatest currency, however, lay in the way musicking on the piano accordion helped create a sense of communitas in Little Italies, shape Italian American identities, and enact their presence in America. Learning to perform diverse musical idioms by studying at an accordion school held out the promise of a measure of respect and advancement across lines of race and class—and something more: the demonstration that, in the musical sphere, Italian Americans were a veritable force that could not be confined to the margins.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.