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“The Evolution of African American Music” poster is a timeline that traces the emergence, development, and cross genre connections of African American music. From its origin as African music in America, this timeline shows its transformations through over 50 musical genres/sub-genres of African American creation. An interactive version of the poster, titled “Timeline of African American Music,” is permanently featured on Carnegie Halls’s website. https://www.carnegiehall.org/Explore/Articles/2022/01/11/Timeline-of-African-American-Music

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About the poster

“The Evolution of African American Music” is a timeline that traces the emergence, development and cross genre connections of African American music beginning with African music in America and following its transformations through over 50 musical genres and sub-genres of African American creation. The timeline is signed by its creator, Dr. Portia K. Maultsby, an internationally renowned ethnomusicologist specializing in African American music with an emphasis on religious and popular genres.

Dr. Maultsby’s widely used interactive Timeline of African American Music is permanently featured on Carnegie Hall’s website. 

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“As a university professor, I wanted to recast the narrative on African American music frequently described by mainstream music critics as “trashy,” “decadent,” and “meritless.” Many academics and concert promoters concurred with this culturally bias assessment that resulted in the music’s exclusion from scholarly research and performance bookings in mainstream concert venues. An exception--Carnegie Hall’s early programming included a “Concert of Negro Music” (1912) and “From Spirituals to Swing” concert organized by record producer John Hammond (1938 and 1939). In 1980, I created the first version of the “Evolution of African American Music” timeline while teaching a survey class on the topic at Indiana University. I wanted to visually illustrate the scope and diversity of African American music and its influence defining an American musical identity.” in 1992, I updated and created a color version of the timeline while preparing to teach for the Summer Teacher Institute sponsored by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (NYC).”

Dr.Portia K. Maultsby
Professor Emerita of Ethnomusicology
Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology
Indiana University-Bloomington

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