Tri-Co Philly: Philadelphia Music City

MUSI 005C | Wednesday, 12-3 p.m. 
James Blasina, Swarthmore College

Philadelphia has always been a leader in musical creativity, and a full participant in regional, national, and global musical discourses. How have contemporary and historical sociopolitical contexts of Philly shaped music making here? How has musical creativity shaped today’s Philadelphia?

This course is a history of music in Philadelphia, but also a musical history of Philadelphia. As the first capital of the United States, Philly nurtured a rich musical life—both professional and amateur, often linked with governing and diplomacy. In the nineteenth century, Philadelphia was home to a vibrant music publishing industry, and many of the institutions that animate our contemporary musical life—the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Curtis Institute, for example—were founded during this time. The Great Migrations of the early twentieth century brought thousands of African Americans from the rural south to work in the city’s industrial plant, bringing musical traditions—blues, gospel, and later, jazz—that would make Philadelphia a vanguard of popular musical developments. Successive immigrants would bring diverse musical traditions and deploy musical performance as a means of participation in an American “mainstream,” to be investigated and problematized in this class. Television shows like American Bandstand brought Philadelphia’s musical youth culture to the living rooms of the nation, and propelled rock ‘n’ roll artists like Chubby Checker to global renown. Artists like Nina Simone made music explicitly political, through involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. Philadelphia International Records brought Philly soul to the market, led by artists like Patti LaBelle and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. While historical in orientation, this course also investigates contemporary music making in Philadelphia; for example, how artists like Valencia, Grayscale, and Lay Bankz have cultivated Philly’s DIY music scene. We will attend live musical performances, visit local record stores, and interact with scholars and musicians beyond our classroom.

In sum, students in this course will learn about music in the Philadelphia that either emerged here or was part of global musical trends and flourished here (or both!), but will also learn to use music as historical evidence for uncovering the history and contemporary life of the city. This course will be taught in Philadelphia as part of the Tri-Co Philly Program. 

No background in music is necessary for success in this course.