Custom essays on Comparison of Bob Dylan’s and Harry Bache Smith’s approaches toward American folk musical traditions

Bob Dylan is known as a man who personalized and even amplified different genres of music, joining various American traditions in music – for example, folk music, country and even blues, rock and roll, gospel and rockabilly, including Irish, Scottish and English folk music, at last, swing and jazz. Dylan uses such musical instruments as keyboard, guitar and harmonica. According to one source, Bob Dylan’s talent takes many forms. He is a songwriter and guitar and harmonica player. In less than one year in New York, Bob Dylan has thrown the folk crowd into an uproar. A good deal of Dylan’s steel-string guitar work runs strongly in the blues vein, although he will vary it with country configurations. His pungent, driving, witty harmonica is sometimes used in the manner of Walter Jacobs or the evocative manner of Sonny Terry (John Hammond, 2009, pg 3, <http://www.bobdylan.com/#/music/bob-dylan>).

Talking about Harry Bache Smith, people should hear his songs and read about his career. Harry Smith’s path to being popular was hard and thorny, as well. Over the years, his talent gave him the reputation of a great musician and composer. His is certainly talented and able to rich goals. There are many different and contradictory thoughts and points of view about this person, but there is one fact, which is beyond any doubts. He is a significant musician with a strong spirit and kind soul. I believe this person has been recognized in our world sufficiently and deservedly. However, throughout the time, his songs and influence become weaker and weaker. Today’s youth do not interest his activity a lot. Definitely and mostly people know about this great person, but not all of them. I have chosen this person to write about, because the significance and strength of his songs and music should not be missed or forgotten by people. I respect him and in this paper, I will show next what for.

According to one source, Harry Smith was a writer, lyricist and composer. The most prolific of all American stage writers, he is said to have written over 300 librettos and more than 6000 lyrics. Some of his best-known works were librettos for the composer Victor Herbert. He also wrote the book or lyrics for several versions of the Ziegfeld Follies. (Harry B. Smith librettist, dies; ex-Chicagoan. Chicago Daily Tribune: p. 12, 2-Jan-1936). There are many thoughts and expressions about Smith’s songs, but there is one fact that exists beyond any doubts – Harry Smith is definitely talented. In addition, Harry Smith’s papers material is likely to pertain to writing career of Harry Smith, including his interests in collecting (for example, as depicted by correspondence, scrapbooks and clippings, notes and drafts, manuscripts, autographs, music scores, and receipts, and other). However, it must be mentioned that materials used to range from 1773 to 1935, including the bulk that can be dating from 1890m to 1930. Thus, for the reasons given above I can definitely claim that Harry Bache Smith as well as Bob Dylan is obviously talented.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Bob Dylan as well as Harry Smith influenced great on the society and humanity as whole, using their talent and songs. They contributed many innovations in genres (that they followed). Bob Dylan is even now singing and composing, showing people the world as he sees. Unfortunately, Harry Bache Smith died in 1936, but his contributions in the world of music and culture will not be forgotten. They lived in different time, but both did a lot for people. Each of them left many useful words, thoughts and songs that now help people to understand something great (in contrast to nowadays youth, whose aim is to have a rest, when they listen to music). The aim of the paper was to make a competitive analysis of Bob Dylan’s and Harry Bache Smith’s approaches toward American folk musical traditions. Bob Dylan is known as a man who personalized and even amplified different genres of music, joining various American traditions in music as well as Harry Smith did.

References

1. Bjorner, Olof (2002). Olof’s Files: A Bob Dylan Performance Guide (Bob Dylan all alone on a shelf). Hardinge Simpole.
2. Harry B. Smith librettist, dies; ex-Chicagoan. Chicago Daily Tribune: p. 12. 2-Jan-1936.
3. Hedin, Benjamin (ed.) (2004). Studio A: The Bob Dylan Reader. W.W.Norton & Co.
4. Unterberger, Richie. (2002). Turn! Turn! Turn!: The ‘60s Folk-Rock Revolution. Backbeat Books. p. 232.