Dance and Instrumental Music in America, 1770-1830: Sources, Repertoire, and Origins

Abstract

This dissertation examines roughly 100 manuscript sources of American instrumental music from roughly 1770-1830, along with related printed and British sources. It proposes different ways of organizing and viewing the manuscripts, and then lays out a method of digital empirical analysis of the manuscripts and their tunes. The conclusions of this analysis offer a quantitative view of musical activity and literacy in America during this period. On the basis of this evidence, it argues that an important core repertoire of popular American tunes had its origins in the fifers of the American revolution.