Cajun Music Essay

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Cajun music has a folk-like beat that places the accordion at the center of the rhythm. Cajun music originated from the United States of America but more specifically, the state of Louisiana. This music came to Louisiana through the French-speaking immigrants that settled there. These immigrants once called the Acadians, or Cajuns, found a new home in Louisiana after being expelled from Nova Scotia (Ancelet). Due to their harsh exile from Nova Scotia, much of Cajun music describes death and desperation. Soon after arriving in Louisiana, the Cajuns began incorporating the sounds of the surrounding cultures into their music (Edmondson, 173). Acculturation contributed greatly to the origin and development of Cajun music due to its borrowing of sounds and instruments from a variety of different cultures. They started incorporating the Native American’s singing style as well as the Spanish guitar into their own original music (Ancelet). This created the unique sounds of Cajun music that we know and listen to today. Paired with their music, the Cajun culture also created their own unique Cajun dance style. Their dances incorporated waltzes, and …show more content…

Joe Falcon and his wife Cleoma Breaux Falcon made the first commercial recording of Cajun music (Edmondson, 174). These two artists were considered to be the greatest Cajun accordion artists of their time, as they recorded “Allons a Lafayette” for the commercial (Edmondson, 174). This opened many doors for Cajun music, as it’s exposure brought new popularity to the music. Next in 1946, a Cajun fiddler known as Harry Choates would bring even more attention to Cajun music with his hit “Jole Blon”. Many DJs around the country made this song popular and many country artists started to become increasingly interested in Cajun music. Some started to record their own covers of popular Cajun songs. This also helped Cajun music gain popularity nation and worldwide

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