The Green Onions Composition as an Artifact

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Table of Contents

Artifact
Discovering Context
Connecting to the Artifact
References

Artifact

The artifact I have chosen is the composition Green Onions, performed by musicians of the Booker T. and the M.G’s band; it was created in 1962. My first reaction to the artifact was positive: close listening to the whole piece of music made me feel light and carefree. The piece of music appealed to me and I liked it because of the music’s vibe. Things about myself that might influence why I chose it are the traits of my character that allow me to fully understand the mood that the music conveys. Two instruments are heard in the song: an electric organ and drums. This piece of music lasts three minutes and three seconds (Rhino, 2018). It is the second song in the three-hour album Green Onions.

Discovering Context

Historical Context

The period of the performance of this composition falls is two years before the complete abolition of the Jim Crow laws. It is striking that the team, in which white and black guys played on equal terms, did not arise on the liberal West Coast, but in the typical southern state of Tennessee. The reasons why the artist might have had for creating the artifact are overcoming racial stereotypes that divide creative people with different skin colors.

Artistic Context

The artistic context is real techniques of mixing elements of white pop music and black rhythm-and-blues (Rhino, 2018). Reasons that explain why these techniques were used are the need to overcome racial barriers that hindered the development of musical art.

Interpreting Meaning

The first cultural value that I believe artists were trying to convey through the artifact is the equality of people of different races (Rhino, 2018). The second value transmitted through this musical composition is the interdependence of the musical art of different peoples. Details of musical styles mixed in this composition made me reach these conclusions. Musical elements typical of traditional white and black genres helped me understand artists’ messages. The artists’ cultural values are similar to my own because they also advocate for the equality of people of different races. The difference between my cultural values and the artists’ cultural values is the desire to preserve national identity in my culture and the maximum degree of mutual influence in the culture of musicians.

Connecting to the Artifact

Artist’s Values

Values communicated by the artifact are the equality of people of different races and the interdependence of musical cultures. The dominant cultural values of the artist’s time and place were divided into two opposing points of view. The south of the United States advocated racial separation, while the south supported the equality of black and white citizens. The artifact itself tells me that the cultural perspective of the artist is closer to the Southern one. The composition of the group performing the song (both black and white musicians creating music characteristic of their race) make me identify these particular values.

My Values

My cultural values, as well as artists’ values, are based on equality and freedom of creativity. The differences between my cultural values and the ones I’ve identified in the artifact are concerning the mixing of musical traditions.

My Cultural Perspective

The calmness from the feeling of peaceful existence and the absence of hostility between people of different races made me initially respond to the artifact the way I did. My cultural perspective shaped my response and connection with the artifact since this music translates values that are similar to mine. I feel the same about it now that I have engaged with it more deeply.

References

Rhino. (2018). Booker T. & The M.G’s – Green onions (Official vinyl video) [Video file]. Web.

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