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Horn Man explores the history of twentieth-century Detroit's Polish-American musical landscape. The beauty of Polish and Polish-American customs and culture is also illumined. Music is an inseparable part of Polish life, and because of polka's communal aspect, polka musicians are some of the best examples American society has of family bonds and Christian values. The pillar Detroit polka band-leaders who came of age during the Great Depression were, for the most part, community oriented and family focused. Therefore, while they were superstars in their own galaxy and their names readily recognizable in their own circles, in general, their names were not quite as prominent as those of the well-known superstars of the Polka Era. They were, however, no less talented and diversified and their lives no less fascinating than those of their contemporaries in other Polish-American communities (Polania). In fact, it was their diversification, entrepreneurial skills, and ability to adapt that ensured that they survived in an erratic, chaotic industry. They were trained in theory and the classics, as well as in jazz, voice, and the popular big-band dance music of the era. Along with their colleagues across America, they were among the nation's first ethnomusicologists and the creators of a new genre of American music. They recorded on major record labels, created and developed their own record labels, published sheet music, appeared on radio and television, performed with visiting luminaries and for traveling dignitaries, and became savvy marketers of their product: musical entertainment. Yet, as a result of technological innovations, the influx of rock and roll, and the trend toward an increasing American ethnocentrism, their heyday was tragically brief and fleeting.
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From the Publisher:
Detroit and its strong Polish community share in America’s rich history of Polish music and customs. Horn Man documents that history and details the development of the Polish-American musicians in Detroit who became known as "polka musicians," even though their music was remarkably diversified. The book reveals how the Polish musical customs and traditions developed around the liturgical calendar and how new Polish musical traditions were born in America and Detroit. Explored within are the lives and careers of the musicians who performed throughout the twentieth century for community events such as weddings, christenings, picnics, dances, funerals, and anniversary parties.
About the Author:
This regional study by the daughter of one of the prominent Polish-American bandleaders in Detroit discusses the rich tradition of the Polish wedding in Detroit and the evolution of the music that accompanied not just the Polish wedding, but all Polish-American events. Laurie A. Gomulka Palazzolo seeks to understand why the polka, which did not originate in Poland but rather in Bohemia, became and has remained synonymous with Poles. The book challenges the negative stereotype of the polka and endeavors to raise a better understanding of and appreciation for the music created by the Detroit-area Polish-American jobbing musicians. Horn Man, with its vivid pictures and narrative, brings honor and a renewed credibility to Detroit’s legacy of Polish-American music and tradition.
Laurie A. Gomulka Palazzolo is president and executive producer of Hornman Detroit.
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- PublisherWayne State Univ Pr
- Publication date2003
- ISBN 10 0814331939
- ISBN 13 9780814331934
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages360
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