Download Page 1 " NEW DEAL CULTURE IN OKLAHOMA: THE FEDERAL

NEW DEAL CULTURE IN OKLAHOMA:
THE FEDERAL THEATRE AND MUSIC PROJECTS
DERAL
by
1
Suzanne H. Schrems
THE
'50s
I
14
STATE
,OADS
"
lidate in history and a
i University of Oklahoma.
f" Relief:
The Federal
af"ticle in the Chronicles
are part of the research
I
the Federal Theatre and
iat at the Kansas State
~aster's degree from
a reseaf"ch associate for
a~f"amento History Center.
1a
the Division of Social
lege.
He received his
II.lahoma State University,
ata in state and local
transportation.
In order to reI ieve the economic distress of unemployed
Americans during the Depression of the 19305, Congress passed
the Federal Emergency ReI ief Act (FERA) on May 12, 1933.
Under the FERA, the director, Harry L. Hopkins, set up the
Works Progress Administration (WPAl in 1935, to provide wor~
relief instead of dole relief for unemployed Americans.
Under the auspices of the WPA, Hopk:ins initiated Federal One,
a cultural program to provide work relief for unemployed
artists, musicians, dramatists, and writers.
The Roosevelt
Administration recognized that the artist was just as ~ntitled
to employment at publlc expense as the manual laborer.
The ideal of the arts projects was also to extend
cultural programs out of the urban areas into American
communities across the country and to develop programs that
would have a long lasting effect on the American publ ic.
Traditionally, the arts were supported by the patronage of the
wealthy and only accessible to people who lived in urban
ilreas.
Art did not reflect the cultural life of the nation,
nor did it appeal to mass audiences.
In order to create iln
art following, cultural programs were necessary that
integrated the artist and his work: into the national life,
thereby,
creating a nation of cultural consumerS.
The
Roosevelt Administration also viewed art as a medium to uplift
and enrich the lives of ordinary citizens.
In a sense, the
art projects would be instrumental in creating a cultural
milieu based on the advancement of classical music, legitimate
thea tel' and the creation of masterpieces of art or the "Fine
Ar ts. "
Although the government's perception of what the art
projects would accomplish for America was ambiguous, the
projects allowed Americans to express how they viewed their
culture and how they managed with the uncertainties of the
tumultuous era of the 19305.
Oklahoma presents an insightful
study on how two art projects, the Federal Music and Federal
Theatre, reflected the perception of culture in the Ok:lahoma
mind of the 1930s.
The Federal Theatre and Music Projects in Oklahoma
utilized federally funded programs to introduce a culture that
little resembled the cuI ture of the people of the state.
The
Music Project emphasized the development of a "high" music
culture.
The philosophy of integrating the artists with the
culture of the people was not the main goal.
The program was
not attuned to the indigenous music of the people of Oklahoma,
nor did it recognize social music--music that reflected the
condition of the people.
The personnel of the Music Project,
instead, channeled most of their energy into the development
of symphony orchestras that only employed professional
musicians with advanced musical training.
The Federal Theatre
2
Project in Oklahoma was also an ideal medium for integrating
the artists with the culture of Oklahomans in the 19}Os,
however, playwriqhts in the Theatre Project concentrated on
writing plays that glorified Oklahoma's historical image.
Oklahomans had a predilection toward only recognizing it
high artistic cultural environment and a penchant for the
values of their historicOIl pOlSt.
Burton Roscoe's article, "We
Lead in Culture," in the Golden Anniversary Edition of the
Dai.l1: Oklahoman in 193'J, described Oklahoma as "The Cradle of
Literary and Artistic Genius" by listing the Oklahomans who in
music, art, literaturr' and drama contributed to the cultural
welfare of the state.
In Stanley Vestal's article, "We Come
of Age in Oklahoma," an edi tor's preface I:elates how an
easteI:n governor, before arriving in Oklahoma City for ,~
conference, asked if the city had a country club, evidently
assuming the state yet too primltive for such refinement.
The
editor also described how a fellow inquired whether a person
could actually obtain water out of the faucets in the St3t~
and if indeed Oklahomans wore cowboy hats and blankets.
Vestal's article defended Oklahoma by elaborating on the
state's historical past which was evidence of the uniqueness
of Oklahoma and Oklahomans.
Roscoe's and Vestal's articles
iHe typical of the general theme throughout the speci,~t
edi t~on, '" theme that celebrated artistic achievements and
looked to the histocical past in order to define the cultural
atmosphere of Oklahoma.
The impell ing need for the people of Oklahoma to defend
their culture was due to the state's economic instability and
the social disorder caused by the Depression of the 1930s.
Governor Marland estimated that in t935, 800,000 of the
2,500,000 inhabitants of the state were on relief. 6
More
perplexing perhaps than the economic distress was the obvious
condition of the people who found no othec alternative than to
leave the state.
Between 1930 and the end of the decade,
440,00~ or 18.4 percent of Oklahom'l'S population left the
st21te.
Like many of the homeless people of the plains
states, the destination of Oklahomans was California.
Seventy-five thousand or one-fourth of all migrants from the
plains s~ates to California 1n 1935 and after were from
Oklahoma.
No matter where the homeless migrants came from in
the plains states, once they arrived in California they were
atl known as "Okies."
An "Okie" represented an illiterate,
Shiftless, homeless people who lived out of the backs of their
trucks.
In the minds of Oklahomans, America viewed Oklahoma,
as represented by the "Okies," as a backward, uncivili~ed,
culturally deprived state.
The Theatre Project is indicative of how Oklahomans
discounted the cuI ture of the 19305 that manifested the "Okie"
image.
The concern was not the depiction of the social and
economic condition of the people.
The personnel of the
Theatre Project, instead, emphasized hlstoI:ical achievements.
By doing so, the Oklahoma Theatre did not incorporate an
important ide"l of the National Feder"l Theatre.
The main focus of the National Feder",l Theatre Project,
under the direction of Hallie Flanag<ln, was to provide work
for unemployed the"ter people.
In scope, this included people
3
'al medium for integrating
lklahomans in the 19)05,
e Project concentrated on
la's historical image.
in all aspects of the theater.
In the summer of 1935, the
relief rolls in l\merican cities showed that thousands of
actors, directors, scene-desIgners, scene-shIfters, mllSlclan5~
tOOlard only recognizing a
t and a penchant for the
Irton Roscoe's articLe, "We
niversary Edition of the
Oklahoma as "The Crad I e of
ting the Oklahomans who in
mtributed to the cultural
lestal's article, "We Come
preface relates how an
in Oklahoma City for a
country club, evidently
for such refinement.
The
inquired whether a person
the faucets in the stat
IJI'boy hats and blankets.
la by elaborating on the
vidence of the uniqueness
e's and Vestal's articles
throughout the special
rtistic achievements and
!er to define the cultural
and utilized
5
pIe of Oklahoma to defend
, economic instability and
Depression of the 1930s.
in 1935, BOO,OOO of the
e were on relief,6
More
: distress was the obv ious
other alternative than to
d the end of the decade,
tlIa's papulation left the
IS people of the plains
lilomans was California.
of all migrants from the
935 and after were from
less migrants came from in
d in California they were
presented an il literate,
lout of the backs of their
America viewed Oklahoma,
a backward, uncivilized,
~ative
of how Oklahomans
that manifested the "Okie"
)iction of the social and
•
The personnel of the
!_ historical achievements.
! did not incorporate an
iral Theatre.
Federal Theatre Project,
agan, was to provide work
:ope, this included people
box-office cashiers, ushers, and wrIters were unemployed.
The
Federal
Theatre
their
offered
these
people
talents to bring
gainful
theater
employment
into l\merican
communities that otherwise would not have the opportunity to
see a play.
The first successful unit was the Vaudeville
Theatre.
These units played chiefly in CCC and trallsient
camps dud ~n state institutions such as hospitals, prisons,
reformatories, and asylums. IO
Circus and Marionette units
were also an important part of the Federal Theatre and
performed for thousands of people at schools, social
settlements, and playgrounds.
Besides these specialized
groups, Flanagan emphasized that the plan for Federal Theatre
was to create theater unitS vital to the community needs-­
theaters which would continue to function as an autonomous
ente~prise after federal
fUOding was withdrawn.
The plan was
to develop regional thl~aters around the nucleus of existing
theaters with emphasis O~ presenting experimental productions
of new plays by unknown writers in each region.
Also, the
plan called for tt\e development of theater units which
traveled from the regional theaters into the cou1\ryside,
presenting plays that illustrated community concerns.
Flanagan was enthusiastic about developing regional
theater
centers because she bel ieved that "the future of the
American stage depends !~rgely on persons who write about
things they know best."
In order to do this, <lanagan
stressed the importance of developing regional drama and
encouraged the efforts of the state directors to research
regional stories ill~strating the culture and the social
concernS of the people. 3 Flanagan theorized that the theater
was not only a medium of entertainment but alsO a vehicle for
educating ~erican society to social injustices and a weapon
to fight undemocratic principles.
In the playwright's search
for regional material, Flanagan f~ressed that they should
study the problems of their region.
On the national level, the Federal Theatre produced plays
that depicted the condition of the country and the concerns of
the many people who were suffering from economic and social
distress.
The play Triple-A Plowed Under was a daring project
that presented explosive facts aboutthe farmers' condition
and the government's ineptness in handling the crisis.
The
theme of the play attacked the Agricultural Adjustment
Administration's unfairness to the tenant farmers and
sharecroppers.
The play One-Third of a Nation focused on the
dirt, disease, and human misery of the metropolitan slums. 15
In Oklahoma, using the theater as a vehicle to express
the social condition of the people never material ized.
This
was due i t part to the lack of professional actors in
l
Oklahoma.
In 1936, the state director, John Dunn, developed
the Theatre Project into four units that best utilized the few
theater
people on the reli.ef rolls.
These four units
consisted of the WPA Little Theatre and Marionette q~it; a
Technical Unit, a Production Unit; and a Research Unit.
The
Little Theatre and Research Units were the most active units
in the state p[oject.
Tne Research Unit, by 1937, became the
4
Research and Play Bureau of the Southwest, and by the close of
the Theatre Project in 1939, It IoIdS considered the only
Successful aspect of the Federal Theatre in Oklahoma.
main purpose of the project was
suitable fOf playwrights or
playwriting. 8
The personnel
Oklahoma interviewed people in
pioneer days and statehood.
The
to collect regional material
individuals interested in
of the Research Project in
the 19)06 who remembered the
From these
interviews,
playwrights dramatized the storieS into regional drama in
Oklahoma which emphasized folk history, pioneers, outlaws,
cowboys,
Indian
lore,
and
legends.
The
results
of
their
efforts were plays such as The Wild Man of the Black Mesa,
9J-
L. i. t t l e Redsk in, Puckahoo
the- 1 al-Ranch, and-----ci1isa~yo--; the
Sweetheart of the Corn. l
Many of these plays were Llttle
Theatre and MarTonette productions.
The Marionette Unit not
only produced folk stories but also children's plays such as,
Socko, Jacko and Kick£, ~opsy, K!.~, ~!!~ ~£. Brown, Beauty
and the Beast, and RumpelStiltskin.
One function of the Little Theatre was to organize drama
activities among the underprivileged, in particular, 1n
community camps on the outskirts of Oklahoma City.
The idea
was to furnish recreatLonal outlets for the people in the
camps perceived as the "dregs of human society who lived in
homes made of packing boxes, scraps 1f tin and whatever else
they can find in junk heaps . • • . ,,2
To the members of the
Theatre project,
drama provided the underprivileged an
activity and an opportunity to improve the mind.
The concern
was not in i l l Llstrating the conditions in American society
that reduced people to living in tin shacks or the back of
their trucks.
Rather,
the concern was evidently in
demonstrating to the people in the community camps a "higher"
form of civilization.
In lrby Communit.y Camp, described as located on the edge
of the city dump near Oklahoma City and having the poorest
people and the worst type of poverty, The Little Theatre
produced the play The Right Road ~ the Bes~ Road, showing the
importance of good character development.
Other plays
presented at the camp, entitled They Do ~, which delivered
the message thft "gossipy women werevictims of their own
talkati.veness;" 2 and f Toothbrush Fantasy, a play centering
on teeth and heal th, 3 are indicative of how the Federal
Theatre in OklahOma used the medium of the theater as a tool
to teach.
The theater personnel used drama as a way to
instruct a class of homeless people that life would be better
for them if they had a stronger character, if they did not
gossip, and if tr,ey imprOved their hygiene.
Another theme used by Oklahoma playwrights on the Theatre
Project was one illustrating Oklahoma as a progressive state.
Oklahomans preferred to think of their state and its people as
progressive.
This perception relied on looking at Oklahoma's
historical achievements,
in particular,
the cOmmercial
production
oil in Oklahoma when the state was s t i l l a
territory.2
Not surprisingly, one of the Theatre Project's
most successful plaYS was Precious Land written by Oklahoma
playwright Robert Whitehand.-~central theme of the play
evolved around the conflict in the 1920s with the farmer's
if
5
:hw€st, and by the close of
was considered the only
Theatre in Oklahoma.
The
collect regional material
lividuals interested in
the Research Project in
~ 1930s who remembered the
From
these
interviews,
fS into regional drama in
story, pioneers, outlaws,
8.
The [eSIl 1 ts of their
Ld Man of the Black Mesa,
-Ranch, and---cii isiohdyo-;t'ile
~""""'tli'"eSe plays wereL1ttle
The Marionette Unit not
I children's plays such as,
and !:!E.- ~rown, Beauty
W.
latre was to organize drama
Leged, in particular, in
f Oklahoma City.
The idea
~ts for the people in the
luman society who lived in
s ~f tin and whatever else
.2
To the members of the
the underprivi leged an
:ove the mind.
.he concern
tions in American society
tin shacks or the back of
ncern 'oIas evidently in
cOllllUunity Call'.ps a "higher"
bed as located on the edge
ty and having the poorest
'erty, The Little Theatre
the Best Road, shO'oling the
opment-.-- Othi!r pI ays
~ Do ~, 'oIhich delivered
,ere Victims of their own
Fantasy, a play centering
~iIIti Vfi! of how thfi! Feder a 1
m of the theater as a tool
used drama as a 'oIay to
~ that life would be better
'haracter, if they did not
hyg i.ene.
;ver
plaY'olrights on the Thfi!atre
3ma as a progressive state.
eir state and its people as
!d on looking at Oklahoma's
:ticular,
the commercial
,en the state was s t i l l a
Ie of the Theatre Project's
I! Land written by O"klahoma
-central theme of the play
Ie 1920s with the farmer's
reluctance to give up his way of life by selling
the oil companies.
h~~
land to
It was a conflict over progress.
The Univereity of Oklahoma's drama department produced
Precious Land in 1936.
Although not recognized as part of the
Pederal Theatre Project in Oklahoma, the drama dep~~tment at
the university produCf!d Federal Theatre plays.
These
included not only plays written by Oklahoma playwrights but
also National Federal Theatre dramas.
The plays, however,
were subject to university scrutiny.
In February 1936, the
student newspaper, the Oklahoma Daily, announced the casting
for t'olO "social playS" to be presented by the univeJ:"sity drama
department.
The plays were Clifford Odit's Waiting For Lefty,
a play illustrating struggles against SOCIal and economic
injustice, and Til!~~l.Q..i...!., relating to the stru9g1e of
youth for an ideal.
The university administration
considered the playS "Red" drama and President Bi l':l':e 1 1
cancelled production claiming that the "playhouse is not an
open forum for the discussion of political, religiouii or moral
questions . , • 'ole do not believe it is the department's place
to give propaganda plays that will
li!ad to wide
discussion
uninformed persons were too ready to arrive at the
conclusion that mi!mbers of a department ~ijd a caiit were in
sympathy with ideas expressed in the play."
The type of material emphasized by John Dunn, as director
of the Federal Theatre in Oklahoma, perhaps was influenced by
the university's conservative attitude in regard to
controversial subject matter.
Dunn turned down a request by
Flanagan in September of 1936 to encourage the production of
Sinclair Lewis' 1! Can't Happen Here by the Federal Theatre
Project.
~~ Can't Happen ~ere is an anti-Facist play 'oIith the
central theme that Facism could happen in America.
Flanagan
believed that plays dealing with contemporary problems in
American life should bf scheduled for production across the
country simultaneously. 9 Dunn rejected Flanagan's request to
produce!! C",n't Happen Here in Oklahoma.
Dunn's reason for
rejecting Flanagan's request was that 5~e Federal Tl',eatre in
O"klahoma did not have a dramatic unit.
Probably closer to
the truth was that Waitin~ for Lefty and Ti!! ~ ~ ~ ~
were censored seven months earlier and a plaY depIcting
fascism had very l i t t l e chance of being accepted by
Oklahomans.
The conservative atmosphere in Oklahoma contributed to
the fact that the Federal Theatre in the state was not used as
a vehicle for depicting the social and fi!conomic deprivations
of many of the people.
Theater used as a tool to illuiitrate
Societal i l l s is referred to as social theater.
Drama
presented in the social theater expressed the attitUdes of the
times and the people. One aspect of the Federal Theat~e under
Flanagan's direction, 'oIas to develop a social theater that
encouraged people to write plays about their experiences as
Americans and American wOJ:"kers.
Another drama group in the state not associated with the
WPA did accomplish Flanagan's objective.
The Red Dust
Players, with the support of the Southern Tenant rarmer's
Union, travelled the state of Oklahoma in 1939 presenting
social drama at migrant and community camps throughout the
---~-~--
6
state.
The Red
Dust
Players wrote
their material around
topical issues that were of immediate importance to the
pl"iople--the plight of the sharecroppers, the economic
conditions, unfair laboI: policies, hamelessness, and poverty.
The activities of the Red Dust players were short lived in
oklahoma.
Accused of spreading communist propaganda, most of
the
~i.mblC'rs
.... "'r8
threatened
and
run
out
of
the
state
by
1940.
John
Steinbeck's
novel
The
GraE.l"!5
of Wrath,
which
illustrated the same 50clal therne-';s-rhe-drama-t"izations
performed by the Red Dust Players, was also unpopular in
Okl",homa.
The Grapes of Wrath, published in 1939, the year of
Oklahoma'sGQlden AnmveIsary, depicts regional drama that
illustrates the condition of many Oklahomans in the 19305.
The book, publ ished too late to be considered by Hallie
Flanagan and the Federal Theatre for production, is a
sensitive story about a family forced off their land in
Oklahoma due to economic hardships.
This is reality in
Oklahoma in the 19305, but what disturbed Oklahomans about
Steinbeck's novel was the image portrayed in regard to the
people of Oklahoma.
Steinbeck's characters are illustrated as eartlly,
poverty-stricken ~10ple who succumb to many indignities in
order to s'..lrvive.
To Oklahomans, Steinbeck's characters
represent Oklahomans as illiterate and uncivilized.
What
escaped the people of Oklahoma was the conditio~ of humanity
in the 19305 which Steinbeck was illustrating. 3 He could
have just as easily plaCed the environment of hi8 story in
Kansas or Missouri:
the human condition was the same.
tike the Theatre Project, the Music Project did not
emphasize programs that reflected the culture of the people of
Oklahoma in the 19305_ The Music Project established cultural
programs that enriched the cultural appreciation of the people
and followed closely the elitist attitudes of the national
director, Nikolai Sokoloff, who emphasized a "high" musical
culture.
tike the other art projects, the main function of
the Music Project \o/as to provide work relief for the
unemployed musician.
The professional musician in American society felt
economIC hard times not only due to the Depression but also
due to new technology.
Perfection of the radio in the mid­
nineteen twenties, the introduction of sound film which
resulted in the loss of 20,000 American theater musicians, and
the popularity of the phonograph changed the music culture of
many Americans.
In 1935, the Federal Music Project created an
opportunity to employ the musician and also to initiate
programs to reeducate American society to the culture of live
m'Usic--t~ereby creating
permanent employment for the
musician. 3
The stated purpose of the Federal MUS1C Project
was to create employment for "instrumentalists, singers, other
concert performers, and those participating in music education
and recreation." Professional musicians were employed in each
state in symphony orchestras, concert orchestras, dance bands,
chamber music ensembles, as instrumental and vocal soloists,
in grand opera, operetta, opera comique, and teaching music
and music appreciation.
The employment of musi.c librarians,
I
I,
II
,
7
e
their:
!iate
material
ar:ound
importance
I;:I:OppIHi'i,
the
to
the
economic
and poverty_
rers ""ere short lived in
~ni6t propaganda,
most of
omeless~ess,
'\In
out
of
the
state
6r<l£e6 of Wrath,
by
which
eas -thi- drdmati za tions
, was also unpopular
in
,shed in 1939, the year of
iets regional drama that
Oklahomans in the 19305.
be considered by Hallie
e for production, is a
arced off their
musi: copyists, mus~c binder1~ piano tuners and instrument
repaIrers were also lmportant.
land
in
l8.
This is rea 1 i ty in
sturbed Oklahomans about
rtrayed in regard to the
illustrated as earthy,
lb to 1'I',any indignities in
:, Steinbeck's characters
~ and uncivilized.
What
the conditio')_of humanity
llustrating.'
He could
-ironment of hi5 story in
tion was the same.
e Husi.c Project did not
~
culture of the people of
lject establ ished cuI tura 1
tppreciation of the people
Ittitudes of the national
~ha5iz:ed a "high" musical
~t6, the main function of
!e worll: reI ief for the
American society felt
the Depression but also
of the radio in the mid­
lon of sound fi 1m which
can theater musician5, and
mged the music culture of
L Husic Project created an
In and also to initiate
ty to the culturs of live
~nt
employment for the
the federal Husic Project
menta 1 i5ts, singers, other
lpating in music education
ians were employed in each
t orchestras, dance bands,
ental and vocal soloists,
iqu-e,·· an~ teaching music
ment of music librarians,
In Oklahoma,
the Music Project IoIdS
varied but
incorporated most of the national directives.
The Husic
Pl:oject was organized into four units:
the OklallOmOl Federal
Symphony Orchestra,
designed to reemploy,
retrain,
and
rehabilitate unemployed symphony musicians; The Federal Husic
Production unit, to employ unemployed copyists, arrangers, and
composers; Music Edncation Unit, to reemploy unemployed music
teachers; and The. Research in Folk and Indian Music, to
establish a research project to classify, transcribe, and make
a permanent record of folk <lnd Indian music found In
Oklahoma. 16 The Oklahoma Federal Symphony was by far the most
successful unit of the Music proj"ct.
In 1937, the Federal
Music Project employed 150 persons in the Oklahoma Symphony
Orchestra, the Ardmore W'PA Orchestr", th
Shawnee WPA
Orchestra, and the Colored Dance Orchestra. 3
In addition,
there were also a string band and an old bddler's band.
The
underlying ideology of the Federal Husic Program in Oklahoma
was to readl as many people as possible and introduce them to
a new musical culture.
r
Oklahomans' aspirations for the development of a musical
culture that reflected the high moral standards of the nation
were evident in the attitude at Frederik Holmberg, the fir~g
Dean of Fine Arts at the University of Oklahoma in 1909.
Holmberg believed that Oklahoma's halldicap in obtaining a
musical culture was due to Oklahoma's Lapid development or
"hurried civilization" which left little time for cultivating
the arts.
He also considered that it was the university's
position to spread the "gospel of Musi.c" which would supercede
what he referred to as the disease music of ragtime.
In
Holmberg's opinion,
community music--real music "causes
democracy.
It makes people feel alike."
Holmberg was
instrumental 1~ developing the first Symphony Orchestra in
Oklahoma City.
The idea of a symphony orchestra first started ~ith the
Music Club in 1922.
The purpose of the club ~as to
create and develop a m'Jsical cultural atmosphere.
The first
orchestra started ~ith a group of violin students who
presented small orchestral. programs.
The first Oklahoma City
orchestra d~buted in 1929, under the conductorship of Frederik
Holmberg.
It was Holmberg's opinion that the orchestra was
"doi~'t much to put the state of Oklahoma on
the cultural
map."
By 1932, however, the Oklahoma City orchestra OIas not
able to maintain the musicianship ~hich Holmberg considered
necesaary for a professional group.
From either a lack aE
talent or insufficient amount of rehearsal time, the orchestra
could not acquire sufficient excellence until the Federal
Music Project ...as initiated in 1935.
~adie~
Oklahoma City aspired for a quality musical culture.
The
federal funding for the development oE a symphony orchestra
was important in obtaining the ci ty's cuI tural goal.
An
orchestra ~as considered an important cultural improvement for
Oklahoma City and the ma~n goal ...as to develop a sponsorship
for a state symphony orchestra that did not rely on federal
funds.
---- ----
-
8
In
developing
professional musicians,
Richardson,
orchestras
that
employed
quality
in the maJor cities in Oklahoma, Dean
state director of the Music Project,
requested
from the Federal Music Project Regional Office in New Orleans
twenty instrumentalists to complete the Tulsa Symphony
Orchestra.
Ri.chardson was somewhat selE'ctive
in his
request.
He stated that he preferred young Amef?can male musicians who
would fit into a western atmosphere.
The point is that in
order to obtain the quality of musicianship needed to develop
the desired musical culture, recruitment outside the state was
necessary.
The idea of the Music Project as a vehicle for
relief for the unemployed musicians in 010;1 ahoma waS not the
main goal,
The Music Project was remiss in not establishing
music programs that utilized the talents of peo~le in the
music culture of the state.
This music culture was not of
significance to the elitists who equated civilization with
"high" culture.
The culture of a people encomp<lsses <Ill "spects of life.
A music culture c"n incorpor<lte the folksongs of <I b<lll<ld
singer, the talents of a b<lnjo picker, the blues of a piano
player, or the ceremonial music of the ~merican Indi"n as well
as music th"t utilizes the talents of a professional musici"ll.
Oklahomans p"id l i t t l e attention to the music culture of a
maJority of the people.
The Research Unit was the only unit
th"t initiated a program that reflEcted the culture of the
p.,ople.
This unit attempted to cOlleft and record Indian
music and folk music natille to Oklahoma. 2
The collection and COmpilation of folkson~s was a part of
the Federal Musi .. Project on the national leveL
Although not
considered as a cultur<ll program to stimulate interE"st in the
fine arts, the effort made by the personnel in folk research
perhaps left a larger legacy for ~mericans. In 1938, a Joint
National Committee at; Folk Arts employed personnel from all
four of the art projects.
The chairman was B.A. Salkin of the
Federal Writer's Project, vice chairm<ln Charles Seeger of the
Federal Music ProJect, Herbert Halpert of the Federal Theatre,
and Adolph Glassgold of the Federal Art Project.
Their
mission was the preservation of folk music.
Their method was
to travel throughout the staLes and record folk music from
people who s t i l l sang the songs of their ancestors.
The
legacy of this project is a vast collection of folk music
housed in the Library of Congress of Arne/ican Folk Music,
today known as the Archive of Folk Culture. 3
The research of folk musi.c was the olJly unit of the
Federal Music Project that incorporated thE" arts with the
people.
The vice chairman of the Joint Committee of Folk
Arts, Charles Seeger, disagreed sharply with the elitist
attitude of the Music Projects national director, NikOlai
Sokoloff.
Seeger belielled that there was great value in the
r'1usic ~f the I?eople a.nd that folk. musi.c at social. m~lic had a
place In AmerIcan SOClcty along wlth flne art mUSIC.
In Oklahoma, the research into folk: and Indian music was
By 1940, the project was classified incomplete
and never finished due to 3 reduction in emp~oyment on the
project.
Many people in Oklahoma did not bel iElle that
Ok:lahorna had a musical culture indigenous to the people.
short~lilled.
___________________
9
that
employed
quality
r cities in Oklahoma, Dean
Music Project, requested
anal Office in New Orleans
lete the Tulsa Sympholly
selecti ve in his request.
mefrcan male musicians who
e.
The point is that in
cianship needed to develop
tment outside the state was
Project as a vehicle for
Hi in Oklahoma was not the
remiss in not establishing
talents of people in the
music culture was not of
eguated civilil:ation with
lasses all aspects of life.
,he folksongs of a ballad
~ker, the blues of a piano
the I\.rnerican Indian as well
of a professional musician.
to the music culture of a
reh Unit was the only unit
lected the culture of the
~olle.ft and record Indian
horna. 2
of folksongs was a part of
.ional level.
Although not
) stimulate interest in the
'ersonnel in folk research
~ericans.
In 1938, a Joint
Iployed personnel from all
rman was B.A. Bolkin of the
rrnan Charles Seeger of the
ert of the Federal Theatre,
eral Art Project.
Their
,k music.
Their method was
nd record folk music from
of their ancestors.
The
collection of folk music
, of Ame/ican Folk Music,
Culture. 3
was
the only unit of the
~orated the arts with the
i Joint Committee of Folk
sharply with the elitist
Itional director, Nikolai
lre was great value in the
pusi.c or SOcial m~lic had a
h flne a~t mUSiC.
folk and Indian music was
was classified incomplete
tion in employment on the
mil did not bel ie"e that
indigenous to the people.
According to a report on the history of music in Oklahoma,
COmpiled under the Oklahoma Writer's Project in the 1930s,
Oklahoma did not have indigenous music because of the rapid
settlement of people from all parts of the country.
The
musical heritage of the early settlers was of Eastern
influence and th~sefore Oklahoma did not have music of any
distinctive type.
This report is accurate in defining the
musical culture as diverse.
What escaped Oklahomans was the
fact that the music culture that the early settlers brought to
Oklahoma was representative of the states they left and were
the same songs sung in Colonial America with a European
heritage.
People of English and SCQttish ancestry who settled
in Oklahoma left a large repertoire of songs from England and
Scotland.
The music was somewhat transformed to reflect a new
environment,
but
this
was
not
the music's
first
transformation.
The music was just as much a part of the
people of Oklahoma as it was a par
of the people of the
Southeast or the Northeast or England. 6 Other songs, just as
valuable to Oklahomans, were original songs reflecting the
folklore of the West.
None of this music was important enough
to allocate funds toward collecting and preserving.
4
Another valuable source of music in Oklahoma that is
perhaps truly indigenous to Oklahoma and the Southwest Region
is the music referred to as Western Swing.
The people who
migrated to Oklahoma from the Southeast and Texas brought with
them distinctive musical sounds.
The combination of Eastern
hillbilly music, rhythm and blues from the cotton fields,
Mexican tempos, and Louisiana Jazz culminated in Oklahoma into
the sound of Western Swing.
The music incorporated the
backwoods fiddle, the Oobro, and the steel guitar with the
traditional string band instruments.
Added to this were the
woodwinds, clarinets and saxophone. 47
In the 1930s, at the
same time the Federal Orchestra was drumming up talent from
across the region, Bob Wills and hi.s Texas Playboys were
achieving national acclaim in Tulsa.
Wills' western swing or
western jazz was a combination of two folk musics--frontier
fiddle music and the blues and jazz of black field hands of
the cotton camps of east and west Texas.
The sound produced
by the Bob Wills Band, a strong band of six musicians (five
strings and a piano) eVOlved into a big swing orchestra of
eighteen members including saKophones and a horn section.
By
1939, B~b Wills had one of the largest swing bands in the
4
nation.
Besides the development of an original sound as produced
by western swing, Oklahoma in the 1930s inspired music that
illustrated the social concerns of the people, songs that told
stories about what people were experiencing and feeling.
Woody Guthrie, in particular, wrote folksongs that told the
country about the condition of the homeless migrants of
Oklahoma.
Guthrie's songs were a social commentary of the
19305 and were as unpopular in Oklahoma as Steinbeck's The
Grapes of Wrath. Oklahoma did not want social commentary------ril
plays, boo1;--S;-O~ songs that defamed the image of their state
and its people. 4
It is interesting that the National Federal
Music Project's efforts to collect and record folk music in
the south did not include Oklahoma.
It is ironic that the
only listed music in the Folk Archives that represent
----J~
10
Oklahoma's
fol~
culture are the socially oriented folksongs of
Woody Guthr ie. 0
The legacy of the Federal Theatre and Music Projects can
be judged by what value they had for the people of Oklahoma.
The Federal Theatre was not used as a tool to educate
Oklahomans to social illS apparent in their society.
Instead,
the theater offered a diversion from the day to day reality ot
i!conomic distress.
By producing material that reflected the
achievements of the historical past, the Federal The<lltrE!
Project in Oklahoma o;~ered Oklahomans a sense of security and
cultural identity.
This was important in an era of
conflicting values and insecurity.
The people of Oklahoma
preferred their historical culture over the culture created by
social unrest of the 1930s.
The legacy of the Music ~roject for Oklahomans was the
development of a fine symphony orchestra which was evidence
that Oklahoma was culturally acceptable. But perhaps more
important, were the smaller benefits of the music education
programs throughout the state.
A survey in 1936 by the Music
Project ~evealed that rural schools in Oklahoma had no music
education. 52 A widespread music program was initiated by the
Music Project to bring music education and musical activities
to the underprivileged children and adults of Oklahoma.
It was important in 1930 for Oklahoma and the nation in
general to sanction the development of American culture.
The
cloaing paragraph of a survey of the Oklahoma Music Program in
1940 is indicative of the consensus that an acceptable
cultural environment was a worthWhile and obtainable goal:
A program that is cultural must reach the individual
continually in order to be effective.
tn turn, the
government's recognition of individuality
undoubtedly strengthenS and matures the appreciation
of that government, its institutions and its
guarantees of liberty, and domestic tranquility. As
the taste of a nation is a matter of systematic and
continual exposure, the kind of tastes a nation
acquires is a responsibility of that nation. 53
NOTES
1.
Searle F. Charles, Minister 01' Relief (Syracuse:
University Press, 1963), 30-31.
­
Syracuse
2.
llilliam F. McDonald, Federal Relief Administration and the Arts
(Columbus: Ohio State University Pressr~
--­
3. Jane Oe Kart Mathews, "Arts and. the People: The New Deal Quest
for a Cultural Democracy," Journal ~ American Historl. 63 (September
1975):]16.
4.
Daily Oklahoman, 23 April 1939.
5.
Ibid.
l
11
ally oriented folksongs of
6. Cecil L. Turner, MOll.lanoma's Neill Deal: Pr0'lram an<l Reaction,"
(Master's Thesis, University of Oklahoma. 1963), 7.
tIe and Music Projects can
.r the people of Oklahoma.
Id 86 a tool to educate
in their society.
Instead,
1. Donald Worster. Oust Bowl: Trle Southern Phins in tne 19305
(Oxford: Oxford Un1vers1ti""'pr:ess;-T919/,"48. In reality them111rants Iilllo
left the dust bOllll of tne plains states ",ere not d1spossessed beclLlse of
the drougnt or tne dust storms but because of the advances in commerchl
agriculture, especially [ne use of the tractor. The tenant farmer and tne
migrant who worked thl" farllll'r's land were replaced by tnl" tractor because
the tractor produced the crops cheaper.
In tne lntl"rstate Migration
Kear1ngs it lIlas rl"ported that one farmer IIlho purcnased three tractors
forced 31 tenants and croppers off the land.
U.S. Congress, House,
COlll1littl"l" to Investigate The Migration of Dl"stltute Cittzens, Oklanollla City
Hearings, Seventy-shtn session.
Part 5, 19 and 20 September 1940,
testimony of Dti s Hation.
I the day to day [eal i ty of
:terial
1I.8t,
that reflected
the
the Federal
Theatre
Ins a senae of security and
important
in an eIa of
The people of Oklahoma
lver thi! culture created by
ct for Oklahomans was the
hestra which was ev i<lence
ptabll". But perhaps more
ts of the music education
Jrvey in 1936 by the Music
I in Oklahoma had no music
JgralJl was initiate<l by the
ion and musical activities
adults of Oklahoma.
klahoma an<l the nation in
of American cu 1 ture.
The
Oklahoma Music Program in
·nsus that an acceptable
.e and obtainable goal:
reach the individual
ective.
In turn, the
of individuality
ures the appreciation
atitutions and its
,stic tranqui I i ty. As
:er of systematic and
of tastes a nation
that nation. S3
E Relief
(Syracuse:
Syracuse
8.
lbilj., 50.
9. Hall ie Flanagan, "Democracy and thl" Drama," Tne Listener {April
1939):822.
­
10. Federal Tneatre Magazine, Vol. 1, No.4, Marcn 1939.
Fl anagan Davis Collection, Yassar College.
Ha 1 1 i e
11. Hallie Flanagan, "First Meeting of Reg10nal Directors Federal
Theatre Project," October 1935. Special Collections, Fenwtck Library,
George Mason Un1versi ty.
12. lIIashington Post, 8 September 1935, "991 of Fund to be Paid Idle
as lIIages, She says." - ­
13. Federal Theatre in the South, Quarterly Bulletin lIIorkS Progress
Administration, OcWber 19Jb,"""'lii"lanoma Historical Society. Oklahoma City,
OK.
14. Hal lie Flanagan, "A Theatre Is Born," Theatre
(November 1931):908.
~
Monthly
15. Jane De Hart Matnellls, TIle Federal Theatre, 1935-1939 (New York:
Octagon 80011;5, 1980), 15, 17. Jlfiterlal presentl"d in regional centers
across tne country lIlas not entirely soctally oriented. A lIlide range of
plays from tnl" classtcs to nineteenth and tllll"ntietn-century Americana lIlas
presented. Shakespearian plays such as Macbetn, ~ Coml"df ~ Errors, ~
Lear, "'l"rcnant of Venice, and Hamll"t lIlerl" l"mphaSlZed a ong ~bSl"n s
pl ays fne 10111 d DUCk, Peer Gynt, and An Enemy of tne Pl"op1 e; Gi 1bert and
Sul 11 van'S !iiePl"rites--oT1'l"nzance anlIlhe Ml Kaao;--->lIalll' s Grea t Ca tneri ne,
Androc1es.iiid" tne (fon;and Oscar Wil~s--prayTne Importance of ~
Earnest.. FederaTineatre Magaz1ne, 1, No.4.
-­
1ef Adlllinistration and tne Arts
16. Hall ie Flanagan, "Tne Experimental Tneatrl" in Al'fIl"rlca," The
Landmark (Sl"ptembl"r 19l4): 463.
he People: Tnl" I<Il"W Deal Quest
,erican History, 63 (Sl"ptember
17. Jonn Dunn, "Pr09rus "'l"port" 25 Marcn 1936. Fl"dl"ra1 Tnl"atre
Project Oklahoma. RecordS Df tne WorkS Projects Administration, Record
Group 69, National Arch1vu, Wunin9ton, D.C.
!r.
18. Jonn Dunn, "Annua 1 Report Federa 1 TI1l"a trl" Projl"ct of Okl ahoma,"
January 1937, Fedl"ral Theatre Project Oklahoma. Rl"cords of the Worts
Projl"cts Administration, Record Group 69, NatiDna1 Archives, lIIasn1n9ton,
D.C.
"
19.
N~rrll.ti~e
Report 5 June 193&. Federal Tneatre Project Oklahoma.
tne records of tne ~Ork$ Projects Administration, Record Group 69,
Archives, Washington. D.C.
2D.
~lI.tionll.'
Jonn Dunn, Annual Rei/ort. January 1937.
21.
"Tne WPA little Theures," 9 June 1936; Elizabeth Mullin,
"Synopsis of Activities of Teachers-directors to promote theatre education
among the underprivileged," December 1936. JOhn Qunn, "Progress Report," 25
!'larCh 1936. Federal Theatre Project Oklahoma, RecordS of tne WorKS
Projects Administration, Record Group 16. National Archives, Washington,
D.C.
22.
Dklanoma News, 19 January 1937.
23.
Daily Oklahoman, 9 January 1937.
24.
W. Richard Fossey, "Ta1lr.ln Oust Bowl
~n"es-A
Study of Oklahoma's
Cultur~l
Identity Durin9 the Great Depression," Chronicles of Oklahoma. 55
(1977):12.
­
25. Robert )lhitehand, Precious Land, Special Collections,
library, George Muon UniverSlty.
-­
Fenwic~
25. Phybills for the stage productions at the University of OKlanoma
in the 1930s indicate thH a si9nificant number of plays were Federal
Theatre pl~ys. Also significant, is tnat the plays were directed by Jonn
Ounn, part time professor of drama and director of the Oklahoma Federal
Theatre Project.
Special theatre collection ot JOhn Bryan, Drama
Department. Uni versi ty of Ok 1ahoma.
27.
OKlahoma.Q.!Ul., 7 February 1935.
28.
Ho~man
29.
Mathews. Federal Theatre, 95-98.
30.
John Dunn. Correspondence with Hallie Flana9an, 11 September
31.
Suzanne H. Schrems.
62 (Sunner 1984):l90.
Transcript, 12 February 1935 .
•
1935.
OklahO~,
"Radicalism and Song," Chronicles of
32. JOhn SteinbeCK. Tne Gra,pes of Wrath (New YorK: Penquin Bool(S.
1939); Martin Suples Sho~ey. TneReceptioll of the Grapes of Wrath in
OKlanoma." American Literature, 15 (January 1944):351.
33. Richard H. Pelles, Radical Visions and American Dreams: cul ture
and Social Thought in the Depres.sion Years(ifew York: Harper and Row,
T9"'73 r;-zT'b-"2' 9•
-
­
34. Grdce Overmyer, "The Musician Starves." American Mercury, 32
(June 1934):224.
35. Special regulations for tne Federal /'Iusic Project, August 1936.
Federal Music Project DKlanomil. the records of the Werks Project
Administra.tion. Record Group 69. Ha.tiona1 ArChives, Wa.Shington. D.C.
•
13
~deral Theatre Project OKlahoma,
at1on, Record Group &9, Nationl11
1937.
37.
June 1936; Elizabeth Mullin,
Irs to promote thel1tre educiltion
Jonn Dunn, "Progress Report." 2S
(lahoma. Records of the WorKS
ational Archivl"S, Ioll1Sh1ngton.
1010'1 Blues-A Study of Oklanoma's
,on," Chronicles
36.
Z!.
Otlahomil, 55
Speci<ll Collections, Fenwick
ns ilt tile University of Oklahorna
nUliber of plilYs were Federill
tile p1<l.ys were directed by JOhn
rector of the Oklilhomil Federal
lection at Jonn BrYiln, Orilma
36.
Hallie Flanilgiln, 11 Septernber
A sLlrvey of the WPA I'Il.Isic Project in Oklahoma. May 1940.
Federal
Music Project Oklahoma. the records of the "arks Projects Administration.
Record Grall? 69, Nationa] Archives, Washington, D.C.
Special Regulations of the Federal 1'I1.151c Project. August 1936.
38.
Personal papers of FrederiK Holmberg, FrederiK Holmberg
Co 11 eet; an. 0; \I i 5i on of Manuscr; pts, Western Hi story Coll ecti on, The
University of OKlahoma.
39.
Ibid.
40.
Ibid.
41. letter, 18 Milr~tl 1937, Federill Music Project Oklahoma, the
records of the Work.s Projects Administration. Record Group 69, N<ltionill
ArChives. Washin9ton, D.C.
42.
"he Aims ot tne IoIPA M~sic Project," IoIHdell collection,
University Archives, Western Kistory Collection, University of Oklahorna.
43.
McDonald, Federal RlC'lilC't Administriltion, 5:19.
44. Neal Canon, "Art For Whose Silk.e: The Federal Music Project of
ttle WPA," in Chilllenges in Americl1n Culture. eds., Rily 8rown, lilrry
Landrum, loIilliam Bottorff (Bowllng Green: Bo.-l1ng Green University Populilr
Press, 1970), 85.
"Music in Oklilhoma," IoIPA .-riter's Project,
45.
Okhhomil Kistoricill Society, Okli1horna City, OK.
Manuscript OiYision,
46.
Etnel ilnd Ch.auncey O. Moore. Billlilds ilnd Folk
South.-est (Normiln: University of Dkll1horna Press, 19m.
~
of tne
47. Jerry Zol ten, "Western Swing time Music," ~ Out n.d. For il
comprehensive disc~ssion of the lC'yolution of juz ilndweStern swing in
Oklilhomil see Wi11iilrn 101. $ilvage, Singing Co.boys ~ ~ that JilZZ (Norman:
University of OKli1tlomil Press, 1983l.
is. ill\d Song," Cnronicles of
48. Charles Townsend, "Sob Wills ilnd loIestern Swing: The Oklilnomil
Years, 1934-1942," in Rurill Oklilhorna, ed. Donil1d Green {OUilhomil City:
Oklanoma Kistoricill Society, 1977),84-100.
'atl'l (New York: Penquin BOOkS,
pdon of the Grilpes of Wriltn in
1944):351,
49.
Guy logsdon, "Woody Guthrie:
Tulsa Milgazine, 9 (October 1970), 2.
15
and AllIer; can Dreams: Cul ture
ir'"s--nre. York: HHper and ROlf,
SO.
The folk music recorded and collected by the Federal Music
Project is identified by state in tne Cfleck-List of Recorded S9040gS 1n the
EngliSh Language.0.. the ArChive of Americiln Folk Song ~ July _'__• - - ­
itarves," Americl1n Mercury, 32
51. Alfred Kilworth Jones, "The Seilrch for a Visible American Past in
the "lew Deal EN," American Mercury, 23 {December 1971}:710.
ral Music Project, AU9ust 1936,
'ecords of the WorkS Project
rchives, lIasnington, D.C.
Poet of the People," University of
­
52. "Musical Developments: Survey of the Need for Music," 28 July
1936. IIdrdell Collection, Uni~ersity Archives, Western History Collection,
University of Oklahoma.
53.
"II Survey of Oklatloml1's WPA Music Pr09ram," Fec1erill Music
Oklanomil, the recorc1s of the Work Projects Administr<ltion, Recorc1 Group 69,
Niltional Arcnives, lijasnington, D.C.