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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.