Ballad of America
Through performances, recordings, and education, Ballad of America strives to:
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preserve and propagate traditional folk music
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increase participation in the singing and playing of traditional folk music
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enhance understanding of people, culture, and history throughout the world
At the heart of Ballad of America is traditional American folk music. The early settlers in the New World played and sang a variety of songs from their native homelands as they worked, prayed, and enjoyed leisure activities. By the time of the American Revolution, they were adapting these songs and creating new ones that reflected their ever-changing circumstances and environment.
Ballad of America explores the songs, music, and instruments of the colonists, pioneers, sailors, lumberjacks, immigrants, '49ers, farmers, mountianeers, slaves, soldiers, cowboys, railroaders, and activists. It features fiddle tunes, folksongs, Old World ballads, work songs, spirituals, love songs, shanties, reels, play parties, breakdowns, blues, and more.
Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band present performances that can truly be enjoyed by audiences of all ages. Performances generally fall into one of three categories, though there is plenty of overlap between categories, and each live experience is tailored to the demographics of those in attendance.
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Concerts |
Children's Programs |
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Each CD in the Ballad of America catalogue has a different theme. There are currently two volumes available, but many more are planned.
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All Ballad of America performances and recordings are educational to some degree, although some are more explicit than others. Research has shown that traditional folk songs help people understand history, empathize with the plight of others, and experience the perspectives, hardships and joys of their ancestors.
Caroline Kennedy writes in A Patriot’s Handbook:
…children have an immense capacity for faith and for patriotism. If their introduction to the story of our country is captivating, they can develop a lifelong interest in history and a willingness to engage in civic life.
Ballad of America is just such an introduction. Not only do the lyrics to the songs directly reflect the hopes, fears, struggles, sorrows, triumphs, and humanity of the real people who lived history, but to follow the path taken by the songs themselves is to understand the story of the great cultural stew that is the United States of America. Since before the country declared independence, songs and musical styles were brought to the New World by British colonists, African slaves and immigrants from around the world. New songs and styles grew out of encounters between these diverse people and the unique American experience itself. As America changed, grew, and pushed its boundaries, so too did the music.
Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band bring Ballad of America presentations to schools ranging from elementary through college, as well as to public and private libraries. The narrative nature of the performance ignites the imagination and instills the desire to learn as only the best teachers can. Matthew also works collaboratively with American History and Music teachers to integrate traditional folk music into their curricula.
But it is not only children who learn from Ballad of America. Following is an excerpt from a recent study on the benefits for children of hearing, learning, singing, and understanding American folk music. While the study refers specifically to children, many of the findings apply to people of all ages.
A two-year study by Dr. Marilyn Ward at the University of Florida just released findings showing American children are no longer learning the songs of their own heritage. Research in the field has shown that children need and use these songs to help them understand the world and complex interrelationships that defy logic and a child's capacity to make sense of things. The songs help kids better learn history and important events, empathize with the plight of others, step into another's shoes, and experience the perspectives, hardships, and joys of their grandparents and ancestors.
But that's not all. These folk songs help children form connections and bonds with their communities and our American society at large. Music is powerful, and it has the ability to dramatically affect emotions, attitudes, and perspective. Children need the associations and bonds of these songs. They help children develop empathy for others and a vested interest in the future of their nation. They need these bonds and connections to develop a foundational sense that they are an integral and valuable part of their communities and society. There's a huge difference in the way adults relate to others when their perspective is "me vs. everyone" as opposed to "we're on the same team here."
Click here for the complete study.
In his lifetime, Matthew Sabatella had performed or recorded a variety of musical styles such as classical, jazz, blues, folk, sacred, theater, pop, rock, and world music on instruments which include guitar, violin, piano, clarinet, tuba, bass guitar, drums, and percussion. In 2001 he gained a personal understanding of American folk music that was to change his life.
I wasn't particularly interested in history during high school. I muddled through the classes, memorizing the necessary facts, but never seeing the bigger picture. In the years since I finished school I started to realize that history was a tapestry of incredible stories, but it wasn't until I discovered these traditional American folk songs that the stories finally came to life. The songs tell the stories in the words of the people who lived them. And not just the stories, but the emotions, hopes, fears, joys, and sorrows associated with them, just as popular music does today. The simple realization that history is the story of real people seems so obvious, but it is a connection that is often not made, especially for those whose only experience with history is through school textbooks.
At first, he voraciously researched the songs on CDs and in songbooks. Gradually, he started singing the songs and sequencing them in concert performances with themes such as "cowboy songs" and "gold rush songs." These performances led to concerts and programs in public libraries and schools that he dubbed Ballad of America.
In 2003 Matthew was commissioned by Miami Art Museum to record a selection of songs from Ballad of America for inclusion in an exhibit called American Tableaux: Many Voices, Many Stories. The exhibition explored the narrative tradition in American art from the 1920s to the present and celebrated the rich variety of stories told by individual voices, communities, and cultures. Matthew’s Ballad of America recordings, which featured only his voice and acoustic guitar, were heard in the gallery and listeners were able to read informative historical notes he had written about the music. Miami New Times magazine included these recordings in their list of the 'Best Music of 2003'.
Matthew assembled additional musicians to record his first collection of traditional folk songs for commercial release in 2004. Ballad of America Volume 1: Over a Wide and Fruitful Land was released in 2005 to universal acclaim. The album focuses on the Westward Expansion of the United States, following the paths of the pioneers, sailors, lumberjacks, immigrants, '49ers, farmers, slaves, soldiers, cowboys, and railroaders who moved the country across the continent and into the 20 th century. "Sabatella's best asset is easily his voice, urgent but unforced, sweetly melancholy in telling personal stories and powerfully evocative in rendering antiquated songs intimate again," wrote New Times Broward/Palm Beach in the 2005 article that named him Best Acoustic Performer . The CD received generous airplay on folk and acoustic music radio shows around the world and was purchased for circulation in public and private libraries throughout the United States.
During 2005, as Sabatella and his five-piece acoustic group, the Rambling String Band, performed on stages at festivals, museums, libraries, coffeehouses, and nightclubs, their repertoire expanded to include folk songs that were well known compared to the relatively obscure selections that made up the bulk of the Ballad of America Volume 1 . When the musicians entered Liquid Ghost Recording Studios (Boca Raton, FL) in February 2006 to record Ballad of America Volume 2 , their goal was to capture fresh, live performances of songs they felt should be known by every American, such as Wabash Cannonball , Down in the Valley , Blue Tail Fly , and Pick a Bale of Cotton . They wanted to keep the songs alive in the hearts, minds, and voices of everyone who has heard and sung them, introduce them to anyone who hasn't heard and sung them, and help preserve them for future generations to hear and sing. Ballad of America Volume 2: America Singing brings those goals beautifully to fruition.
Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band continue on their mission to reach new audiences with their performances and recordings of traditional American folk music. A third Ballad of America CD is currently being recorded and is expected to be released in 2009.
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