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Maine's musical history will surprise you. Did you know Aaron Copland based Appalachian Spring on a Maine Shaker spiritual? Or 1950s' musicians called Bangor the Nashville of the North?

Maine music reflects the diversity of cultures, influences of historical events, and the vast differences in landscape that contribute to the unique soundscape of Maine. Wabanaki songs reaching back 13,000 years are distinct from Franco chansons. Lumberjack work chants and sailor shanties differ from the operas sung by 19th century Maine divas. Yet they are all uniquely Maine sounds.

Visit Music in Maine to experience these stories, along with never-before displayed gems from the Maine Historical Society collections. These include a rattle made in 2018 by Pete Moore (Passamaquoddy), a grand piano made in Portland in 1860, and Civil War era drums. Also on display are generous loans from community members like bluesman Buddy Guy's polka dot guitar, radio star Hal Lone Pine’s cowboy boots, and Firefly's (Penobscot) handmade silk coat worn while performing with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra.

Image: The Lone Pine Mountaineers featuring Betty Cody and Hal Lone Pine, Bangor, circa 1940. Collections of Maine Historical Society, MaineMemory.Net #148461

Music in Maine

Exhibition at the Maine Historical Society

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