Human Freedom, Fearless Innovation, Lofty Religious Sentiments

Charles Ives is a representative pioneering American nationalist composer. At the beginning of 20th century and latter years of 19th century, the national music of America was still under the state of backwardness. While many American composers were continually keeping pace with the European music, Ives championed the American national music, took root in the American local music and traditional music, and created the national music of America origin. Therefore, he is honored as the Father of American National Music. Considering the composer's works must be influenced by the social and cultural environment, personal view of philosophy and aesthetics, the researcher analyzes several representative works by Ives, does a tentative study on the uniqueness of American nationalism and its causes according to the times and cultural background of the composer and his view of philosophy and aesthetics. Then the researcher concludes the following three aspects: 1. Ives's music is based on the American religion music, jazz music, traditional old songs and country music.2. By employing different pioneering composing skills, such as collage, tone-cluster, polytonality and compound rhythm, Ives creates the works with the unique American nationalism in many aspects and expresses the pioneering creativity of American people. 3. That Ives's music is characterized by nationalism is directly originated from the traditional culture and history of America, his personal experience and his view of philosophy and aesthetics. Ives himself and the world of the national and professional music inner his heart can be explained better through the above ways.