Ch. 24 Popular Music

Chapter 24 Popular Music A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-1 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Hymnody and Its Legacy First book printed in British North America, the Bay Psalm Book (1640), was a collection of metrical Psalm texts intended to be sung First group of American-born hymnodists included William Billings Singing schools of New England in 1720s: where musicians would educate students on score reading and singing A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-2 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Hymnody and Its Legacy Singing-school teachers eased learning process by inventing shape-note singing and replacing pitch staff reading with sol-fa syllables “Sacred harp” style involves use of “lining out” by leader to cue congregation for next line of text creating a call and response texture 1867, three northern abolitionists published Slave Songs of the United States, an important vehicle for preservation of African-American religious song from antebellum era A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-3 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Ragtime and Blues Ragtime Grew out of largely unwritten tradition of African-American dance Flourished at end of 19th century and early decades of 20th Duple meter and based on units of 8 or 16 measures Syncopation is prevalent Three or four different sections with their own themes and each running to 16 measures with connecting material between sections A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-4 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Ragtime and Blues Ragtime Met with considerable resistance with complaints about syncopated rhythms and purportedly loose morals of those who played and listened to it Soon captured imagination of European artists: Debussy, Stravinsky American composer: Scott Joplin A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-5 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Ragtime and Blues Blues Text of a blues song is a lament: bemoaning poverty, social injustice, fatigue, lost love Originated in southern U.S. among formerly enslaved African Americans and their descendants Performers: “Blind Lemon” Jefferson, Blind Willie Johnson, Robert Johnson; accompanied themselves with acoustic guitar A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-6 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Ragtime and Blues Blues More urban style of blues was evolving Influenced by vaudeville, tent tour circuits, and songwriters who found in blues a new and fruitful style Performers: Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, William Christopher Handy A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-7 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Ragtime and Blues Blues Standard pattern known as 12-bar blues form consists of variations on repeated harmonic pattern of 12 measures in 4/4 time Each 12-measure unit is known as a chorus and is divided into three groups of four measures each A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-8 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Popular Song United States produced outstanding songwriters, most of whom also worked in musical theater and film Most prominent: Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Hoagy Carmichael, Richard Rodgers A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-9 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Jazz: To 1945 Dixieland characterized by: trumpet with melodic lead clarinet providing rapid counterpoint to melodic line trombone helping bass line piano and drum set working together to emphasize strong beats in duple meter Steady succession of soloists each of whom improvises Composer/performer: Louis Armstrong A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-10 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Jazz: To 1945 Swing Era of 1930s and 1940s Dominated by sound of Big Bands, large ensembles featuring: Piano Drums Double bass Large complement of winds: saxophones (often five – two altos, two tenors, one baritone), groups of three or four trumpets, trombones, clarinets Many bands featured a vocal soloist Composers and performers: Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-11 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Jazz: After 1945 Jazz musicians began moving beyond established concepts of tonality, rhythm, form Composers and performers: Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell Bebop featured fast tempos, irregular chordal progressions, complex harmonies, and asymmetrical, often jagged melodies A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-12 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Jazz: After 1945 Afro-Cuban jazz – expanded percussion section and emphasized ostinato figures and complex polyrhythms Cool Jazz – vibrato in the winds held to minimum, avoided sentimentality and fullness characteristic of Big Band sound (Miles Davis) “Modal” jazz improvisation – improvisation underpinned by scales or harmonic patterns, rather than existing songs or standard progressions A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-13 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Jazz: After 1945 Third-stream music – combined jazz and classical jazz improvisation and harmony with instruments and voice-leading techniques associated with classical music composers and performers: The Modern Jazz Quartet, Dave Brubeck, Bill Evans, Stan Getz, Wynton Marsalis A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-14 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Jazz: After 1945 Fusion – jazz that used textures, rhythms, sonorities of rock and soul music use of such typical rock instruments as electric guitars and electric piano composers and performers: Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-15 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Jazz: After 1945 Free Jazz eliminated improvisations on a given theme, fixed meters, chord progressions, tonality, used collective improvisation composers and performers: Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Don Cherry, Freddie Hubbard, Charlie Haden A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-16 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Country Music Embraces a variety of styles and represents synthesis of many different musical traditions, most unwritten Most important of traditions are Anglo-American folk song, hymnody, traditional dance tunes Musicians emphasized their rustic integrity and humble origins A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-17 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Country Music One of the first big stars: Jimmie Rodgers Nashville, Tennessee became first major setting for country music business with its centrality as a songwriting and recording mecca Recording from the 1930s was more scholarly in purpose: John and Alan Lomax (field recordings) A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-18 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Country Music Bluegrass is an acoustic string ensemble of banjo, guitar, fiddle, double bass Banjo is picked and vocals tend to be pitched in the upper end of the singer’s register creating “high, lonesome sound” Composers and performers: Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-19 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Country Music New subgenres of country music include cowboy music, western swing, honky-tonk, rockabilly, country rock, outlaw, new country Comparable genres emerged in other regions such as Texas (Tejano) and Louisiana (Cajun and zydeco). A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-20 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 The Folk Revival Late 1950s and early 1960s, musicians and public gravitated toward a sound untouched (or only minimally so) by electronic manipulation Derived from or created in spirit of traditional songs cultivated by country musicians in previous decades Features acoustic (not electric) guitars, limited use (or absence) of percussion instruments, lyrical melody Composers and performers; the Weavers; the Kingston Trio; Peter, Paul and Mary; Simon and Garfunkel; Pete Seeger; Bob Dylan; Joan Baez A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-21 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Rhythm, Rock, and Rap Boogie-woogie – piano-based fusion of ragtime, blues, jazz Boogie-woogie: featured walking bass lines in left-hand octaves or other ostinato figures while right hand played chords, melody A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-22 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Rhythm, Rock, and Rap Vocal sound of rock and roll typically rejected refinement in favor of immediacy, pointedly using words like “ain’t” and “nohow” Rock – melodic range limited, formal structure and rhythms repetitive, essential harmonies confined Composer/performer: Chuck Berry A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-23 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Rhythm, Rock, and Rap In the 1960s, rock began moving in many different directions: The Beatles, Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Doors Rock styles proliferated further in closing decades of 20th century: Heavy Metal, Disco, Techno, Grunge, Unplugged A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-24 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Rhythm, Rock, and Rap Founded in 1959 by Berry Gordy Jr., Motown Records flourished in Detroit with African-American groups like the Temptations, Diana Ross and the Supremes Motown sound was characterized by close vocal harmony, soaring melody, call and response, steady beat Soul music, with its roots in gospel and rhythm and blues, grew from early 1960s primarily in Memphis, Tennessee (Aretha Franklin) A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-25 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Rhythm, Rock, and Rap Hip-hop evolved out of Jamaican roots and began with words being shouted over a disc on a turntable being manipulated by a disc jockey Rap derived in part from Jamaican practice of toasting and American “talking blues” – both of which concentrated on creating and performing texts spontaneously while music played A History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 24-26 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evan Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458