This week we began by listening to the Blues. Bessie Smith performed a song that was written by W.C.Handy. Her accompanist was Louis Armstrong on the Cornet! The title of this piece is called "St. Louis Blues." This piece is not like "rural blues" that comes out of rural areas in the south. Instead, this is more "regular and predictable in its use of blues materials" (Starr and Waterman pg. 132). It uses elements borrowed from the Tin Pan Alley song tradition in its use of form and structure because it is based on the AABA model commonly seen in that genre. This piece is really an AABC form and utilizes the "12-bar blues" form within the sections.
"Tom Rushen Blues" written and performed by Charley Patton, recorded in 1929, also utilizes the 12-bar blues form. This is a very popular form to use in blues music. The 12 bar blues can be broken into 3 sections of four measures. The first two sections usually have repeated lyrics. In addition, each section usually uses about 3 chords in the accompaniment. "Tom Rushen Blues" keeps to all these Blues traditions. "That Black Snake Moan" by Blind Lemon Jefferson is a little longer than three sections of four measures. "That Black Snake Moan" has six three-line stanzas making it twice as long. "Cross Road Blues" written and performed by Robert Johnson is similar to Charley Patton's music in that it "is representative of Mississippi Delta blues, a much heavier, more emphatic style than the Texas blues of Blind Lemon Jefferson" (Starr and Waterman pg 143).
Moving from blues to "country" or "hillbilly" music, we can see the tastes of the different areas of Americans during this time period. Jimmie Rodgers recorded a series of "Blue Yodel" songs including "Blue Yodel No. 2" as well as other music such as "Waiting for a Train" and "Dreaming with Tears in My Eyes." He was influenced greatly by African American song traditions. In addition, he adhered to many of the "blues" song traditions such as the twelve-bar blues and the AAB lyric structure despite his "hillbilly" genre. "Hillbilly" music wasn't the only popular genre in the south at this time. Gospel was beginning to become popular as well. Other "hillbilly musicians" such as the Carter Family who recorded "Gospel Ship" in 1935 and "The Sun Didn't Shine" recorded by the Golden Gate Quartet in 1943 "exemplify the general importance of sacred music in the southern culture and the popularity of commercial recordings of this music" (Starr and Waterman pg. 150).
After the Great Depression ended in 1935, Swing music became popular and ushered in the "Swing Era" from 1935 to 1945. Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra recorded "Wrappin' it Up (The Lindy Glide)" in 1934. Before the Swing Era, big bands usually consisted of 8 instruments but Henderson's band had 13 instruments in order to create smoother and more full sound. "Wrappin it Up" utilizes a typical Swing "call-and-response." In addition, Henderson arranged "Taking a Chance on Love" that was originally composed by Vernon Duke. This version was not performed by Henderson's band, but by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra in 1940. The piece was originally a Tin Pan Alley song and connecst Swing to the Tin Pan Alley song traditionby using the third-two bar AABA song structure of that tradition. "Caravan" composed by Juan Tizol and Duke Ellington and performed by Duke Ellignton and His Orchestra in 1937 was recorded by a fifteen-piece band. It also uses the AABA song structure that we saw with most Tin Pan Alley songs. "One O'Clock Jump" recorded by Count Basie and His Orchestra in 1937 keeps the blues tradition by using the twelve-bar blues song structure. Up to now, we see two distinct styles and approaches musicians can take: Tin Pan Alley approach or the Blues approach. However, we begin to see a mix of the Tin Pan Alley song traditions that we are seeing in Swing with the Blues tradition when we listen to "In the Mood" recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra in 1939. It "alternates the twelve-bar blues form with an eight-bar bridge phrase reminiscent of Tin Pan Alley Songs" (Starr and Waterman pg. 173).
Swing was the not the only popular music in this period. In 1942, the Mills Brothers recorded a song titled "Paper Doll." They used their voices to create their music. The success of the piece "is party attributable to a recording ban, which barred instrumental musicians from making records for a period during the war and thereby cleared the field for vocal groups" (Starr and Waterman pg. 176). In addition to vocal harmony groups like the Mills Brothers, country music was still popular and mixed with Swing to create Western Swing. Roy Acuff's "Great Speckled Bird" was "widely regarded as the national anthem of country and western music" (Starr and Waterman pg. 179). "Cool Water" recorded by Sons of the Pioneers in 1941 was another bestseller in the country music genre. It was Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys in 1940 that began to connect "country music" to the thirty-two bar AABA form that was used in Tin Pan Alley songs. In addition, he began to mix the "Swing music" song traditions as well by using a sixteen piece orchestra for his country music. This connected Swing, Country, Blues, and Tin Pan Alley together and shows that the genres grow with each other and begin to mix together to keep up with the times. While these song traditions were growing more and more popular, Xavier Cugat and his Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra recorded "Brazil" in 1943. This brought the Brazilian song tradition to popularity. It was originally used by Walt Disney in his "Saludos Amigos." In addition Machito and His Afro-Cubans recorded "Nague" in 1941. There was a growing popularity of Cuban music mixed with African American song traditions. With the addition of these genres, we have many song traditions that are beginning to blend together which will pave the way for the music to come.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Jazz and Tin Pan Alley
This week we listened to and read about Jazz and Tin Pan Alley Music. Before both Jazz and Tin Pan Alley music gained popularity, traditional English Ballads were popular. Traditional English Ballads followed a simple form of AABA. Around the turn of the century, African Americans influenced the traditional ballads and from them, we got Jazz and Tin Pan Alley music.
Tin Pan Alley music such as "April Showers," recorded many times by Al Jolson, "My Blue Heaven" recorded by Gene Austin, "How Deep is the Ocean" recorded by Bing Crosby, and "I Got Rhythm" recorded by Ethel Merman follow the same patterns at the traditional ballads. The two most commons forms of Tin Pan Alley songs both begin with a verse that usually sets the tone and hooks the audience. The verse is followed then by the refrain. The refrain follows one of the two patterns: the traditional AABA of the ballads that came before or ABAC. "April Showers" and "How Deep is the Ocean" both utitlize the ABAC form. "April Showers" repeats the refrain 3 times in a row and "How Deep is the Ocean" only repeats the refrain twice.
Tin Pan Alley composers created what we can "standards" that have stood the test of time and are still popular even today. "I Got Rhythm" was first recorded by Ethel Meman in 1930 when she was only 21 years old and follows the AABA form. It was recorded again in 1947 and it was just as popular during the second recording as it was during the first recording. Most songs gained popularity for a small amount of time and were then forgotten. "I Got Rhythm" has remained a "classic" or a "standard" since the first recording in 1930.
In addition to Tin Pan Alley music, Jazz music began to rise during the early 1900s. Jazz music stemmed from African American music traditions. Very few African Americans were allowed to "record" music. In 1913, the first black group to sign a contract with the recording company was James Reese Europe's "Society Orchestra" and they recorded "Castle House Rag" in 1914. Rag music led to jazz music and included "violins, cellos, banjos, brass and wind instruments, and percussion (snare drum, cymbals, and orchestral bells) (Starr and Waterman pg. 84).
However, the first "jazz" recording was actually recorded by Nick LaRocca's "Original Dixieland Jazz Band" (ODJB) and was an all-white group. Their most popular piece, "Tiger Rag" was recorded in 1918 and was a very "watered down" version of traditional New Orleans Jazz. In 1923, King Joe Oliver's "Creole Jazz Band" was the first all-black jazz band to record a piece of music. They recorded "Dipper Mouth Blues" and the difference in style from their "jazz" music to the ODJB's "jazz" music is vast. "Dipper Mouth Blues" utilizes much more syncopation and allows for improvisation throughout the piece whereas "Tiger Rag" was very rehearsed and had only some syncopation stuck in the piece. Duke Ellington and Bubber Miley wrote a piece titled, "East St. Louis Toodle-oo" and it was recorded by Duke Ellington and his Washintonians in 1927, just four years after the first "all-black" jazz band recorded a piece of music. Duke Ellington took jazz even further and experimented with the different sounds of the instruments in his band in order to gain new and exciting effects that would hook his audiences which shows that jazz music kept evolving over time.
Tin Pan Alley music such as "April Showers," recorded many times by Al Jolson, "My Blue Heaven" recorded by Gene Austin, "How Deep is the Ocean" recorded by Bing Crosby, and "I Got Rhythm" recorded by Ethel Merman follow the same patterns at the traditional ballads. The two most commons forms of Tin Pan Alley songs both begin with a verse that usually sets the tone and hooks the audience. The verse is followed then by the refrain. The refrain follows one of the two patterns: the traditional AABA of the ballads that came before or ABAC. "April Showers" and "How Deep is the Ocean" both utitlize the ABAC form. "April Showers" repeats the refrain 3 times in a row and "How Deep is the Ocean" only repeats the refrain twice.
Tin Pan Alley composers created what we can "standards" that have stood the test of time and are still popular even today. "I Got Rhythm" was first recorded by Ethel Meman in 1930 when she was only 21 years old and follows the AABA form. It was recorded again in 1947 and it was just as popular during the second recording as it was during the first recording. Most songs gained popularity for a small amount of time and were then forgotten. "I Got Rhythm" has remained a "classic" or a "standard" since the first recording in 1930.
In addition to Tin Pan Alley music, Jazz music began to rise during the early 1900s. Jazz music stemmed from African American music traditions. Very few African Americans were allowed to "record" music. In 1913, the first black group to sign a contract with the recording company was James Reese Europe's "Society Orchestra" and they recorded "Castle House Rag" in 1914. Rag music led to jazz music and included "violins, cellos, banjos, brass and wind instruments, and percussion (snare drum, cymbals, and orchestral bells) (Starr and Waterman pg. 84).
However, the first "jazz" recording was actually recorded by Nick LaRocca's "Original Dixieland Jazz Band" (ODJB) and was an all-white group. Their most popular piece, "Tiger Rag" was recorded in 1918 and was a very "watered down" version of traditional New Orleans Jazz. In 1923, King Joe Oliver's "Creole Jazz Band" was the first all-black jazz band to record a piece of music. They recorded "Dipper Mouth Blues" and the difference in style from their "jazz" music to the ODJB's "jazz" music is vast. "Dipper Mouth Blues" utilizes much more syncopation and allows for improvisation throughout the piece whereas "Tiger Rag" was very rehearsed and had only some syncopation stuck in the piece. Duke Ellington and Bubber Miley wrote a piece titled, "East St. Louis Toodle-oo" and it was recorded by Duke Ellington and his Washintonians in 1927, just four years after the first "all-black" jazz band recorded a piece of music. Duke Ellington took jazz even further and experimented with the different sounds of the instruments in his band in order to gain new and exciting effects that would hook his audiences which shows that jazz music kept evolving over time.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Week 1 - Barbary Allen and Soldier's Joy.
This week we listened to many songs from the early years of the United States. We listened to "Coo Coo" performed by Dink Roberts in 1974, "Long John" performed by Lightning Washington and fellow convicts in 1934, "Stagolee" performed by Mississippi John Hurt in 1965, two versions of La Cumparsita performed by Carlos Gardel in 1928 and Francisco Canaro y Quinteto Pirincho in 1951, an Afro-Cuban Rumba titled, "Enique Nigue" by AfroCub de Matanzas in 1998, a Mexican Mariachi song titled, "La Negra" performed by Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan in 1959, "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" by Stephen Fost and performed by Thomas Hampson in 1992, and "After the Ball" by Charles K. Harris performed by Joan Mirris and William Bolcom in 1990.
We started out with a song titled "Barbary Allen" performed by Jean Ritchie. This piece of music is known by many names such as "Barbara Allen" and "Barbary Allen." The song has been passed down from generation to generation and varies with each time that it is performed.
The song is in the traditional "British Ballad Tradition" that Starr and Waterman describe as "one of the main roots of American music and is the predecessor of such diverse genres as urban folk music, country music, and rock 'n' roll" (Starr and Waterman pg. 21).
The song is about a young man named William who is deathly ill and calls for "Barbary Allen." She comes and says he forgot to mention her during a speech he made for all the young woman at a local bar or tavern. He says that's because no one can compare to her. After he dies, she goes home and dies as well. They are buried next to each other. From his grave grows a red rose and from her grave a brier. Eventually they intertwine and become one, even in death.
This particular performance of the piece by Jean Ritchie is reflective of her youth spent in Kentucky. She changes the words from "Barbara Allen" to "Barbary Allen" because that is characteristic of the dialect of the Kentucky people of that time.
This song is still performed today. While my students wouldn't listen to it on their own, they might hear it at school or at a folk festival.
In addition to "Barbary Allen," I listened to two different versions of a piece titled, "Soldier's Joy." The first recording included words. The performers, Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers" performed the piece in 1929. The piece did not originally include lyrics. But they added them between fiddler verses. The second recording was simply a fiddle performed by Tommy Jarrell in the 1980s. This was performed in a lower key than the first recording.
This piece of music is known was one of the most popular fiddle tunes. Thought to have originated in Scotland, it made it's way over to the United States. The piece has changed with each performance as each performer uses their own style.
Both "Barbary Allen" and "Soldiers Joy" indicate a great tradition of music over the past few centuries. Both pieces were major influences of music that came after and continue to influence composers and performers today. This shows the great impact of the American vernacular music.
Starr, L., & Waterman, C. (2014). American Popular Music(4th ed.). New York Oxford: Oxford University Press.
We started out with a song titled "Barbary Allen" performed by Jean Ritchie. This piece of music is known by many names such as "Barbara Allen" and "Barbary Allen." The song has been passed down from generation to generation and varies with each time that it is performed.
The song is in the traditional "British Ballad Tradition" that Starr and Waterman describe as "one of the main roots of American music and is the predecessor of such diverse genres as urban folk music, country music, and rock 'n' roll" (Starr and Waterman pg. 21).
The song is about a young man named William who is deathly ill and calls for "Barbary Allen." She comes and says he forgot to mention her during a speech he made for all the young woman at a local bar or tavern. He says that's because no one can compare to her. After he dies, she goes home and dies as well. They are buried next to each other. From his grave grows a red rose and from her grave a brier. Eventually they intertwine and become one, even in death.
This particular performance of the piece by Jean Ritchie is reflective of her youth spent in Kentucky. She changes the words from "Barbara Allen" to "Barbary Allen" because that is characteristic of the dialect of the Kentucky people of that time.
This song is still performed today. While my students wouldn't listen to it on their own, they might hear it at school or at a folk festival.
In addition to "Barbary Allen," I listened to two different versions of a piece titled, "Soldier's Joy." The first recording included words. The performers, Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers" performed the piece in 1929. The piece did not originally include lyrics. But they added them between fiddler verses. The second recording was simply a fiddle performed by Tommy Jarrell in the 1980s. This was performed in a lower key than the first recording.
This piece of music is known was one of the most popular fiddle tunes. Thought to have originated in Scotland, it made it's way over to the United States. The piece has changed with each performance as each performer uses their own style.
Both "Barbary Allen" and "Soldiers Joy" indicate a great tradition of music over the past few centuries. Both pieces were major influences of music that came after and continue to influence composers and performers today. This shows the great impact of the American vernacular music.
Starr, L., & Waterman, C. (2014). American Popular Music(4th ed.). New York Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)