1920s

Question 1

how was music categorized in the 1920s?

Answer 1

categorization was based on identity: pop/mainstream, race music, hillbilly music

Question 2

what were the genres of music dominating the pop charts in the 20s?

Answer 2

tin pan alley tradition in the form of (a) jazz (+ ragtime jazz) and (b) crooning

Question 3

define and explain jazz music in the 1920s. what were the two main subcategories?

Answer 3

• fell under the popular/mainstream category
• emerged from small- and big-band ensembles
• divided into hot jazz (Black, authentic, swing, rhythmic, danceable, loose , masculine, spontaneous, rough) and sweet jazz (white, less authentic, melodic, feminine, sentimental, tight, arranged)

Question 4

define and explain the crooning style of the 1920s

Answer 4

• fell under pop/mainstream category
• big bands/orchestras fronted by singers who were generally white and male
• took elements of sweet jazz and made it “cool” for youth cultures, capitalizing off sex appeal
• effortless nonchalant vocal style
• intimate vocal style brought on by the birth of electronic recording

Question 5

what subgenres fell under the categorization of hillbilly music in the 1920s? what were the general demographics of hillbilly musicians?

Answer 5

• dominated by country blues, but also included British ballads, string band music, fiddle tunes, and hymns
• mainly comprised of rural and often white southerners

Question 6

define and explain country blues

Answer 6

• categorized under hillbilly music
• originated from rural folk music, plantation songs, and work songs in the mississippi delta in the 1880s, but became commercial in the 1920s
• popularized by radio and associated with “barn dance” themed shows
• singer + guitar or banjo, personal and real rural themes, freer rhythms, mostly male singers

Question 7

what genre dominated the race music charts in the 20s? define and explain it

Answer 7

• classic blues: combined diverse elements of Black music with the smoother appeal of performance
• singer + backing band, urban sentimental themes, stylized and theatrical, tight swing rhythms, mostly female singers, loud and powerful vocals
• pioneered the 12 bar blues form
• first Black music that appeared in a formal context as entertainment

Question 8

what was a notable rising trend of the era?

Answer 8

small independent labels trying out new styles that slowly become assimilated into the mainstream as big labels catch on