Exam 1 Flashcards
Riff
A short (two to seven pitches), rhythmically interesting melodic idea. The melodic fragment is short, separated (ends on a long note or is followed by a pause), and syncopated. In the early 20th century, they were memorable (and therefore prominently positioned) and could be used as melodic building blocks. In rock era music, riffs were repeated, rather than varied , to create a larger musical unit
Melody
general term which is vaguely used to denote successions of single notes which are musically effective. Musically effective can be used to describe a memorable melody, a melody that fits nicely with the words, and a melody that is predictable and sustains interest out of context
Beat (3 meanings)
- Timekeeping- creates a regular rhythm you can tap your foot to
- Beats that are grouped into measures
- A template for rhythmic organization (the 8 beat rhythm is a rock beat)
Tempo
The speed of the beat measured in beats per minute. Can give a song its meaning, for example, punk songs are often 160-170 bpm, emphasizing its confrontational style
Measure/bar
A consistent grouping of beats. Two and four beat groupings are most common
Backbeat
A percussive accent occurring regularly on the second beat of beat pairs: 1 2 1 2 or 1 2 3 4
Syncopation
Accents that come between the beats of a regular rhythm, rather than with them.
Accent
a note, chord, or non-pitched sound that is emphasized in some way, so that it stands out. Often, accents stand out because they are louder or longer than the notes around them
Rhythm
the time dimension of musical sound: it encompasses any musical event heard as a function of time. Beat is the rhythmic point of entry into a performance and its main point of reference.
Rhythm section
heterogeneous group of instruments that includes at least one chord instrument (strummed and keyboard), one bass instrument, and one percussion instrument. They provide provide harmony, a bass voice, and percussive sounds
Performance style
One of the dimensions of sound variety in popular music. Musicians sing and play in a varied way, so each one has a distinctive style, for example, Elvis was very popular because he had a unique feel to his music
Innovation
Similar to performance style, the ability to develop a fresh, distinctive, and personal sound. Makes music popular
Texture
texture refers to the relationship among the parts—melody, bass line, and others (we consider the number of voices and instruments, the range between the highest and lowest sounds, and the areas in which sounds are concentrated). Density of sound can have an impact on mood. The melodic line is usually the most prominent part of the texture.
Harmony
refers to chords- what they are, how they are formed, how long they last, and how they succeed each other. A melody note, and especially a prominent melody note, is often part of the chord supporting it
Chord progressions
A sequence of chords. Many of the chord progressions in popular music follow well-used patterns, like the group of 3 chords I, IV, and V. The chords form a larger unit leading toward a goal chord
Form
The organization of a musical work in time. You hear clues that one section has ended and another has begun, and the clues will coalesce into a pattern so you can grasp the organization of the piece.
Verse/chorus form
The verse tells a story in several stages (this section is strophic, i.e., different words are set to the same melody), whereas the chorus, which comes at the end of each verse, repeats both words and melody to reinforce the main message of the song. In early verse/chorus songs, the chorus was often sung by a small group, usually a quartet.
Verse
different lyrics are set to the same melody
Chorus (refrain)
both words and music remain much the same every time
What was the dominant element of music in the 19th century
Melody was the dominant element throughout the nineteenth century not only because of the European influence of early nineteenth-century popular song, but also because melody was the easiest element to transmit via sheet music and songsters
What was the dominant element of music in the 20th century?
Rhythm was the dominant element throughout almost all of the twentieth century primarily because of the shift from a European to an African rhythmic conception, because the four style beats defined eras and styles more clearly than any other element, and because the progression of style beats so clearly demarcated the evolutionary path of popular music.
What has been the dominant element of music since the 1990s?
the search for distinctive sounds and sound combinations has come to the forefront: it has been the primary area of innovation. This was due in part to the extraordinary expansion of sound resources of all kinds and the relative ease with which they could be accessed and used. In addition, the evolution of rhythm had stopped by this point
Sources of instrumental sounds in popular music (5)
- Instruments inherited from popular music’s antecedents and contributing styles
- New ways of playing these inherited instruments
- Creation of new instruments specifically for use in popular music
- Use of electronic technology for sound modification
- Use of “found” instruments (clapping, cowbell, etc)
Different instruments shape genres of music
Scale
Combinations of whole and/or half steps
Pitch
the relative highness or lowness of a musical sound, determined by the frequency with which it vibrates
Meter
A rhythmic measure of a certain number of beats; the aural aspects of music in which a certain number of beats are grouped together
Dynamics
levels of changes in intensity
Duration
the length in time of a musical event
Call and response
A rapid exchange, usually of riffs, between two different timbres: solo voice and guitar; solo voice and choir; or saxophones and trumpets. A feature of African music
Features of African music (5)
- An unvarying beat or other regular rhythm
- Several layers of rhythmic activity, which often create syncopations and other forms of rhythmic conflict
- Percussion instruments and percussive playing techniques
- Riff-like melodic ideas
- Layered textures
Highbrow
Urban and cultivated entertainment in the nineteenth century
Lowbrow
Rural and vernacular entertainment in the nineteenth century
Characteristics of rural white music in the south (early 20th century) (5)
- Down-home, good-humored attitude
- Story told in everyday language
- Melody set to a danceable beat
- Rough, untrained singing voice
- Verse/chorus form
These characteristics would be the basis of the minstrel show
Characteristics of upper and middle class European music (4)
- Chords and chord progressions
- Melody-and-accompaniment texture, with the flowing melody on top, bass on the bottom, and chords in between
- Hierarchical form, in which phrases coalesce into larger formal units
- The piano
Parlor song
A song to be sung at home in the parlor, like Stephen Foster’s “Beautiful Dreamer,” popular through most of the nineteenth century. Used classical instruments (voice and piano) but were modest in their expressive range and musical requirements. They told sentimental stories
Stephen Foster
The most important songwriter in nineteenth century American popular music. Wrote minstrel songs like “Oh, Susanna”. Also wrote parlor songs. His work marked the beginning of the American popular mainstream
Minstrel show
A form of stage entertainment distinguished by cruel parodies of African Americans. Minstrelsy was popular from the early 1840s to the end of the nineteenth century. No plot, but used stock routines and consistent characters, included songs and dances
Blackface
Used during the minstrel show, white and later black performers used burnt cork to darken their complexion
Tambo and bones
Two of the 3 minstrels. Nicknames for the endmen in a minstrel show, so called because one usually played a tambourine and the other a pair of bones.
Interlocutor
The straight man in a minstrel show. The interlocutor would sit in the middle of the semicircle and ask questions of the endmen, who would give comic replies.
Cakewalk
A dance fad of the 1890s; also the music to accompany the dance of the minstrel show
Dan Emmett
blackface entertainer in the 1830s and one of the founding members of the Virginia Minstrels, also wrote many songs for the minstrel show. Wrote “De Boatman’s Dance” and others. Features included lyrics that describe a series of “scenes” in down-home language. Both feature voice and fiddle, an upbeat tempo with a clear beat, alternation of singing and playing the melody, and a form that alternates verse and chorus
Minstrel show introduced which 2 elements that would become part of popular music
use of a recurrent chorus, and dance rhythms. Also created a new genre by synthesizing middle-class urban song and folk music.
When did the popular music industry originate?
1890s- the minstrel show showed that money could be made in music
Tin Pan Alley
A nickname for a section of West 28th Street in New York City, where many music publishers had their offices. Also, the styles of the songs created in the first half of the century for these publishers: a Tin Pan Alley song refers to songs by Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and their contemporaries.
song plugger
A publishing-house pianist who could play a new song for a professional singer or a prospective customer on tin pan alley
After the ball
Charles Harris’ 1892 song that became the first big tin pan alley hit. After this, very few songs were published away from tin pan alley
Waltz songs
A type of song popular around 1900 in which a flowing melody is supported by a simple, waltz-time accompaniment.
Musical comedies
had plots, but served more as a scaffolding for a string of songs. Used interpolation- the insertion of a song into a musical comedy for which it was not written. Interpolation was common in the early years of musical comedy, when producers would insert a song into a show simply because it was a hit.
George M. Cohan
Became popular around 1900, wrote musicals and patriotic songs- had a great march, a vigorous melody, a hint of syncopation, and clever lyrics- they were some of the first truly American sounding songs
Concert band
A band (woodwinds, brass, and percussion instruments) that performs in a concertlike setting (seated on-stage, in front of an audience) rather than while marching. Popular in the late nineteenth century and were the primary source of musical entertainment
John Philip Sousa
Most popular bandleader and band composer of his era (1890-1920). Lead a popular concert band (John Philip Sousa’s New Marine Band), which was known for its precision and the excellence of its soloists
Marches
Music composed in regularly accented, usually duple meter that is appropriate to accompany marching; a composition in the style of march music, included in a typical Sousa band concert (stars and stripes forever was a famous march)
Irving Berlin
started in Tin Pan Alley, self taught - 20th-century American writer of popular songs (words and music). His songs include “God Bless America,” “White Christmas,” and “There’s no Business like Show Business.”, “Putting on the Ritz”
lyricist
a professional who specializes in writing the words of a song
composer
A person who writes music
George Gershwin
A Jazz Age composer who was the son of Russian immigrants and, like many others during his time, mixed symphony and jazz together to create an entirely new style that represented how America was a mixture of peoples.
military band
a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions.
written/oral tradition
either written or just spoken to one another
Bert Williams
one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. He is credited as being the first Black man to have the leading role in a film: Darktown Jubilee in 1914
ascap
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization that protects its members’ musical copyrights by monitoring public performances of their music
Ragtime
A popular style at the turn of the twentieth century that mixed European forms, harmony, and textures with African-inspired syncopation. Ragtime began as a piano music, but soon the term was applied to any music—song and dance as well as piano music—that had some syncopation. Ragtime was the first black music that looked on paper the way it sounded in performance, so any competent pianist could play it, and it was a way for African Americans to learn more about their own culture and preserve their heritage
Piano rag
A march like, syncopated composition for the piano. Joplin’s “Maple leaf rag” was the first commercially successful piano rag
Scott Joplin
Joplin’s piano rags were the most enduring music of the ragtime era. He also wrote a ballet and 2 operas
What is the legacy of ragtime? (4)
- A body of music of enduring value and appeal
- A number of firsts in the history of African-American music
- The catalyst for the revolution that produced the modern era in popular music
- Made popular music more relaxed
Animal dances
A popular dance which emerged in the early 1900s which was adapted or borrowed from a black folk dance. Dances were popular at this time, but this was considered very socially unacceptable. In the 1920s and 1930s, the foxtrot became popular
James Reese Europe
Composed the “Castle House Rag” which showed the evolution of the genre away from the classic piano style. This rags used a faster tempo, less syncopation and more ragged melodies, and a chance to improvise. He also helped to popularize the foxtrot
Bessie Smith
Recorded classic blues. Used 12 bar blues with call and response between the singer and the instrumentalist. Recorded “empty bed blues” in 1928. Used “real” music with honesty and emotion
Classic blues
The popular blues style of the 1920s, which typically featured a woman singing the blues (e.g., Bessie Smith) accompanied by one or more jazz musicians.
