Listening Exam 2

Question 1

Nature Boy

Answer 1

• Performed by Nat “King” Cole accompanied by Frank De Vol’s orchestra, written by Eden Ahbez
• released in 1948
• Genre: pop
• ABAB form
• uses a minor key, very in frequent for pop music
• inspired by his journey in yoga and Eastern religions
• orchestra works to create a dramatic musical context of a mysterious young boy with a utopian message for human kind
• begins with a lonely French horn
• cole uses crooning technique

Question 2

It’s Mighty Dark for me to Travel

Answer 2

-Written by Bill Monroe; performed by Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys. Recorded in 1947
-Genre: bluegrass blend of Anglo-American strong band music, traditional singing of the Appalachian mountains and influence from black music, especially blues
-instrumentation has acoustic quintet made up of fiddle , mandolin, banjo, guitar and string bass
-verse chorus form, with both verse and chorus 8 measures long
-influenced by Congregational church singing, uses vocal harmony in the chorus
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Question 3

Essay Question

Answer 3

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Question 4

Long Tall Sally

Answer 4

• performed by Little Richie, Music and lyrics credited to Enotris Johnson, Richard Penniman, Robert Blackwell
• Released 1956
• rock N roll
• built on 12 bar blues to reflect the more traditionally pop-friendly format of verse-chorus
• first four bars are set to changing words (verses), the remaining 8 bars have unchanging words(repeated chorus)
• showcases little Richards amazon vocal abilities. As he switches between falscetto, growling and singing in full voice with a single phrase

Question 5

Hard Day’s Night

Answer 5

• written by John Lenon and Paul McCartney, performed by the Beatles. Released 1964
• Genre: rock N roll
• AABA form
• A sections are 12 bars with three-four bar phrases
• A sections are 12 bars long, B sections 8 bars long
• number one hit in 1964
• title song from the Beatles first movie
• references to those that do their hard days work at night such as members of a rock band
• may be heard as the Beatles “updating the subjects matter of ‘My Blue Heaven’” - the delights of returning home to a rewarding domestic relationship

Question 6

Good Vibrations

Answer 6

• Music by Brian Wilson, lyrics by Mike Love, produced by Brian Wilson, performed by the Beach Boys. Released 1966
• may be considered the most innovative single from the singular decade of the 1960s
• has remained the most popular song by the Beach Boys
• Form is individual and distinctive as everything else about this recording
• ABABC, brief instrumental transition, D, transition, variations on B
• has memorable melodic hooks and a wide variety of chords
• the instrumentation on Good Vibrations is perhaps the most unusual ever employed on a hit record