Louis Armstrong

Question 1

What shows Louis Armstrong’s confidence/virtuosity in his playing?

Answer 1

WEB: cadenza like starts very high and covers a range of two octaves and a 3rd
rip up to Bb in chorus 5
trombone solo also has a range of a 10th

Question 2

chromaticism in harmonies

Answer 2

St Louis, F natural blues note on ‘sun’
WEB, F natural blues note in intro

Question 3

How does Armstrong create a sense of tonal ambiguity

Answer 3

WEB: fist arpeggio is in c minor but the rest of the opening is in Eb major
MR: new chord sequence in cornet solo

Question 4

what structures does Armstrong use

Answer 4

12 bb in St Louis and WEB (but not IV in 10th bar)
Stardust in 32 bar song form

Question 5

Armstrong’s instrumentation

Answer 5

Limited due to recording material at the time

Question 6

What player techniques were used

Answer 6

Clarinet in MR uses smears and terminal vibrato

Question 7

what different styles of playing are displayed

Answer 7

stride bass in piano solo of WEB with a romantic style quaver section
tailgate trombone style in MR involving glissandi and a brash tone

Question 8

What textures did Armstrong use

Answer 8

antiphony (WEB) clarinet solo with scatt
new Orleans polyphony (MR)
melody and accompaniment (stardust)

Question 9

two rhythmic techniques

Answer 9

Syncopation (sung melody of Stardust and in MR ensemble section 2 trombone)
Comping (piano in WEB)