Midterm 1 Flashcards
How did Minstrel Shows change during the ‘Nadir’ period?
Before = white youth express feelings of marginalization
After = capitalized on the national obsession with race (& racism)
Jim Crow
First American song (on Minstrel show) to become an international hit
- Performed by Thomas Dartmouth “Daddy” Rice
- Cakewalk dance
Stephen Foster
First professional songwriter (primarily ballads, opera, minstrel)
- “Genteel tradition”
Jeanie With The Light Brown Heart
Folk song (Stephen Foster)
- TPA form (AABA)
- Flute cadenza, then singer cadenza (flourish)
When Tin Pan Alley was born, what were the 2 primary modes of song promotion?
- “Song Pluggers” = sang in department stores, toured clubs to give songs to singers
- “Vaudeville” (variety show)
Explain how the ragtime genre emerged; what was the primary musical technique utilized?
a) Increased black composers & performers in the industry
b) Syncopation = left hand pays on beat, right hand plays weak beats
Scott Joplin
Best known ragtime composer
Maple Leaf Rag
Composed by Scott Joplin, credited as the song which began the ragtime craze
What technological advancement moved music away from broadsides/sheet music at the beginning of TPA? What was the concern with this technology?
a) Phonographs
b) Schizophonia (splitting of sound from the original source)
What were the 2 genres contributing to the Tin Pan Alley tradition?
Ballads (‘genteel’ tradition) and Ragtime
How did Broadway contribute to the promotion of Tin Pan Alley music?
Reviews/Follies (plots designed specifically around TPA songs)
What is the typical Tin Pan Alley song form?
Verse + Refrain (AABA)
- Where the refrain is the ‘real song’ (chorus)
- Think “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
Give Examples of Tin Pan Alley song subject matter.
- No dark themes (racism, Great Depression)
- 1st person narration (opposed to 3rd person ballads)
Who sung “Deed I Do”? What was significant about it?
a) Ruth Etting (crooner)
b) Quintessential TPA song form
“I Got Rhythm”; what was significant about this song?
- Became a TPA standard (& followed TPA song form)
- Shows how in some cases, the ‘throw away’ verse is essential to the song (not just the refrain!)
Why did crooners become popular during the Tin Pan Alley age? Name some examples.
a) In contrast to Vaudville singers, ‘sang’ not ‘shouted’
b) Ruth Etting, Gene Austin, Bing Crosby
“My Blue Heaven” VS “April Showers”; what is significant about this comparison?
a) Singer is Gene Austin (crooner), TPA song form
b) Singer is Al Jolson (Minstrel Show) –> rough edges, yelling
Describe the jazz genre (as it emerged around the time of Tin Pan Alley)
THINK BIG BAND!
Confluence of genres/cultures
- Instrumental roles = Baroque (cornet = melody, clarinet = counter melody, trombone = bass)
Describe the jazz genre (as it emerged around the time of Tin Pan Alley)
- Confluence of genres/cultures
- Instrumental roles (cornet = melofy, clairnet = counter melody, trombone = bass)
James Europe
Influential black musician who is credited for bringing ragtime to dancehall (founding principle of Jazz!)
Who composed “Castle House Rag”? What is the significance of this song?
a) James Europe –> jazz connoisseur
b) Dramatic contrasts in the variety of instruments
What events affected the music industry during WW1?
Business was relatively good!
1) Ecomomic boom (and technology!)/unemployment down
2) Arrival of immigrants
What events affected the music industry after WW1?
1) Rise of radio
2) Film (surpasses Broadway & Vaudeville, incorporates TPA songs)
3) Widespread licensing/copyright agencies
Why were the Original Dixieland Jazz Band important?
Made the first ever jazz recording (led by Nic LaRocca)
- Tiger Rag
“Tiger Rag”; what was significant about this song? What were some of the new musical techniques used in this song?
a) First jazz recording (by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band)
b) Stop time (for cornet solos), shout chorus (energetic end)
Why were the Creole Jazz Band important?
Made the first ever jazz recording by black musicians (led by King Joe Oliver)
- Dipper Mouth Blues
“Dipper Mouth Blues” ; what was significant about this song? What were some of the new musical techniques used in this song?
a) First jazz recording by black musicians (Creole Jazz Band)
b) Unplanned improvisation, stop-time, shout chorus, asymmetrical ending
Louis Armstrong
Developed jazz ‘swing’ and fancy solos