Scrapple from the Apple, Charlie Parker Bebop

Question 1

What structure does scrapple from the apple have?

Answer 1

32 bar AABA ternary form

Question 2

Where does the A section borrow chords from?

Answer 2

Jelly Roll Morton’s “Honey Suckle Rose”

Question 3

Where does the B section borrow chords from?

Answer 3

Chord structure borrowed from Gershwin’s ‘I got rhythm’

Question 4

What instruments were there in Scrapple from the apple?

Answer 4

Quintet: 
alto sax
muted trumpet
piano
bass
drums

Question 5

How are the drums different than in the swing era?

Answer 5

The drum takes a more central role placing emphasis on backbeats and fills (lots of cymbals), differing from the swing era during which the drums mainly outlined the beat.

Question 6

Which instrument now outlines the beat?

Answer 6

the walking bass line

Question 7

What can be said about the size of ensembles?

Answer 7

The ensembles are smaller than in swing, around the same size as in dixieland ensembles reflecting the desire to return to a more exciting style

Question 8

What do the unison sections show about the texture

Answer 8

Small unison sections in the A sections show a clear move away from new orleans polyphony

Question 9

What is the texture mostly like?

Answer 9

It is mostly homophonic with heavy chord voicing, piano sometimes playing only 2 note intervals instead of whole chords

Question 10

What key does the piece begin in?

Answer 10

F major

Question 11

What is the first chord in the B section?

Answer 11

A7

Question 12

What harmonic feature is present in the B section?

Answer 12

8 bar section consists of 4 dominant chords played in a cycle of 5ths progression (A7 D7 G7 C7)

Question 13

What is the tonality of the A section?

Answer 13

A section hovers around F major moving from ii7 (Gmin7) to V7 (C7)

Question 14

What rhythmic devices are present?

Answer 14

Rhythmic devices include rapidly moving triplets and syncopation

Question 15

What can be said about the improvisatory nature of the A section?

Answer 15

only the A section has a fixed melody, B sections are improvised showing a return to improv as in dixieland, even this melody was changed slightly from performance to performance

Question 16

What can be said about the melody of the A section?

Answer 16

Parker ends two A sections with a melody based on a descending D major triad with the A note treated chromatically to built on the triad. The last four notes are a fragment of an F major 7 arpeggio without the 3rd

Question 17

What can be said about the improvisatory nature of the B section?

Answer 17

In each performance of the piece the B section is played differently

Question 18

What can be said about the emergence of Bebop?

Answer 18

It came as a result of the comparatively restrictive swing era which aimed for an increasingly uniform sound. As a result, musicians felt creatively starved and sought to bring back the edge and excitement with spontaneous improvisation contrasting to the swing era when a solo was played the same way every time, possibly as a result of commercialisation and large expecting audiences