Songs Flashcards
Barbara Allen
Artist: Jean Ritchie Decade: Genre: Anglo-American Ballad Form: Strophic Significance: British-American ballad tradition, Child ballads
Soldier’s Joy (band)
Artist: Skillet Lickers (led by James Gid Tanner)
Decade:
Genre: String band, Hillbilly music
Form: Strophic
Significance: The first hillbilly act, first Southern string band commercially recorded.
Soldier’s Joy (solo)
Artist: Tommy Jarrell Decade: 19?? Genre: Appalachian dance music, fiddle music Form: Strophic Significance:
Long John
Artist: Lightning Washington (and convicts)
Decade: 19??
Genre: Work song
Form: Strophic
Significance: Example of African-American work song
Coo Coo
Artist: Dink Roberts
Decade: 19??
Genre: African-American songster “ballad?”
Form: Strophic
Significance: African influence on folk music, songster tradition predating the blues
Stagolee
Artist: Mississippi John Hurt Decade: 1960s Genre: African-American ballad Form: Strophic Significance: Blend of European-American and African-American influences. Helped with 60s folk music revival.
Enigue Nigue
Artist: AfroCuba de Matanzas Decade: 1990s Genre: Afro-Cuban Rumba Form: Strophic Significance: Montuno section, involves call-and-response and solo improvisation. Example of rumba, friendly competition song.
Son de La Negra
Artist: Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan Decade: 1950s Genre: Mexican Mariachi Form: Strophic Significance: Includes triple rhythm, polyrhythms, gritos (yells). Text around copla (couplet) poetic form.
Tiger Rag
Artist: Nick LaRocca & ODJB Decade: 1910s Genre: Jazz Form: Sectional? Significance: First Jazz recording, use of stoptime - stopping for a few beats with a solo. Syncopation, improvisation.
Dipper Mouth Blues
Artist: King Joe Oliver & Creole Jazz Band
Decade: 1920s
Genre: Jazz
Form: Three sections, ABC
Significance: Improvisation, first African American Jazz recording. King Joe Oliver as Louis Armstrong’s mentor.
West End Blues
Artist: Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five Decade: 1920s Genre: Jazz Form: ? Significance: Opens with trumpet cadenza, goes into slow tempo. Armstrong mastered this piece playing with King Joe Oliver.
East St. Louis Toodle-Oo
Artist: Duke Ellington & His Washingtonians
Decade: 1920s
Genre: Jazz
Form: ?
Significance: Features trumpeter James “Bubber” Miley, inspired by King Joe Oliver. Washingtonians theme song. Soli section where all horns play the melody together in harmony.
El Manisero
Artist: Justo “Don” Azpiazu and his Havana Casino Orchestra
Decade: 1930s
Genre: Son Pregon
Form: ?
Significance: Features clave - rhythmic pattern, the “heartbeat” of Cuban music. Pregon - vocal improvisation modeled on Havana street vendor calls. First authentic Cuban music in America.
My Blue Heaven
Artist: Gene Austin Decade: 1920s Genre: Crooner, Tin Pan Alley Form: Verse-refrain (AABA refrains) Significance: Best-selling record of its era. Features crooning as a new musical style.
April Showers
Artist: Al Jolson Decade: Two recordings, 1920s & 1930s Genre: Tin Pan Alley Form: Verse-refrain (ABAC refrains) Significance: In second recording, Jolson breaks into song-speak. In second recording, band plays mood-setting intro.
