Tin Pan Alley: The Start of a New Era Flashcards
Octave
Span of pitches in music. 8 whole tones.
In ragtime music, melodies are ___.
Tonal
There is often one ___ passing tone in ragtime music.
Chromatic.
The vocal range in ragtime music is within an ___.
Octave.
Ragtime music was primarily developed from ___ to ___.
1900 to 1920.
Vanderville and theatrical producers began to consolidate their offices in an area known as…
Tin Pan Alley.
Tin Pan Alley was located in…
NYC.
Tin Pan Alley is both a ___ ___ and name of a ___.
Physical location, style.
Ragtime was primarily developed by which ethnic group?
African Americans.
What other styles were being developed at the same time as ragtime?
Victorian ballad and waltz.
Who was the most preeminent figure in ragtime?
Irving Berlin.
Irving Berlin was born as…
Israel Baline
Irving Berlin was born in…
West Siberia.
Irving Berlin grew up wealthy / impoverished and made a name for himself ___.
Impoverished, singing.
Berlin began to collaborate with notable Tin Pan Alley figures, and managed to write music that reflected…
The unique complex community of Tin Pan Alley.
According to Charles Hamm, Berlin’s work was characteristic as a result of:
Ethnic identities, authorship functions, and growing production of sheet music.
Ethnic identities were important to Berlin’s work, because…
Berlin managed to retain characteristics of ethnic groups in his music, but also managed to gain acceptance from a broader audience.
Authorship functions played an important role in Berlin’s work, because…
Different people would collaborate on one work.
Growing production of sheet music played what role in Berlin’s work?
There was a standardization of songs, which allowed more flexibility in performance.
Lead Sheet
Sheet music for Jazz.
What is on a lead sheet?
Minimal music, just chord symbols.
Jazz Parallel
Jazz was developed at about the same period of time as ragtime.
Why was jazz accepted immediately?
It assimilated and accommodated enough of America’s older and more dominant culture.
Describe the structure of Tin Pan Alley Songs:
- Brief piano intro.
- 2 or 4 bar vamp, with melodic and rhythmic material drawn from and leading into verse. Often repeated during solo.
- 2 or more verses, typically 16-32 bars in length.
- A chorus, usually equal in length to the verse, with first and second endings.
Victorian music was very “___” and ___.
White, straight.
Ragtime was considered “___” music.
Black.
What do the lyrics of “Strange Fruit” describe?
Lynching of African Americans.
Why is Billie Holliday’s rendition of “Strange Fruit” more subdued and restrained?
She could not bring out harsh lyrics, as the performance in itself was already risque for the 1930’s.
Why is India Arie’s version of “Strange Fruit” so much more extravagant and emphasized?
Harsh lyrics have to be emphasized to differentiate and grab attention.
Tori Amos’ version of “Strange Fruit” can be described as…
Sparse, as she uses piano as accompaniment, and uses her voice almost as an instrument.
Who came up with the “Theory of Markedness”?
Robert Hatten.
What theory is explored in the article “Markedness and a Theory of Musical Expressive Meaning”?
Theory of Markedness.
What does the Theory of Markedness explore?
How individual lyrics and musical events can be emphasized or “marked” in a variety of ways.
Obvious ___ ___ that are commonly used to “mark” words are explored in the Theory of Markedness.
Aural Gestures.
