MUSC 200 Lecture 4 Outline of Last Lecture I. Went over musical features of “I’m Old Fashioned” (Fred Astaire) and “Come Along, My Mandy” (Nora Bayes & Jack Norworth)Outline of Current Lecture II. TPA Pop Music Features III. Musical Features of “I’m Old Fashioned”IV. Bluesa. Social Contextb. Musical Predecessorsc. Musical Termsd. Musical Featurese. 12 Bar Blues FormCurrent LectureTin Pan Alley Pop of 1930’so Illustrated by Fred Astaire’s “I’m Old Fashioned”o 1st chorus sung; 2nd chorus has the same melody (3/4 instrumental)o Melodic contour: the way a melody rises & falls (**important feature in “I’m Old Fashioned”o Melody & melodic contour are important features of TPA pop musico Melody & chorus of “I’m Old Fashioned” have arcing contours in both individual verses & throughout the whole song Start w/ a (relatively) high note & fall deeper (highlow pitch); the overall shape of the arc is higher and higher as the song progresses 4 phrasescontinuous arco 2nd melody is instrumental; it is easier to hear the arcs in this portion of the song The arcs rise & fall throughout the song…2nd phrase is a higher pitch; 3rd phrase has the most high arcso Small outro at the end of the song, then it’s overo Play on words: “I’m Old Fashioned” is actually about sophisticationo TPA pop lyrics offer a sentimental, romantic theme; common features of TPA pop that are present in “I’m Old Fashioned”:o Lots of wordplay; urbane style; internal rhyme within each line; alliteration; dramatic images; personificationo Additional Song Features:o Vocal style: crooning Tone quality is crooning (soft, smooth)o Accompaniment Large orchestra Bass & snare drums are at the same light, dynamic level Rhythmic, danceable tune Lush sound with strings & reeds (behind vocals); large ensemble- Light & lilting Strings emphasizing 3rd phraseo Song evokes an image of a modern, white, wealthy, romantic sophistication No sexual component *Musical features of songs are CHOSEN carefully & specifically to evoke a particular image & moodo “A Fine Romance” – another Fred Astaire song Style: 1930’s TPA Clever word play: “cold as yesterday’s mashed potatoes” Slightly more assertive than “I’m Old Fashioned”- Doesn’t hold a candle to assertive rock & rollBlueso Blues tradition goes back to the turn of the century; most influential form of music for rock & rollo Social Context of the Blueso Blues emerged at the turn of the centuryo Blues singers were usually African American meno Large numbers of freed slaves & family did not settle in the South for awhile; most moved to New York, Detroit, Chicago, etc., in the Great Migration for economic opportunitieso Most African Americans lived in rural areas (workers) Worked as sharecroppers – high rent; stuck as sharecropper; indentured workers Boom & bust cycles caused economic distress for African Americans- Lived in real povertyo Small African American middle class Minority of African Americans who did not live in povertyo Regardless of class, racism & segregation were issues 1896: Plessy v. Ferguson: “separate, but equal”- Not equal at all; 2nd class status prevailed- Legal & extralegal (i.e. lynching) activities to enforce African American inferiority & create an overall climate of terroro TPA ignored/excluded African American artists & music Racial hierarchy enforced Some African Americans employed in Vaudevilleo Musical Predecessors to the Blueso *West Africa – many former slaves came from West Africa Retained their musical integrity- Call & response- 2 segments to an ensemble Rhythmic complexity, improve, & buzz-filled tambours were present in these songs Pre-Civil War: many slaves were made to sing “white” music for their owners; West Africans became familiar w/ “white” music in addition to their native music Spirituals – fundamental form of music pre-Civil War- Work songs as a way of deriving contentment from oppression on plantations Rag time gained popularity in African American communityo Musical Termso Scale: a group of notes Notes referred to by number (1st = 1; 2nd = 2; etc.) 2nd group of notes = 2nd octave (1st = 1…)- Same melody, different pitch Most important note is 1. When you get to the tonic (1), you get the sense of completion- Tonal center of scaleo Chord: 3 or more notes played at the same time Name chord after name of scale from which it’s built Build chord by (1) taking note of scale, (2) using formula to select 2 other notes from the same scale, & (3) playing the notes at the same time- 1st note1st cord, 2nd note2nd chord, etc. Important chords: 1-chord, 4-chord, 5-chord- 1-chord = tonic chordo Most at rest & complete chord- 4-chord = subdominant chordo Halfway between tonic & dominant Moderately tense; slight lead back to 1-chord- More gentle resolution than 5-chord- 5-chord = dominant chordo Most tense chord; must be resolved w/ a 1-chord Designed to go back to the 1-chord Notions of tension & release are important in chordso Melody: a series of notes, 1 after the othero Rhythm: change over time; temporal change of musico Beat/pulse: series of equally spaced events over time (like the second-hand on a clock)o Meter: grouping of pulses/beatsunits 1 set of cohesive beats (or 1 unit) = measure/bar (most common groupings are 3 & *4o Chord progression: series of chords played 1 after another Lays the framework for sense in melody & rhythm- Gives the melody shape & structure Defining chord progressions:- What chord is being played & what’s next?- How long does a chord last?o Measured in meters- / / = 1 bar (pair of slashes—visualize 4 pulses)o Space between 2 slashes = 1 measure Roman numerals indicate chord progressions- Indicate what chord comes when & how long each lastso Phrase: group of measures linked togethero Turnaround: device used to create harmonic tension to bring you back to the beginning of the chord (5-chord=best for this) Gets you back to the 1-chordo Musical Features of the Blues (applicable to all blues music)o Main themes: love (often unrequited), travelling, & anxiety Broken love b/c living in poverty puts a great strain on romantic relationships- Often a metaphor for other social difficulties Travel b/c travel is an excellent metaphor for many things- Composers