music exam 1

simple meter

Beat divided into 2 parts

compound meter

Beat divided into 3 parts

tonic (scale degree)

the home note or central pitch of a key

improvisation

spontaneous creation of a melody/rhythm within a musical framework

book musical

musical play with a clear plot/story, combining songs, dialogue, and dance

contrafact

new melody written over an existing chord progression

crooning

singing style characterized by humming or singing in a soft or velvety tone

a soft or velvety tone

syncopation

displacement of an expected accent or strong sound on a normally weak part of the beat

cover version

a new recording of a previously released song

plugging

practice of going to music stores/businesses to promote work and drum up interest

scatting

vocal improvisation using nonsense syllables

slumming

wealthy white patrons attending black clubs/neighborhoods for "exotic" nightlife.

revue (show)

variety show of songs, dances, and skits with no overarching plot

open ending

a song ending that feels unresolved, invites continuation

closed ending

a song ending that feels final and conclusive

bottleneck technique

blues guitar method using a slide (bottle neck or metal/glass tube) to glide between notes

stephen foster

american popular song composer popularized by rise of sheet music and cheaper pianos

charles k. harris

composer of "after the ball" (1892), one of the first big tin pan alley hits

john philip sousa

"march king," famous for his military marches

scott joplin

african american pianist, "king of ragtime," known for syncopated piano works like maple leaf rag

louis armstrong

trumpeter/singer revolutionized jazz with improvisation, swing feel, and scat singing

james reese europe

african american bandleader and ragtime composer worked with vernon and irene castle on dance music

paul whiteman

highly influential white bandleader who brought a more "classicized" version of jazz to the concert hall

duke ellington

successful african american jazz bandleader/pianist famous for a "jungle" sound in harlem clubs

jelly roll morton

early jazz pianist who blended ragtime and blues one of the first to arrange jazz for bands

don azpiazú

cuban bandleader who introduced latin dance rhythms to U.S. audiences ("the peanut vendor")

james p. johnson

african american pianist "father of stride piano," bridging ragtime and jazz

fats waller

pianist, composer, entertainer, popularized stride piano with a humorous performance style

george gershwin

influential composer of tin pan sllley and symphonic jazz (i got rhythm)

eubie blake

african american composer/pianist wrote ragtime and music for early black broadway shows

cole porter

tin pan alley/broadway composer known for witty, sophisticated lyrics

irving berlin

prolific jewish tin pan alley composer whose works like "alexander's ragtime band" and "blue skies" made it on stage and film

richard rogers

broadway composer partnered with lorenz hart and oscar hammerstein

blind lemon jefferson

influential country blues guitarist/singer early recorded "race music"

w.c. handy

african american bandleader and composer "father of the blues" (st. louis blues)

charley patton

Delta blues guitarist/singer raw vocal style, early country blues influence

robert johnson

Delta bluesman legendary guitarist/vocalist, famous for bottleneck slide (Cross Road Blues)

jimmie rodgers

Early country music star; blended blues with "hillbilly" traditions, known for yodeling

bing crosby

Crooner one of the first multimedia stars (radio, film, records)

carter family

Influential country group emphasized vocal harmonies and folk traditions

glenn miller

Swing bandleader smooth, danceable style (In the Mood)

benny goodman

"King of Swing" first major bandleader to integrate Black and white musicians

count basie

Swing pianist/bandleader famous for riff-based big band style

cab calloway

Jazz bandleader/singer known for flamboyant performance and scat singing (Minnie the Moocher)

roy acuff

Country music star who helped popularize "hillbilly" music via the Grand Ole Opry

minstrel show

Form of theater, or variety show, portraying African-American caricatures dancing, acting, or singing

ministrel show

Form of theater, or variety show, portraying African-American caricatures dancing, acting, or singing

phonograph/records

Early playing/recording technology where sound vibrations are etched on tin/wax that is stretched over a rotating cylinder

phonograph/records

Early playing/recording technology where sound vibrations are etched on tin/wax that is stretched over a rotating cylinder

ragtime

Musical style associated with "river country," characterized by steady oom-pah bass and syncopated, complex rhythms in melody

tin pan alley

Region of Lower Manhattan full of song publishers and composers with close ties to Broadway

jazz

American style combining improvisation, syncopation, and blues elements born in New Orleans

race music/records

Marketing term for African American music sold to Black audiences in the 1920s-30s.

classic blues

Vocal style with 12-bar form, blue notes, and themes of hardship/love urban/with bands

country blues

Vocal style with 12-bar form, blue notes, and themes of hardship/love solo/guitar-based

swing

Jazz style of the 1930s-40s with big bands, strong rhythm, and danceable feel

hillbilly

Early country style marketed to white rural audiences folk, gospel, and ballad influences

big band

Large jazz ensemble (brass, woodwinds, rhythm section) central to swing music

12-bar blues

Standard blues chord progression (I-IV-V) spanning 12 measures

meter

Organization of beats into consistent patterns of strong and weak pulses

methods of transmission

Ways music spreads (oral tradition, sheet music, recordings, radio, live performance)

strophic form

Musical form where the same melody repeats with different verses of lyrics.

quaternary form

Four-part musical structure (A-B-C-D or A-B-A-C)

verse and refrain

Song form alternating between narrative verses and a repeated refrain/chorus