Ragtime, Social Dance, Tin Pan Alley

Ragtime characteristics

Ragged / syncopated rhythm, african-american.

Scott Joplin

“King of Ragtime”, composer, pianist, “maple leaf rag”, wanted to elevate ragtime

Ragtime form

AABBACCDD. No improv

Player pianos

self-playing pianos that used piano rolls.

Reactions to ragtime

Controversial at first, too primitive, too black

Irving Berlin

Tin pan alley songwriter, very important, shaped the music and film world

Vernon & Irene Castle

Sanitized and black dance styles for the whites

James Reese Europe

Led the clef club, partnered with the castles, provided their music. Bandleader and composer

Clef Club

Club for black musicians in Harlem, performed music there

Hellfighters Band

WW1 band led by James Reese Europe, spread jazz and ragtime

The Charleston

Iconic dance, energetic and syncopated.

The Lindy Hop

A complex, acrobatic swing dance.

Tin Pan Alley

many pianos being played simultaneously in the streets, sounded like tin pans clanging

song pluggers

people would plug their songs into DJs and coffee shops

Charles K. Harris & “After the Ball”

first big hit of tin pan alley, harris published it.

Verse-refrain form

Standard tin pan alley structure. refrain was 32 bars in AABA form.

What did microphones and crooning do for TPA

microphones allowed softer singing, crooning was whispering.

Fred Astaire

dancer and singer who embodied the ‘debonair’ TPA style in films. well-liked.

Frank Sinatra

The Ultimate Crooner. Turned TPA into a personal and emotional art form