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45 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
What is the African Heritage of Jazz?
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blends cultures of Africa and Western Europe
-brought to new world by slaves in 1600 |
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What is the function of music in traditional African Societies?
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-religious and ceremonial
- social activity: no professionals playing, everyone participates= COMMUNAL! -often used as communication-talking drums -preserves tribal traditions: musical traditions passed down by word of mouth -accompanies daily activities -dancing is often an integral part of musical performances |
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What are the different 4 instrumental groups?
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Idiophone
Membranophones Aerophones Chordophones |
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What is Idiophones?
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any instrument upon which a sound may be produced without the addition of a stretched membrane or vibrating strong or reed
-percussion instrument without membranes |
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What are the two types of Idiophones?
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Rhythmic Idiophone- shaken
--primary rattles are held in hand --secondary rattles are worn on the body; activated by body movements 2. Melodic -Mbira/Sansa (thumb piano) -Xylophone or balafon (mallet percussion) |
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What are the different tunings?
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Pentatonic-tuning based on 5
Hexatonic- tuning based on 6 Heptatonic- tuning based on 7 ex: #5 on listening list |
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What is Membranophones?
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instruments with vibrating membranes
ex: drums ex: dundun- harder you pull on string the higher/tighter the head is (talking drum) -only master drummers play the dundun |
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What are Aerophones?
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Instruments with vibrating column of air
-flute family (vertical, transverse) -animal horns or elephant tusks (trumpets) used for communication from 1 village to the next --least popular ex: #6 on listening list |
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What are Chordophones?
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string instruments
musical bow, lute |
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What kind of musical form does jazz exist in?
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oral tradition
passed down orally not written down |
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What is a timeline?
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always someone who sets off a steady beat
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What is syncopation?
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playing a strong beat where there would normally be a weak one
-African music is characterized with syncopation- makes you want to swing --accents on off beats |
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What is stratification?
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texture
instruments are layered on top of each other -thick busy texture -sounds complex, lots of things going on |
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What is an ostinato?
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short repeated pattern
ex: Oya- shaker plays steady beat purpose: maintaining beat --patterns thats easy to remember |
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What is Polymeter/ Polyrhythm?
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many rhythms happening at the same time
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What is improvisation?
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creation/composition in the moment compose in the moment
creates different tunes that are most repeated |
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What is call and response?
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sung or played by leader- improvisatory
response- song/performed by larger body repeated, shorter |
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What are the characteristics of traditional west african music?
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1) Rhythmically complex
-music is polyrhythmic -music is syncopated 2)concept of stratification -important-results in thick texture 3)repetition important -ostinato 4)use of call and response 5)melody- range is narrow -pentatonic scale most common 6)music is functional 7)music performance is communal 8) improvisation--importance |
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Why were slaves able to hold on to their traditions in Dominican Republic longer?
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european influences were minimal
that's why it's so close to the west african music |
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What are work songs?
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-rhythmic to accompany work
-short phrases- repetitive -call and response structure -african in origin (functional music) -words and music improvised -work song remained untouched by european influence because their masters were not around to hear |
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What are some African American vocal aesthetics--leading up to the blues?
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1)Pitches often imprecise- use of "slides" or "bent" notes (blue notes)
2)sounds are often not pure- quality will change within a piece (sometimes falsetto) 3)very expressive, personal -don't sound like anyone else established as unique |
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Is blues considered secular or sacred music?
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secular= music for entertainment
sacred= prayerful it is interwoven |
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What happens to the blues because slavery is over?
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-not many people have work
-some men move around -take field blues with them -guitar/harmonica/banjo -sing from soul: no money no family imprisonment functional: grows from post slavery experience |
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Who is Robert Johnson?
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-learned harmonica and guitar from other musicians
-legend-thought to have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for musical ability -one of the mos influencial musicians of the 20th century called the father of rock and roll -eric clapton, Led Zepplin, rolling stones, red hot chili peppers |
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What are the chords of the blues?
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I----IV--I--V--(IV)--I
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What is the difference between country blues and classic blues?
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country blues is sung by men and has guitar
classic blues is sung by women and has kazoo harmonica and washboard bass |
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What are the characteristics of country (folk) blues?
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1) instrumental accompaniment is simple
-guitar, harmonic, banjo 2) vocal music primarily sung by men 3)vocal qualities subsumed in guitar (imitation of voice on guitar) -personal relationship -guitar and voice -call and response patterns 4)Oral music, totally improvised 5) Text Reflects Personal (postbellum) experience -text often full of double entendres 6)Music and message simple- accessible to coummunity -free form rhythm, not a steady beat sung by men: robert johnson, lead belly, blind lemon jefferson |
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Who is Bessie smith and what kind of musical characteristics does she use?
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Empress of the Blues
-sophisticated vocal style -clear diction -control of voice -strong powerful voice -always sophisticated accompaniment |
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What is notable about the St. Louis blues that we listened to in class?
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Bessie smith and Louis ARmstrong performed it
-1920's W.C. Handy was the composer -first to publish the blues there is AA 12 bar blues B bar habanera rhythm section A 12 bar closing chorus |
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What are characteristics of Classic Blues?
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more structured 12 bar blues, solidified, rhythmically precise
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What is a cake walk?
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dressed up in best clothes and danced to music and whoever danced best won the cake
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What is the Pattin Juba?
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hambone hambone
children clapping and stomping to keep beat and sing |
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What is the difference between classic ragtime, new orleans style ragtime, stride (New York), boogie woogie?
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classic ragtime: syncopated right hand, um pah left hand
New Orleans style ragtime: syncopated right and left hand -rhythm strongly marked, harmonies more complex, texture is contrapunctual two melodies at the same time stride: style of solo piano playing adapted from ragtime but it's faster and a more virtuosic style of playing, where as classic ragtime is written music, stride is improvised -stride piano has a stronger more syncopated bass line Boogie Woogie- blues played on piano, very percussive, ostinato in left hand |
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What is stop time?
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refers to the accompanying rhythm and harmony which may be suspended for a period of time.
in weeping willow blues the blues harmony is suspended or stopped for a chorus while bessie smith testifies or tells the story. then the blues chorus picks up and continues for another verse |
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What is habenera?
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spanish rhythm
played in the B section in st. louis blues sung by bessie smith played by armstrong and written by W.C. handy |
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What is pentatonic?
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pentatonic based on 5 in tunings
characteristic of african music |
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What are characteristics of field hollers and calls?
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served as means of communication among plantation workers
also work calls, which were chanted by peddlers in north and south cities very personalized, never a truly developed solo song very drawn out notes, bent and slides |
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What were the social implications in the music of classic blues singers? discuss the differences in performance style of Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith.
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the classic blues women got dressed up and sang in minsterals
- among the first black singers recorded -they were first blues singers recorded ma rainey had anyone who can play an instrument play for her while she sang bessie had more sophisticated band members -clear diction |
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What is Art Tatum's style?
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stride piano
melody: is always recreated improvised (as well as harmony) -lots of fast scales and arpeggios harmony: substitutes chords from their original improvisations and recreations of the origional piece -sometimes one note will stand for a whole chord Rhythm-music defies the barline -he bneds rhythms (stretches time, rubato) -music is heavily syncopated |
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What are the characteristics of classic jazz?
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-playing is crisp, syncopated
-played popular tunes especially blues -moderately fast tempos -primarily an instrumental dance music but vocal techniques were used (slides, growls) -has bass and drums as left hand, melody can be played by any instrument that can play a tune |
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What is the overall strucutre of jelly roll morton's "Black Bottom Stomp"
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I: Introduction
II: Theme A written down then improvise III: bridge IV: Theme B |
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What are Louis Armstrong's contribution to jazz?
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-moves away from collective improvisation and concentrates on solo improvisation
-redifines Jazz rhythimcally: moves away from ragtime rhythms to swing rhythms, he plays behind the beat sometimes -introduced scat and crooning |
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What is significant about the performances of Hotter than that and West end Blues?
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hotter than that: scatting
west end blues: intro is played in a different key vocal is crooning(sliding from note to note) |
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How is Dixie land jazz different from classic jazz?
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Dixieland jazz -chicago style jazz
-more solos than new orleans style -less emphasis on collective improvisation -smoother less agressive approach to sounds -more precise playing (in tune) - more emphasis on melody, less syncopation -players in mid range of their instruments -more modern instrumintation (bass piano no banjos) |
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Who was the first group to record jazz?
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original dixieland jazz band
1917 |