Jazz Pop & Rock 24/08/2007 14:49:00

REVIEW FROM 8/22

• All music, from all different places, all different time periods, can be
organized into one of three traditions
o The three traditions all have different themes, functions,
attitudes, etc

Our focus is on American music

A Priori Assumptions for the study of music (see the last page of syllabus):
• 1. Music is a product of a society and is likely to reflect the priorities
and nature of that society.
o This means… in a sense, we are really studying American
society

• 2. Because of the historical circumstances, the importation of pre-

existing musical traditions of immigrant populations is significant,
and the opportunity for synthesis is a fundamental condition
o Our country is founded by immigrants. Therefore, their
culture came with them. Everyone brought their own
countries music with them
o Our country is a melting pot in the idea of music. All of the
different cultures came together to create their own music.
o There has been, and still is, a real opportunity for different
types of music to combine.
o This makes American music so strong, because it is a
“hybrid”: A MIX OF THE BEST

• 3. The democratic nature of American society and the hard-working

lifestyle of the majority of Americans – and the resulting strong
currents of anti-elitism and anti-intellectualism – have tempered
musical practices.
o The Middle Class of America doesn’t want to be intellectual
when it comes to entertainment. They do not want to be
forced to think.
 • 4. The mainstream society’s reverence for European culture has
special implications for the historical development of American
music.
o We have taken so many ideas from the European standard of
music.
o The ideas of composers, orchestras, and conductors are all
European

• 5. Some musical developments are the result of purely musical

thinkings.
o Music is its own language. It has its own set of rules. And
some pieces, or just parts, of music can not be tied to a place
or time. They just are.

MUSIC IS NOT JUST A WHAT, BUT ALSO A HOW.

• It is not just always the words being sung, or the notes being
played, but more how it’s sung/played.
• It’s the tone and spirit of the music that makes it fit into a certain
tradition/genre

I. PREFORMANCE PRACTICE – there are many practices in the world. We will

focus on the two that have had the most prolific affect on American music
• 1. European American
o People brought their music over from “the old country”
o Already synthesized
• 2. African American – they were forced to sing Protestant verses,
but they began to sing it in their own way.
o In a sense, slavery changed American Music
o Unlike European music, AA music synthesized HERE
o They sang for their own two reasons
 They sang to comfort themselves in the harsh world of
slavery
 They sang in praise and hope of freedom
THESE TWO THINGS ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER. THEY ARE
DIALECTLY OPPOSSED. YET, BOTH ARE IMMENSLY POWERFUL!

II. SOUND IDEAL – the way music sounds

• African American – Heterogeneous
o Spectrum of music is so wide and great
o All sounds are appreciated
o Explore the whole world of sound
o Created a sound that had a personal meaning to them
o Might have to do with the African languages
o Sound has a wide attitude and appreciation
• European American – Homogeneous
o Narrowly defined concept of beautiful music
o All should aspire to sound like a certain kind of sound
o Standard of beauty
o Loss of individuality
o If someone did not follow the standard, they would be
dismissed
III. Emphasis
• European American
o COMPOSER – writes down his own symbolic notation and
everyone else plays it
o All about calculation
o Presenter respects composers thoughts and interprets his
words into sound
 o Small number of acceptable performances
o Every performance sounds the same. Music is text, locked
into one position
• African American
o PREFORMER – improvise and makes performance their own
o They have no notation, passed by word of mouth
o NO calculation, but Spontaneity.
o Unlimited number of acceptable performances,
o The music is organic, alive and changes with the times
o Never can perform it again the exact same way
o Repetition of short patterns!!!

* We base our everyday speech like the African American music – short

patterns, spontaneity.

* ACCULTUREATION – when two things fuse together creating something

new

African American music European American

music
Heterogeneous Sound Ideal Homogeneous
Spectrum is so wide Narrowly defined
Based on African Based on standard
languages European beauty
Create a sound that Tries to blend together,
relates to them sound the same
Individuality required Loss of individuality
Performer Emphasis Composer
High Emotional Content Refined, if at all
Jazz Pop & Rock 24/08/2007 14:49:00
Beginning thought:
 There is more information inside one issue of the NY times than the
experiences of an individual in the 17th century Europe.

WOW! That means we need to learn which information is important.

Filter info

It is human to only experience what we know

Music is ideas, not production

Music itself is a concept
Music comes from the same word as moist, Moses. All have to do with water
and nature.
• First instrument made from animals. Created music from the sound
the mother and child make to each other. The sound waves of music
move like water.

There are useful concepts that help us understand music

All man made
Times change them
But necessary

• Concepts
o Zeit Geist ( time ghost in German)
  Every time period there is a spirit of the time to help us
look into popular music
 If we know their concerns and values, we could explain
their culture, food, clothes, music, etc
 Ideas can move location
 Example: renaissance – started in Italy ended in
England
 Ideas can move genres
 Example: romanticism – started in lit, now in
music
o Ethos
 Idea from 500 BC Greek
 Music more than sound, it can affect human behavior
 Play different music for different tasks
• Examples:
o music to send men off to war
o Music to men at home w/ family
o Communist don’t want to listen to US
music
o Rock & Roll = illegit kids
• Three Traditions
o 1. Folk – express the life cycle/our experiences
 EXAMPLE: Happy Birthday!
o 2. Popular- serve as entertainment, commercial commodity,
uses pattern
o 3. Fine Art – intended to be art, take us to a different place,
brain is called to play, state of the art
All three are very different
• TASKS:
o Fine Art – brain will be called to play, state of the art, push
the envelope
o Popular – don’t step out of the box, use pattern
o Folk – elemental ethnicity

• Creators
o Fine Art – composer, writer
 Intended for upper class, the intelligent, the elite
o Popular – performer and creator
 Intended for middle class
o Folk – anonymous
 Intended for lowest class, which is getting smaller

• Participation
o Fine Art – not everyone can participate
o Popular - most people can?
o Folk – all inclusive. Example: Happy Birthday

• Occasion
 o Fine Art – revered, happens on special event
o Popular – happens all day, every day, no astonishing info,
informal
o Folk – the most informal, part of every day, don’t even really
know we are using it

• Notation
o Fine Art – symbolic musical notation, always written down
o Popular – a mix of Fine Art and Folk
o Folk – passed down by word of mouth, never written down,
lends itself to character change

• Tone
o Fine Art – idealistic in all aspects
 Goal: transcendence
o Popular – practical, reason for it, people’s living need in
society
 Goal: accessibility, need to make money
o Folk – realistic mode, explores the life cycle
 Goal: continuity pass from generations

* No type of music is better than the other

24/08/2007 14:49:00