MUAR 392 Lecture Notes - Bessie Smith, Cultural Capital, Fisk Jubilee Singers
8 May 2012
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Document Summary
Melodies: diatonic (vs. chromatic) with vocal range of an octave or less. Harmony: simple, tonal, triadic with (over time) increasing use of added. Sweet (white) understood as: commercial dance music, cold, clean, conscious, everyone on same beat. Hot (black) understood as: swinging jazz bands, richer, looser, more relaxed. Conflict inside the music soloist against rhythm section. 3 lines, one per 4 bar phase. 1st and 2nd often the same or 2nd slightly varied. Racial politics of the swing era first two. Appropiation: whites taking musical elements from blacks without due credit and then becoming far more successful. Necessitated changes to orchestration/arrangements, e. g. tuba instead of double bass ironic that now tubas are now seen by some as more authentic for playing early jazz. Required careful arrangement of instruments and voices. What are some ways that music is classified by genre: popular music. Emerged first, named to distinguish it from classical music.
