21 - Classical Trends for Film, Television and Broadway

John Williams, famous American musical composer and conductor

Trends of a classical nature in music for film, television and theater as well as that called New Age 1950 - 2010

20 - The Many Varieties of Music from Around the World (2 of 2)

This is the second of two parts covering music from around the world.

Things to Consider

• Where Western influences are apparent and not apparent
• The common instruments and instrumental ensembles in these regions
• Typical use of rhythms and rhythm patterns
• Use of harmony, scales and aesthetic values
• Melodic content: simple or complex

19 - The Many Varieties of Music from Around the World (1 of 2)

This section and the one that will follow covers a brief overview of World Music - the music that is not a part of Western Classical or American Pop and Folk music varieties. This section is about the music traits of Native Americans and also the types that have developed throughout Latin American and some countries in South America.

What to Listen For:

1. Pitch patterns, particularly pentatonic.
2. Styles in which harmony isn’t valued.
3. Non-Western rhythms or sense of meter.
4. Musical instruments and vocal styles.
5. Functional and ceremonial music not designed to entertain.
6. Music that mixes American styles with cultural styles.

18 - Afri-Classical: Classical Musicians of African Heritage

• A General Assumption

1. Melody and harmony probably originated in Europe (including Russia).
2. Rhythm probably originated in Africa or Central America.
3. The merger of these elements occurred and matured over a vast amount of time.
4. Each was dependent on the other to bring about a meaningful existence for music, one of God’s great gifts, whether simple or complex.

• A Definition of "Classical" Music: Beyond the music of the Classic era

1. Encompasses the Concepts of Music Developed in Italy, Austria, France, Germany, and England.
2. “Classical Music” originates from the Latin classicus, meaning first class, or for the Romans, artistry of the highest order.
3. Differentiated from Folk and Popular styles.
1. Folk: Originated with people and was passed from generation to generation in the oral tradition
2. Popular: Exists in support of or the result of profit-centered mechanisms; is less complex but accessible to more individuals
4. Also known as “art” or “concert” music.
1. Exists in written form
2. Can be studied and analyzed
3. Complex
4. Techniques
5. Forms
6. Applied studies
5. Appeals to people with critical interest and developed musical taste (seriousness of intent in listening or performing).

• Composers of Art Music of African Descent: European beginnings, North American endings.

1. For the Years 1750-1900
1. Ignatius Sancho (1729-1780)
1. Raised as house slave in Greenwich, England. Taught himself to read and educated himself, books owned by aristocratic family who employed him
2. Sixty-two short compositions survive in four self-published volumes
2. Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799)
1. Born on French Caribbean island of Guadalupe to slave-mistress of his father
2. Skilled at playing harpsichord and violin
3. Organized a string quartet, directed orchestras, involved in operas
4. Output - four symphony concert antes, three violin concertos, six string quartets
5. performed music with Queen Marie-Antoinette
3. Edmund Dede (1827-1903)
1. Born in New Orleans to free Creole parents
2. Moved to Bordeaux becoming popular and prolific music composer
3. Output - ballets, operettas, opera-comiques, overtures, more than 250 dances and songs
4. Scott Joplin (1868-1917)
1. Known as the “King of Ragtime”, composed classical works as well
2. Opera “Treemonisha” has been performed by the Gunther Schuller and the Houston Grand Opera.
5. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912)
1. An Afro-British composer who only visited the US.
2. Wrote the cantata, Hiawatha's Wedding Feast, in 1898. The composition was performed in concert over 200 times and made his name a household word on both sides of the Atlantic.
3. Sought to do for African music what Johannes Brahms did for Hungarian music and Antonín Dvořák for Bohemian music.
4. Output - chamber music, anthems, and the “African Dances” for violin, among other works totally 82 in all.
2. For the Years 1900-Present
1. William Grant Still (1895-1978) is considered by many as the dean of African American composers
1. Oboist, arranger and composer of jazz and popular music themes.
2. In 1931, Still’s best known composition, Afro-American Symphony, was performed by the Rochester Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Howard Hanson, thus becoming the first work of its kind by a black to be performed by a major symphony orchestra. He incorporated the Blues and Jazz in it. It is still one of the most recognized classical works by a black composer.
3. Excerpts from his “Laredo Suite” were used as background music for the hit television shows Perry Mason, The Three Stooges, Have Gun, Will Travel, and Gunsmoke.
3. Ulysses Simpson Kay, Jr. (1917-1995) was one of the leading black composers in the classical music industry in the 20th Century.
1. Born in Tucson, Arizona, Kay grew up in a musically talented family. 
2. His maternal uncle, of whom Kay was very fond, was the highly acclaimed jazz musician King Oliver.
3. From 1953 to 1968, Kay worked for Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), the major U.S. performing rights organization, as a music consultant.
4. In 1968 he was appointed a distinguished professor at Herbert H. Lehman College of the City University of New York and taught there until 1988.
5. Output of 140 musical compositions - five operas, 20 orchestral works, 30 choral pieces, 15 works for chamber groups.
4. Julia Amanda Perry (1924-1979) was a prolific composer of neoclassical music during her relatively brief life. 
1. Born on March 25, 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky
2. In 1952 and 1954 Perry received two Guggenheim fellowships to study in Florence, Italy under the tutelage of Lugia Dallapiccola and in Paris, France with Nadia Boulanger. After spending nearly a decade in Europe studying with several prominent composers, she returned to the United States in 1959 to become part of the music faculty at Florida A & M College (now University) and later took a teaching position at Atlanta University.
3. By the late 1960s her works had received wide acclaim and were performed by the New York Philharmonic and other major orchestras.
4. Output - 12 symphonies, two concertos, three operas, numerous smaller pieces  
5. Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004) Musician, composer, and conductor, Perkinson began showing an interest in music at a very young age. 
1. Born in Manhattan, New York City
2. Perkinson’s mother, a talented pianist, organist, and theater director in the Bronx, named her son after the Afro-British composer, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
3. Perkinson had a long and successful career in the music industry. He worked as a music director and arranger for many famous jazz and soul artists including Marvin Gaye, Barbara McNair, Lou Rawls, and Harry Belafonte. Perkinson also composed numerous musical scores for the stage, film, and television. He wrote ballet scores for dance companies like Dance Theater of Harlem and Alvin Ailey. He also wrote and conducted the scores for award winning films such as Montgomery to Memphis, a documentary about Martin Luther King Jr., and A Warm December, a film both starring and directed by Sidney Poitier. Perkinson also wrote the theme songs for several hit network television shows.

• An Overview of Classical Performers of African Heritage

1. George Bridgetower (1780-1860)
1. Child prodigy of African American father and German mother
2. Prince of Wales (later George IV) arranged music studies with established musicians.
3. Met Beethoven in Spring 1803, wrote “Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 47” for him. Beethoven played piano and Bridgetower played violin at premiere Before the work was published, the two men had disagreement, Beethoven replaced Bridgetower's name with that of Rodolphe Kreutzer.
2. Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897 – April 8, 1993)
1. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Anderson was an African American contralto and one of the most celebrated singers of the twentieth century. Music critic Alan Blyth said "Her voice was a rich, vibrant contralto of intrinsic beauty."
2. The life and art of Marian Anderson has inspired several writers and artists. She was an example and an inspiration to both Leontyne Price and Jessye Norman. In 1999 a one-act musical play entitled My Lord, What a Morning: The Marian Anderson Story was produced by the Kennedy Center.
3. Anderson was an important figure in the struggle for black artists to overcome racial prejudice in the United States during the mid-twentieth century.
3. Paul Leroy Robeson (April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976)
1. African-American singer and actor who became involved with the Civil Rights Movement.
2. Graduated from Rutgers University where he was an outstanding football player. Graduated from Columbia University Law School in 1922. Had an international career in singing, as well as acting in theater and cinema.
3. While living in Harlem he became well known as a Shakespearean actor as well as singer.
4. He became politically with regard to social injustices. Ill health forced him into retirement from his career. He remained an advocate of the unpopular political stances he took until his death.
4. William Caesar Warfield (January 22, 1920 – August 26, 2002), 
1. Born in West Helena, Arkansas and grew up in Rochester, New York.
2. An African American concert bass-baritone singer and actor.
3. Warfield gained notoriety for singing “Ol’ Man River” in the 1951 film production of Show Boat. In 1952, Warfield performed in Porgy and Bess during a tour of Europe for the US State Department.
5. McFerrin, Robert Keith, Sr. (1921–2006) in Marianna, Arkansaa
1. In 1953 baritone Robert McFerrin Sr. made history as the first African American to win the Metropolitan Opera House’s Auditions of the Air radio contest.  On January 27, 1955, in the role of Ethiopian King Amonasro in Verdi’s Aida, McFerrin made history again by becoming the first African American male to perform as a member of the Met (and the second black American to do so, less than three weeks after contralto Marian Anderson broke the Met’s color barrier).
2. McFerrin’s voice stood in for Sidney Poitier’s in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, a 1958 musical film directed by Otto Preminger.
3. A stroke McFerrin suffered in 1989 affected his speech, but not his singing. Four years later McFerrin sang with the St. Louis Symphony where his Grammy-winning vocalist son, Bobby, conducted.
6. Mary Violet Leontyne Price (born February 10, 1927)
1. An African American soprano. Born and raised in the Deep South (Laurel, Mississippi).
2. She was a graduate of Wilberforce College and Julliard School of Music.
3. She rose to international acclaim in the 1950s and 1960s.
4. Though other African Americans had leading rolls at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, Price was, perhaps, the first to become a leading artist at the Metropolitan Opera by singing lead rolls season after season.
7. Jessye Mae Norman (born September 15, 1945), Augusta, Georgia
1. American Grammy award-winning contemporary opera singer and recitalist, and is a successful performer of classical music.
2. At the age of nine, Norman heard opera for the first time on the radio and was immediately an opera fan. She started listening to recordings of Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price whom Norman credits as being inspiring figures in her career.
3. A dramatic soprano, Norman is associated in particular with the Wagnerian repertoire, and with the roles of Sieglinde, Ariadne, Alceste, and Leonore.
8. Kathleen Deanna Battle (born August 13, 1948, Portsmouth, Ohio)
1. American operatic light lyric-coloratura soprano known for her agile and light voice and her silvery, pure tone.
2. Battle initially became known for her work within the concert repertoire through performances with major orchestras during the early and mid-1970s. She made her opera debut in 1975. Battle expanded her repertoire into lyric soprano and coloratura soprano roles during the 1980s and early 1990s. Although she no longer appears in operas, she remains active in concert and recital performances.

Significant sources of information on the above come from the following locations on the web.

Widipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.

(en.wikipedia.org)

BlackPast.org - Remembered and Reclaimed.

(www.blackpast.org/blacks-classical-music)

AfriClassical.com: African Heritage in Classical Music

(chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com)

Exploring Music's "Portraits in Black, Brown and Beige: Celebrating African-American Composition and Performance" is a series of programs broadcast on public radio stations. There are ten programs of one hour length. The programs are archived though they are fresh since they were produced this year (2014).

Prof. Songer

JCTC - Downtown

17 - 20th Century Classical Music (1890 - 1965)

NOTE that this is part one of two parts covering Classical music of the 20th Century.

Characteristics of “Modern” Classical Music (1900-1965)

1. Diverse
2. Conventional instruments
   1. Traditional techniques
   2. Unconventional techniques
3. Unconventional instruments
4. Often complex
   1. Blurred tonality
   2. Longer melodies
   3. Difficult, puzzling forms
5. Timbre and rhythm over melody and harmony

16 - Jazz, America's Classical Music

Historical Events of 1910 to 1955

1. World War I
2. Increase in Immigration from Eastern Europe
3. Women’s Suffrage (right to vote)
4. Prohibition and It's Repeal
5. Radio, offers access to entertainment in the home
6. Broadway Musicals (musical theater)
7. Stock Market Crash and Great Depression
8. New Deal (Franklin Roosevelt, President)
9. Industrialization and Return of Prosperity
10. World War II on Two Fronts, Europe and Pacific
11. Peacetime Prosperity
12. Korean Conflict
13. Nuclear Arms Raise and Cold War
14. Birth of Rock-n-Roll

15 - Popular Music in America; 1950-2010

The outline that follows covers two sessions of presentation. Please note that not all genrés of popular music are presented because the list is nearly endless and the change in popular musical development is always constant.

14 - Popular Music as Developed in America; 1850-1950

The three major categories of music that exists in our world may be defined as folk, classical and popular. In this entry I cover aspects of Folk and Popular as it developed within the US between 1850 and 1950.

13 - Music of the New World; 1620 - 1850

Note: This post is the first of three parts that will ultimately cover musical developments in the United States from 1620 to 2000. These sessions will be interspersed with those covering a traditional review of the Western European classical periods of music. Though aspects of classical music are included, the main thrust is presenting America’s dominant religious and secular music traditions. The secular tradition includes both folk and popular types including those that emerged from the confluence of multiple musical styles.

Difficult Beginnings

It was in the early 1600 when Western Europeans began coming to the shores of North America in pursuit of land, natural resources and opportunities related to expanding the territories under the control of the English, French and Spanish. This was 100 years after much of the Caribbean region had already seen inhabitation by Europeans. In general, the Spanish tended to settle the area around Mexico and the northern portion of South America. The French tended to come into the area we now know to be Canada. The English tended to migrate up and down the mid-Atlantic coastline of North America. The settlements later officially became the colonies of England. As a result, what free time was devoted to the making of music included continuing the traditions and habits related to music in the homeland, England.

During the 1700’s people from other countries (France and the Netherlands) began coming to Colonial America. These settlers also brought with them their religious practices and beliefs as well as their music preferences.

12 - The Romantic Era; 1820 - 1900

The 19th Century saw several revolutions in many countries throughout Europe following America’s successful revolution from Great Britain. It was a time in which the ideals of liberty were spreading. Just prior to the 19th century the civilization also witnessed the collapse of the Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Holy Roman and Mughal empires. This paved the way for the growing influence of the British Empire, the German Empire and the United States, spurring military conflicts as well as advances in science and exploration. After the defeat of the French Empire and its allies in the Napoleonic Wars, the British Empire became the world's leading power, controlling one quarter of the world's population and one fifth of the total land area.

 The 19th century was an era of invention and discovery, with significant developments in the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, electricity, and metallurgy that lay the groundwork for the technological advances of the 20th century. The Industrial Revolution was beginning in Europe. 

It was also a time of reaction against the Classic period (Age of Reason) which emphasized the primacy of deductive reasoning. By contrast, Romanticism emphasized intuition, imagination, and feeling, to a point that has led to some Romantic thinkers being accused of irrationalism.

11 - Music of the Classic Era; 1750-1820

During the Classic period the Western European music environment saw the establishment of the standard concert formats we still recognize today: symphony, concerto, sonata, and string quartet. This period also saw music from Hayden, Mozart and Beethoven’s early career.

The Classic period is commonly know as the beginning of the modern era in music. The sounds, genres, and forms that were established then are in common use today. These include the instrumentation of the modern symphony orchestra and string quartet; the sonata, symphony, and concerto genres; and the sonata, minuet and trio, theme and variations, and rondo forms.

10 - Music of the Baroque; 1600-1750

Important Developments Before the Baroque

During the Renaissance there was an increase in secular humanism. Along with that came the questioning of the religious dogma (teachings) of the time. This led to a demise in the influence by the Roman Catholic church. In attempts to make the music more appealing, the Mass was set to music as the chants became used less and less. The secular counterpart of the Motet that developed was the Madrigal. In addition to the difference of being secular, the text was in the vernacular. The music was still mainly polyphonic though the English had begun to develop homophonic variations of the Madrigal.

Once the Church of England was established, the English Anthem was born. It was among the earliest religious music to be in the vernacular.

Other reform movements going on throughout Europe featured the development of chorales (hymns) among the Lutherans in Germany and the use of the Psalms among the Calvinists in Switzerland and the north of France.

At first, instruments were only used to accompany dances or for other forms of entertainment. Using instruments to accompany vocal works didn’t become common until the late Renaissance and early Baroque.

Keep these development of the Renaissance in mind as we move into the next period of Western musical history, the Baroque.

09 - Music of the Rennaisance; 1400 - 1600

Renaissance, the Age of Enlightenment

Not only did music development flourish during the Renaissance but also the arts and sciences flourished greatly. The late Medieval’s emphasis on education was beginning to show results. Many great men offered developments or advanced theories that would change the world. They were more than craftsmen in one field, they skilled and well-versed in many fields of knowledge and work in the arts and sciences. From individuals such as these we get our contemporary term Renaissance Man.

Secular influences became important as the established church lost it’s control over society as an interest in humanism developed. As a result, arts patronage began shifting from the church to the courts. The music of the period became more secular though a great deal of sacred music was still composed.

08 - Western Classical Music: The Beginnings to 1400

The first seven sessions of Music 100 has included an overview of what music is, its essential elements and the basic building blocks. During these sessions the class has had the opportunity to listen to several examples demonstrating a variety of forms and textures. In addition, the various wind, string, percussion, and keyboard instruments used in making music have been presented. We now turn attention to a historical review of music in culture with a particular emphasis on its development in the West.

07 - Other Instruments

In the last session I introduced the instruments of the orchestra. This session continues by presenting the other instruments commonly used or heard in music in our country.

The Human Voice

The human voice, when used in singing, is certainly an instrument. Our voices produce sounds of different pitches when air from our lungs goes through the larynx (voice box) and the vocal chords are activated. When we want to go higher, the physical reaction is a tightening of the cords. To go lower, we relax the vocal cords so that they become more loose. A more technical description follows. The vocal cords are a vibrating valve that chops up the airflow from the lungs into audible pulses that form the laryngeal sound source. The muscles of the larynx adjust the length and tension of the vocal cords to ‘fine tune’ the pitch and tone. The basic timbre of our voices is determined by our physical characteristics. However, humans also have the ability to alter the timbre by using what can be called the articulators. These are the parts of the vocal tract above the larynx and consist of the tongue, palate, cheeks, lips, etc. They actually articulate and filter the sound that comes from the larynx. The degree to which a person coordinates the use of these articulators has some effect on modifying the timbre.

06 - Instruments of the Orchestra

Knowing the three rules of music gives us the ability to analyze music more deeply while still enjoying the pleasure that listening to or creating music can yield. Now, after laying out some of the basic aspect of music as well as some of the physics of tone, we’ll launch into a discussion of the various instruments we have in this world. We’ll start with the instruments of the orchestra.

05 - Dynamics, Timbre, and Organizing the Primary Elements in Music

Dynamics is the term used to refer to the amount of loudness in music. In printed music the markings for dynamics are indicated by symbols that are abbreviations for Italian words. The illustration (below) shows the range of dynamics, the markings that are used and the Italian words that they represent.

Sometimes the word volume is used for dynamics. Technically speaking, however, the correct term is dynamics.

Beyond the basic dynamic levels, the sound may gradually change in the process of singing or playing a song or other musical work. When a singer gradually gets louder it is referred to as a crescendo. When a singer becomes gradually softer (decreases) the result is called a decrescendo. Again, these are musical terms using the Italian language.

04 - The Primary Elements of Music - Harmony (Part 2 of 2)

Harmony --- 

In the third class session I presented the time-keeping aspects of music, rhythm, and the components that make up rhythm -- beat, meter and tempo. In that session I didn't talk about melody, another one of the primary elements of music. However, on Monday I'll begin with melody and continue on to the subject of harmony. As we do we’ll cover more terms. Those terms include:
   1. Harmony
   2. Chords
   3. Major and minor
   4. Consonance and dissonance
   5. Cadence
   6. Texture

When you hear two sounds (pitches) at the same time, it is called harmony. When a couple of crickets of different sizes are “doing their thing” at the same time you hear harmony. It may not be the best harmony but it is, no less, harmony. In fact, when the harmony sounds stable or pleasing to our ears it is called consonant. When the sounds tend to be harsh or clash it is called dissonant.

03 - The Primary Elements of Music: Rhythm and Melody (Part 1 of 2)

Rhythm --- 

Rhythm is an essential element of music. In the third meeting of the class we observed how rhythm is measured and used in music.

Rhythm is the term musicians use to talk about the flow of music through time. Since all music moves through time it contains rhythm. The rhythm may be regular or irregular but we tend to enjoy it best when it’s regular.

Though rhythm is the term to denote the flow (movement) of music through time, it is composed of several aspects. Let’s look at those aspects now.

02 - Why Learn About Music - Defining the Rules of Music

Music in Our World --- 

The class will be exposed to the music of John Williams on Wednesday as I make the point regarding the importance of music in our world. That which will be heard in class is very familiar to most of us. It is the “Main Title Theme” from Star Wars. Williams is primarily known for the compositions used in movies such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, ET, Super Man, Hook, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, War Horse and the first three of the Harry Potter movies. Not only did he compose for Hollywood but he also conducted the Boston Pops Orchestra from 1980 to 1993. He is probably the most popular and successful American orchestral composer of the modern age and is the winner of five Academy Awards and at least 17 Grammys.

You can read more about Mr. Williams at this website.

http://www.johnwilliams.org/reference/biography.html

01 - Introductory Information for Mr. Songer’s Music 100

This is the Blogspot site for class members of Music 100 at Jefferson Community and Technical College as taught by Byron Songer. Classes for the Spring 2014 semester should mark this page and follow it at least twice weekly and more frequently if necessary. The date range for the semester is January 13, 2014 - May 9, 2014. The Spring 2014 class taught under my direction is as follows:

MUS 100-5505 • Intro to Music (Lecture) • M/W 12:00pm - 1:15pm