« January 2006 | Main | May 2006 »
April 27, 2006
21st Century Class Notes
Today's lecture followed up on the NPR Music podcast from 4/18 (11:02): "Getting a Sense of How We React to Music." For those of you interested in reading more, the book I drew my lecture from is "Beethoven's Anvil: Music in Mind and Culture" by William Benzon. In any case, keep those ideas in mind as we go forward. I will ask you to summarize and/or comment on them on the midterm.
The midterm, speaking of which, will be later than announced in the syllabus. It will be Friday 12 May. Unlike the listening quizzes, it will take most of the allotted class time and will include short essay answers based on the podcasts and lectures. There will be a listening component, primarily focused on listening examples assigned since the first quiz.
Posted by berge at 11:05 PM | Comments (0)
April 25, 2006
21st Century Class Notes
Here are five podcasts that I mentioned in class. You'll want to listen to these so that you can identify the artists on the midterm:
Glenn Kotche (GH 4/13)
The Notorious MSG (GH 4/14)
Christian McBride (NPRM 4/12/8:50)
Tony McManus (GH 4/10)
Kora/Harp: Kadialy Kouyate and Kike Pedersen (GH 4/18)
In addition, here are some Rhapsody links related to these podcasts:
Shona mbira music, as mentioned by Glenn Kotche
http://www.rhapsody.com/album/270308_zimbabweshonambiramusic?pageid=rotw.searchalbum&pageregion=A1
LIsten to "Dande"
Christian McBride
http://www.rhapsody.com/christianmcbride/verticalvision
Listen to "Tahitian Pearl"
You can also watch this piece being performed at CM's website
http://www.christianmcbride.com/home.html
Tony McManus can be heard on this compilation with lots of great guitar performances
http://www.rhapsody.com/album/guitarharvestvol1?artistId=49893
TM appears on "A Shepherd's Dream"
Posted by berge at 10:19 PM | Comments (0)
April 21, 2006
Listening Quiz #1
The extended entry below comprises the complete list of works you'll be asked to identify on Tuesday. You'll need to know the name of the artist and the name of the track. I may also ask you to comment on the artist and/or track, based on the context in which it was presented in class, so review your notes! I've not included links to background information in most cases, but a simple Google search will get you plenty in that regard.
As for the tracks related to Thursday's lecture, please note:
The Calexico track is not the one I played in class. That one was from All Songs Considered. For your convenience and listening pleasure, I'm including here instead a cut from the Calexico default page in Rhapsody http://www.rhapsody.com/calexico.
The Gotan project cut comes from their Lunatico album http://www.rhapsody.com/gotanproject/lunatico, which is the cut I played in class.
Here's the URL to Seu Jorge's album Cru: http://www.rhapsody.com/seujorge/cru. The title "Uma Mujer" translates as "One Woman."
You'll find the Ketjak Dance here: http://www.rhapsody.com/album/balimusicfromthemorningoftheworld?pageid=rotw.searchalbum&pageregion=A1.
Relevant links or information for the other cuts can be found elsewhere on this blog. There's lots of listening for you here (18 tracks), so don't wait until Monday night!
Hank Williams
• “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry�
Hank Williams Jr.
• “Montana Song�
Hank Williams III:
• “Country Heroes�
Robin McKelle
• “Somethin’s Gotta Give�
Ella Fitzgerald
• “Somethin’s Gotta Give� from Johnny Mercer Songbook
Cassandra Wilson
• “Polka Dots & Moonbeams�
Jimmy Rodgers
• “My Little Old Home Down In New Orleans�
Carter Family
• “Can the Circle Be Unbroken�
Neko Case
• “Margaret vs. Pauline� from Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Gillian Welch
• “Dear Someone� from Time (The Revelator)
Ned Sublette
• “Cowboy Rumba�
Jacob do Bandolim
• “Doce de Coco� from Original Classic Recordings Vol. 2
Waldir Azevedo
• “Pedacinhos do Céu� from Warner 25 Anos
Los Angeles Choro Ensemble
• Tico Tico no Fubá
Calexico
• “Banderilla� from the Calexico page of Rhapsody
Gotan Project
• “Amor Porteño� from Lunatico
Seu Jorge
• "Uma Mujer"
Music from Bali
• "Ketjak Dance" from the album Music from the Morning of the World
Posted by berge at 3:00 PM | Comments (0)
April 19, 2006
Brazil
On Tuesday I presented an overview of choro, a Brazilian music that originated over 100 years ago and remains a vital genre in contemporary Brazil. Rather than recap the lecture here, I'll post my notes as an extended entry. My primary sources for this lecture are "Choro: A Social History of a Brazilian Popular Music," by Tamara Elena Livingston-Isenhour and Thomas George Caracas Garcia; and "Musica Brasileira: A history of Popular Music and the people of Brazil," by Claus Schreiner.
As for the listening, focus on the Rhapsody recordings of Jacob do Bandolim and Waldir Azevedo.
On another note, tomorrow I'll go over the format of the listening quiz, which will be next Tuesday, not tomorrow as announced. Watch this blog for a list of specific pieces you will be expected to identify.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
• Portuguese colony founded in 1500
• some 3.5 million slaves were brought into Brazil (as compared to 250,000 in the US) before importation was abolished in 1850
• Brazil gained independence in 1822
• By that time, slaves constituted as much as 30% of the population and there were almost as many people of “mixed blood� as there were whites
• The Golden Law freed all slaves in 1888
• Miscegenation was viewed as the mechanism whereby the undesirable influence of African and Amerindian blood would be tempered by European blood. The goal was branqueamento.
• Popular music associated with African culture was denigrated as low-class music
• Choro was initially viewed as the musical equivalent of miscegenation, and hence representative of the harmonious blending of the races to which Brazilians aspired.
MUSICAL PRECOURSERS
• Modinha, lundu, & maxixe
• Modinha was the Brazilian variant of the Portuguese moda (“song�)
• The moda was accompanied by piano; the modinha by guitar
• The modinha was brought to Portugal in 1775 by the Brazilian mulatto singer Domingos Calda Barbosa, where it was a sensation—especially with the ladies of the court
• Modinha form: ternary (ABA), rondo (ABACA), strophic (verse/refrain)
• The modinha remained popular throughout most of the 19th Century; the only popular music having originated as a salon genre
• Lundu arose in early 18th Century from the music of Bantu slaves
• Earliest form: a dance accompanied by drums and voice
• As lundu entered the salon repertoire, it came to resemble the Modinha, the two evolving in parallel
• Maxixe emerged around 1880
• Wildly popular and controversial: see Choro 33-35
EARLY CHORO
• Choromeleiro: term commonly used to refer to any instrumental ensemble in mid-19th Century; from “charamela,� a colonial-period folk oboe
• Most commonly, professional ensembles that played popular song and dance music
• After 1888, many well-trained blacks from fazenda ensembles joined the ranks of urban musicians
• Sometime after 1870, the choromeleiro style of playing modinhas, lundus, maxixes, waltzes, and polkas gave rise to a new genre, first named “choro� in 1889
• Characteristics: rondo form, European harmony, highly syncopated, wide ranging melodies with large leaps, improvisational
THE RISE OF THE REGIONAL
• Although choro was popular at home and abroad, it was often referred to as “polka� to disguise its origins as a music of the lower-class and of African influence
• By around 1920, the Brazilian search for a national musical identity led many to view and accept choro as its most distinctive indigenous music
• The rise of the film, recording, and broadcast industries led to the employment of choro bands throughout Brazil, professionalizing choro at a national level. These came to be known as "regional" bands, or just "regionals."
PIXINGUINHA AND OITO BATUTAS
• http://saintpaulsunday.publicradio.org/features/0109_choro/
• P & OB (“Eight Remarkable Players�) spent 6 months in Paris in 1921, absorbing American ragtime in the process
• Later, Pixinguinha was one of the few chorões who had the skills to arrange for larger ensembles.
CARMEN MIRANDA
• http://www.rhapsody.com/carmenmiranda/thebraziliantornado
• “The Brazilian Bombshell,� one of Hollywood’s biggest stars in 1940s; introduced samba and choro to the US. Biggest hit: Tico-tico
• When offered a role on Broadway in 1940 (The Streets of Paris), she refused to accept without Bando da Lua
• When not working on films, Bando da Lua played nightclubs with and without CM, both assimilating American jazz and disseminating Brazilian music to American audiences and musicians
JACOB DO BANDOLIM
• http://www.rhapsody.com/jacobdobandolim?pageid=rotw.searchartist&pageregion=A1
• By the late 1950s, bossa nova had swept the nation, and choro was regarded as old-fashioned
• Several musicians tirelessly to keep choro alive, including JB
• Held rodas at his house, produced radio and TV shows, organized large concert events, composed, performed and recorded with his band Epoca de Ouro
• Most famous piece: “Noîtes Cariocas�
• Also from this period: Waldir Azevedo
• http://www.rhapsody.com/album/warner25anos?artistId=9057091
REVIVAL
• First Noites Cariocas concert held in São Paulo in 1977; 4,000 in attendance
• Government funding of the arts helped fuel a short-lived revival
• Although this initial revival withered, choro re-emerged in the 1990s and remains vital today
LINKS
Brazmus
• http://www.brazmus.com
Marilynn Mair
• http://www.marilynnmair.com
LA Choro Ensemble
• http://www.lachoro.com/main.html
Choro Ensemble of New York
• http://www.choroensemble.com
Choro Club of Japan
• http://www.players.co.jp/~choro/
Posted by berge at 7:29 PM | Comments (0)
April 14, 2006
21st Century Class Notes
MUSIC CONSIDERED IN CLASS YESTERDAY
• Cassandra Williams
Listen to the interview on the NPRM podcast from 4/5
The album that is the focus of the interview is available on Rhapsody:
http://www.rhapsody.com/cassandrawilson/thunderbird
While you're there, listen also to CW sing standards like Polka Dots & Moonbeams:
http://www.rhapsody.com/cassandrawilson/standards
• Jimmy Rodgers
The Father of Country Music (aka "The Singing Brakeman")
http://www.rhapsody.com/jimmierodgers
There's a good biography at this site:
http://www.nativeground.com/jimmyrodgers.asp
• The Carter Family
You can listen here:
http://www.rhapsody.com/thecarterfamily?pageid=rotw.searchartist&pageregion=A1
This site has a good biography and photos:
http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/7059/carters.html
• Neko Case
You can listen to several radio pieces on NC at this NPR page:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5306138
This week's ASC (4/12) features several songs from a live concert
There's more on Rhapsody:
http://www.nekocase.com/
• Gillian Welch
This New Yorker story on GW is excellent:
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040920fa_fact3
All her albums are available on Rhapsody:
http://www.rhapsody.com/gillianwelch
In class we listened to "Dear Someone" and "I Want to Sing the Rock and Roll" from her Time (The Revelator) album.
• Ned Sublette
We listened to a couple cuts from NS's Cowboy Rhumba album:
http://www.rhapsody.com/album?albumId=246169
You can read a bit about him here:
http://www.afrocubaweb.com/nedsublette.htm
NS recently made a bit of a splash when Willie Nelson recorded his song "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other."
THIS WEEK'S PODCASTS
There's lots of interesting stuff in what I've heard of this week's podcasts so far. I'll follow up on the Glenn Kotche piece (Global Hit 4/13) by delving into the two influences he cites (the Ramayan Monkey Chant and music of the Shona from Zimbabwe). Also, if you're at all a Beatles fan, there's an extended look at a box-set reissue. In NPRM for 4/12, there's a cool piece on a percussionist/composer who uses junk as percussion, and a great interview with bassist Christian McBride.
TUESDAY
Tuesday I'll be talking about music from Brazil, so review the interview with Seu Jorge from last week. The class will serve as an introduction to a concert Tuesday evening, which will feature all Brazilian music. See you then...
Posted by berge at 9:44 PM | Comments (0)
April 11, 2006
21st Century Class Notes
MUSIC CONSIDERED IN CLASS TODAY
• Hank Williams on Rhapsody
http://www.rhapsody.com/hankwilliams/thebestofhankwilliamsthemillenniumcollection
Check out "Move It On Over," his first big hit; and "Hey Good Lookin'," which hit #1 in 1952.
• Hank Williams Jr. on Rhapsody
http://www.rhapsody.com/hankwilliamsjr
Check out "Losin' You" and "Montana Song."
• Hank Williams III on Rhapsody
http://www.rhapsody.com/hankwilliamsiii/straighttohellexplicit
Check out "Country Heroes" and "My Drinkin' Problem."
• Robin McKelle on NPR Music podcast 4/8
• Reggae from Lybia on Global Hits podcast 4/6
OTHER MUSIC TO CHECK OUT
Listen to Ella Fitzgerald singing "Something's Gotta Give," which is the first song heard on the NPR piece about Robin McKelle. The song was written by Johnny Mercer, one of the greatest of the Tin Pan Alley composers. Ella's version was released in 1964.
http://www.rhapsody.com/ellafitzgerald/singsthejohnnymercersongbook?pageid=rotw.searchtrack&pageregion=A1
Of this week's podcasts, I suggest you pay particular attention to these pieces:
Afropop: World Sacred Music Festival
ASC 4/6: Calexico, Gotan Project
NPRM 4/8: 1) Seu Jorge 2) How we react to Music 3) Robin McKelle
NPRM 4/5: 1) Cassandra Wilson 2) Hank Williams
All of the Global Hits episodes
Posted by berge at 6:34 PM | Comments (0)
April 9, 2006
Music Theory Q & A
Greetings! If you have questions about assignments or material covered in Music Theory class, post those questions as a comment. I will try to address such questions here or in class.
Posted by berge at 2:31 PM | Comments (0)
April 8, 2006
Listening Assignment for Tuesday 11 April
For starters, listen to all the podcast episodes for this week. This is a continuing assignment that is in effect for every Tuesday. As you'll quickly figure out, episodes are usually issued as follows:
Afropop Worldwide: Every Wednesday
On the Beat: Every Wednesday
All Songs Considered: Randomly
NPR Music: Wednesdays and Saturdays
Global Hit: Daily Monday through Friday
Every Tuesday you'll be expected to have listened to all of the previous week's episodes, with the exception of any episodes issued on Monday of that week, which will be part of the following week's assignment.
Always check here one day (24 hours) before class for additional assignments.
Posted by berge at 9:54 PM | Comments (0)
Podcasts
Here is the list of podcasts to which you will need to subscribe. Once you've subscribed, get all episodes dating back to 4 April, the first day of class.
Afropop Worldwide — http://www.afropop.org/
KCRW's On the Beat — http://www.kcrw.com/show/ob
NPR: All Songs Considered — http://www.npr.org/programs/asc/?ft=2&f=37
NPR: Music — http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=4819384
The World: Global Hit from BBC/PRI/WGBH — http://www.theworld.org/globalhits/
Posted by berge at 9:28 PM | Comments (0)