Ragtime I. Characteristics  FORM  Usually written in 2/4 or 4/4 time  Used many different themes though “4” themes were most common.  Most common structures included II:A:II II:B:II AII:C:II, II:A:II II:B:II AII:C:II II:D:II, II:A:II II:B:II II:C:II A  Some Pieces included Introductions  Rhythm  Defining Characteristic is the syncopated Rhythm that many marches utilized but were used very freely in Ragtime Music.  “RAGGED” rhythms

 Melody – “Ragged” rhythm  Harmony – the predecessor to what evolved into swing music.  II. Instrumental Preference  Mainly Instrumental – Piano, some vocals  Mr. Froggy Mr. Froggy  III. History  First pure American Popular Musical Genre  Styled after the marches made popular by John P. Sousa  Most Famous Composer was Scott Joplin  IV. Culture/Society  Music of the “Red-Light” districts  Why is it relevant to learn about this genre?

 Ragtime – The bridge from Classical to Jazz  1890’s – 1910  Shortly after the abolition of slavery African Americans began to explore new opportunities in education and in life  African American Performers were allowed to play in bars, clubs, and brothels. Ragtime developed here.  Ragtime performers and composers  Ernest Hogan – Was the first African- American to be considered a star on Broadway. Credited to giving Ragtime its name.  Vess Ossman - Banjo player, helped put Ragtime on the map.  Scott Joplin – Most famous Ragtime performer  Classically Trained Pianist  In 1898 produced his “Original Rags”  In 1899 gained International fame by this song “the Maple Leaf Rag”  Perhaps most famous for a song that was used in the 1973 film “the Sting.” It was called the Entertainer

Military Marches  I. Characteristics  Form  Most common time signatures are 4/4, 2/2, 3/4, 6/8, and ½ or Cut Time  Common Marches are at mm= 120  Rhythmic  “Ragged” Rhythms that were popular in Rag time got their influences from these marches.  Harmony/Melody  Lots of contrast – between loud brass sections and very, very fast woodwind sections.  Examples of Marches  Semper Fidelis Semper Fidelis  Sabre and Spurs Sabre and Spurs  King Cotton King Cotton  National March  Stars and Stripes Forever Stars and Stripes Forever  SSF First Recording SSF First Recording  II. Instrumental Preference  Instruments – Usually associated with Military Marching Bands  Vocals – Some vocals were added to popular marches such as the national march Stars and Stripes.

 Instruments  Percussion Section  Bass Drum  Snare Drum  Crash Cymbols  Brass Section  Trumpets  Trombones  Sousaphones  Euphoniums/Baritones  Woodwind Section  Clarinets & Bass Clarinets  Flutes & Piccolo’s  Oboe’s

 FORM Introduction (4-8 measures) 1 Strain – A Section1 st Strain Repeat – A Section 2 nd Strain – B Section2 nd Strain Repeat – B Section Break Strain (4-8 measures) TRIO - C Section Break Strain – Repeated TRIO – C Section Repeated – Added Counter Melody Coda – Not always.

 III. History  Used mainly for Formal Ceremonial Music  Military Formations  Change of Command Ceremonies  Pass and Review Events  French Quick March – Napoleon Bonaparte – Because of the French Military help during the Revolutionary War  British Marches – Much Slower  3 Types of Marches in the 19 th Cent.  Grand march Style  Quickstep  March Style  IV. Culture/Society  Very Patriotic  Very popular with American Public  Sousa’s Band toured the US and Europe for 30 years ( )

 Why is this relevant?  Why should this matter to you?  What is the point of learning about music in history?  ?

 Definitions  Blues – Derived from African works songs. Based on a lowered or altered major scale (the third is lowered in the scale) accompanied with lamenting lyrics.  Spirituals/Gospel – Primarily expressions of religious faith first sung by slaves on southern plantations.  Blues  Combination of African Work Songs, field hollers, and shouts. Slaves and their descendents turned these into passionate solo songs.  Developed in rural south in the early part 20 th century.  During the 1920’s white Americans were first introduced to the style through female blues singers like Mamie Smith.  Blues were often mixed with Christian spirituals quickly becoming the basis of gospel music.  First Primarily call and response vocal music  These characteristics existed before the early 20 th Century in African American folk music but was organized into the modern blues form of AAB structure.

 Blues Singers  Bessie Smith – popular during the 1920’s  Robert Johnson & Blind Willie McTell– rose in popularity when record companies launched “race music” targeted at African American audiences.  Blues influences in Modern Music  Blues music continued to change from the early 1900’s up to 1950  1920’s – Blues became popular in mainstream american music  1940’s – Pure blues styles decreased in popularity, and was only a minor part of popular music.  1950’s – Bluesy style of gospel music became popular in mainstream America once again. Singer’s like Mahalia Jackson were popular at this time.  Much of these were experienced mainly at major revivals throughout the country.  Modern Artists  BB King  Little Richard  Example of how blues has had influence in modern music. (Phinious and Ferb Video) (Phinious and Ferb Video)

 Spirituals  Sung by slaves on southern plantations  Based on religious text and concepts found in the Bible.  1871 at Fisk University became the home of the Jubilee Singers  This group pioneered the growth and popularity of spirituals as they moved across the country.  Imitation groups sprouted across the country and was followed by early 20 th -century singers of jackleg and singing preachers.  These became the antecessors of modern gospel music.  Negro Spirituals  During the Great Awakening (late 19 th -century) many blacks began singing adapted versions of older Protestant hymns.  These were called Negro Spirituals  These spirituals were a mixture of African rhythmic structures and the Christian influences that many slaves were exposed to while working on plantations in the South.  Primarily expressions of religious faith  Were also used as socio-political protests veiled as assimilation to white American culture.  Messages from the underground railroad  There is speculation that some of these negro spirituals were also coded messages for those slaves desiring to escape through the underground railroad.  There are many speculations about this but there is no specific proof to back up the speculation.

Swing Low Sweet Chariot First Recorded Fisk Jubilee Singers in 1909 Written by Wallis Willis sometime before 1862 This was inspired by the Red River located in Mississippi. Red River reminded Willis of the Jordan River in Isreal and the Prophet Elijah being taken to heaven by a chariot. (Book of Kings, Bible) This is one of those songs that was claimed to have hidden messages for the underground railroad. Alexander Reid Heard Willis singing the song and transcribed the melody Modern Uses 1977 & 1992 Pink Floyd Lyrics used in the song “Sheep” from the Animals album. Also used in “Bravery of Being out of Range” in the Amused to Death album Radiohead “Pyramid Song” from Amnesiac

 I. Characteristics  Form - Many Different Variations  Blues -  II. Instrumental Preference  III. History  Jazz began to gain popularity in the 1920’s  Many people connected Jazz with loose morals and that it was a negative influence on society, challenging cultural norms and morals.  Race Divide  Again Jazz music was very popular with African American musicians and society, in order to make it more acceptable with larger white dancing audiences bands such as  IV. Culture/Society

 New Orleans Jazz  Originally spelled “Jass” and then later evolved into “Jazz”  Had a profound influence on modern Jazz music  Also known as the Creole jazz style  Based on old French Creole jazz that many slaves brought with them  Performers  Jelly Roll Morton – Afro-Creole pianist, was famous for the “Jelly Roll Blues”  Composed around 1905  Published in 1915 as the first Jazz arrangement in print.  Buddy Bolden  Played in New Orleans around  Famous for tunes like “Buddy Bolden Blues”  Later on in life he became mentally ill and spent the remainder of his life in a mental institution  Genre’s New Orleans Jazz  Big Band  Swing Bands  Jazz Combo’s  Dixieland groups  Prohibition  New Orleans style Jazz and Swing music became popular during the prohibition era.  Due to the fact that this music was popular in speakeasy’s and brothels it became almost the music of chose for alcohol runners because their customers frequented these speakeasy’s and brothels.