Musical Terms
What is Ethnomusicology?
A study of music in culture, considering the context of music in society, music as it relates to human behaviour, and the general attitudes of a people about their music.
What are the 4 instrument classifications in Western music?
Brass, percussion, strings, and woodwinds
How is folk music typically preserved and learned?
Oral tradition.
What are some genres of music that have been influenced by Black Gospel music?
Black Gospel has influenced the genres of R&B, soul, and the blues.
What combination of things makes swing music?
Swing rhythm, unique combination of timekeeping and syncopation, melodies that are not played as written.
What is Oral Tradition?
The passing down of music by word of mouth from one generation to the next.
What creates rhythm?
The variety of changes in the duration of pitches.
What are the 2 forms of the blues?
Three-line poetic stanza form of poetry
12-bar blues
Why was psalm singing preferred by early U.S. settlers?
It was preferred over the liturgical music of the Roman Catholic Church and over the hymns of the Lutheran Church because they were averse to state religion and ecclesiastical power.
List which instrument is responsible for the following roles: Timekeeper, Walking Bass, Comping
Timekeeper: Drums
Walking Bass: Bass
Comping: Piano
What is a Walking Bass?
A jazz bass line played on each beat.
What are the 4 elements that all sounds have?
Pitch, duration, loudness, and tone quality.
What are the 3 qualities in the structure of a 12-bar blues?
A regular pattern of chords
A blues scale created by alterations to certain pitches, known as “blue notes”
A blues feelings that performers enhance by bending tones or sliding into or out of pitches to enhance their moaning, mournful “bluesy” quality
Name and describe the 2 styles of psalm singing that emerged during the first 100 years of the United States.
European, formal musical style, found among the more urban and musically literate populace.
Folklike style, found among less musically educated people, who typically lived in rural and small town environments.
What are the three primary sections in big band?
Rhythm, Brass, and Saxophone
What is Psalm Singing?
Congregational singing of rhymed, metrical version of the Psalms set to hymn tunes.
What are 3 reasons as to why European influences dominated American music early on?
Most early religious, folk, and popular songs were derived from traditions and styles from the British Isles and mainland Europe
Americans, were exposed to European classical music by travelling to Europe or listening to music performed by visiting or immigrant European musicians.
European Americans rejected the music of Native Americans as primitive and unworthy.
What are the 7 types of folk music?
Narrative ballads, lyric songs, work songs, children’s songs, protest songs, rally songs, and dance music.
Why were singing schools established?
They were created to restore the state of psalm singing and teach people how to sing “decently.”
What city did jazz emerge from?
New Orleans.
What is Revival?
A resurgence or a return to popularity of an existing style.
What’s the difference between notated and improvised music?
Notated music is written for the performer to read and interpret. Improvised music is simultaneously created, performed, and listened to by the performer, not written.
What is the difference in origin between African-American folk music and Anglo-American folk music? Where did each come from?
African American folk music is rooted largely in the musical expressions of slaves and their descendants in the Deep South. Anglo-American folk music grew out of the folk culture in the northeastern United States combined with British-influenced hymns and songs.
What are some differences between American Protestant music and Black Gospel music?
American Protestant music was often meant for the performer, not the listener. It was focused on the experience of the singer. Black Gospel music also focused on the performer, but it also was used to get a response from the audience. The performer and listener shared emotions and feelings together.
How did cool jazz differ from bebop?
Cool jazz applied musically sophisticated ideas on a softer, more relaxed, more accessible manner than bebop.