Tin Pan Alley, Swing, and Post-Swing Innovations (Lec 1/17/18 - 1/19/18)
How did the birth of the teenager/1950s post-WWII change music?
**around the 1950s** -swing craze declined around WWII; post-WWII swing had lost interest and now there was an air of optimism -push for something new; swing considered old people's music -more expendable income -changing technology = affected taste, spread of music, and production -teen demographic: baby boomers, wanted in vogue products, had some money -now white teens showing interest in race records
How did technology change and affect music after WWII?
*changing technologies: tv, record formats, radios, electrification -TV: now was affordable; becomes a driving force in popular culture; site for talk shows = frees up radio space; now artists must consider appearance -changing record formats: >1948: emergence of 33 record (larger, LP (long playing) record) which replaces the heavy, fragile 78; it's lighter, durable vinyl, more music >1949: 45 record appeared; smaller than 33 and fits in jukeboxes; made of same vinyl; allowed release of singles -radios: could play records in car radios; could hear music on radio -electrification: allowed instruments/sound to be amplified to be heard; now electric guitar can be a solo instrument
Describe, briefly, the evolution of the electric guitar.
*in Chicago/urban blues, use of electrification arose with electric guitar = electrification promoted the guitar to the forefront as a main melodic instrument/guitar virtuosity grew *Gibson ES-150 in 1936 gave legitimacy to electric guitar; had a hollow body = problematic because amplified body and string vibrations too *soln= Fender Telecaster (1950): first commercially produced SOLID body electric guitar
What was Tin Pan Alley? (include prominent figures)
-1885ish - Great Depression -happened along side hillbilly and race records (which were marginal music forms at the time) while tin pan alley music was mainstream -Tin Pan Alley was an actual area in NYC where there was a collection of NY publishers who dominated popular music from the late 19th to early 20th century -sheet music tradition -songs often attached to stage musicals (like Broadway) -birth of popular song form used by composers -prominent figures: George and Ira Gershwin
Who was George Gershwin?
-a prominent Tin Pan Alley figure -a popular songwriter, also credited with bringing blues influnece into classical music tradition (i.e. "Rhapsody in Blue")
What was the Swing Era? Describe swing.
-era preceding rock 'n' roll birth -1935 marks the beginning of the Swing Era: Great Depression = need for cheap activity -essence of swing = dancing! -4 beat feel -improvisation -bluesy, smooth, blended rhythm -characteristic relaxed excitement = high tempo but a little behind beat; nonchalance while doing virtuostic feats with the music (ex flips) -presence of walking bass lines (continuous sequence of notes in a step wise manner) -dance bands are at the heart of the Swing Tradition -> dance halls and youth driven -more straight, popular form of jazz -"the standard" = arrangement of popular song, the tune and some chords and own artists can put spin on song -notable song: "King Porter Stomp" (1935) by Benny Goodman
What is the Popular Song Form?
-widely used song form: AABA, especially for mainstream music; began in Tin Pan Alley tradition A: main melody A: main melody, perhaps with dif lyrics B: contrasting melody A: return to original, main melody ~for A's, words may change ~dif from blues form
