Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin is a well know ragtime composer and his music is an obvious reflection of that. The music he composed always seemed to be light with repeated patterns and emphasized off-beats. These characteristics are defining of ragtime. Ragtime originated in New Orleans, also known as the birth place of Jazz. It is a unique blend of European classical styles combined with African American harmony and rhythm. "Rag" is usually known as a piano oriented style that is written down. Being written, Ragtime songs can be performed over and over and remain the same throughout time. However, since it was written down, it did not involve much improvisation, causing people to dispute it as being a pure jazz style. It also lacked the "swing feeling" to its songs. Although it might not be considered strict jazz, it has still set the foundations for jazz as we know it. One of ragtime's main contributions is the presence of off-beats, also know as syncopation. This involves the accenting of before and after beats off the main beat of the song. It helps to provide "rag" with the lively light foot type of feeling. This feature provided a psuedo swing feeling to the songs. Also ragtime contained an extensive repetition of brief patterns. Musicians use ostinato to describe this characteristic. This is an obvious characteristic in Scott Joplin's composition. It helps to add to the swing feeling and keep a common theme in the song. This characteristic came from accompaniment rhythms in folk music and march music. Another feature of ragtime is the polyrhythm. This is the practice of sounding different rhythms at the same time. It helps to provide a rhythmic excitement and a catchy hook for listeners of ragtime.
"The Entertainer" carries all these features in it, which helps to make it a Ragtime classic. It contains many brief repetitions. It is obvious throughout the song as the listener can always identify the same sounding parts. Also there is syncopation helping to provide the lively swing type of feeling to it. The syncopated beats can be clearly heard on the piano and felt by the listener. Both other selections contain the same features and implement them in the same way.
Selection 1 -- I've been hearing pieces of this song sing I was a little kid.
In 1899, Joplin composed the Maple Leaf Rag. This song soon became the most popular piano rag of the period. It brought Joplin popularity, which inspired him to compose several more original rags.
Rag time as it is most commonly know was the type of fast paced music played around 1885 in St. Louis. Scott Joplin was born in 1868 and lived until 1917, but has done a lot in his life span. He was one of the first African Americans to be know as a composer. Born in Texarkana, Texas to a large family with musical background, he began learning to play the guitar and beagle, and gained free piano lessons by showing such fast progression to his teachers. After death of his mother, he left the house at age fourteen. He learned much form traveling through Mississippi playing in local spots and learning form what was offered to him. In 1885 he arrived in St. Louis, at the time a center for a new music phenomenon called ragtime.
"He just got his music out of the air," said one neighbor. One cannot hear the word "ragtime" without thinking of the "King of Ragtime," Scott Joplin. He is clearly one forerunner in the field of American music, particularly at the turn of the twentieth century.
Ragtime was preceded by minstrel shows, and adapted many of the same rhythms and swing-feeling to its music (Haskins). “[Ragtime’s] intoxicating compulsion came from within the depths of its symbolic drama: the triumph of freedom over slavery” (Waldo 34). Many stipulate that ragtime is not true jazz because there is little to no forms of improvisation, a hallmark of modern jazz. However, ragtime was extremely influential because music was played using syncopation, which is when notes that are off the beat are emphasized, instead of playing songs like the traditional marches of the time. The song “Michigan Waters,” published by New Orleans native Tony Jackson, is sometimes pointed to as the beginning of ragtime (Haskins). However, Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag,” which uses a form of syncopation, is usually thought of as the beginning of popular ragtime, and many of his later songs set the standard for other ragtime compositions. Ragtime eventually led to more classical pieces, usually played by white orchestras that had the same “ragged” notes that so closely was related to
Scott Joplin said: “Boy, when I’m dead 25 years, people are going to begin to recognize me.” With this quote, Scott Joplin seemed to predict the impact that his music and life would have on generations to come. Indeed, as time moved on Scott Joplin’s prediction became true. Best-known as a ragtime musician and composer, Scott Joplin set the standard for many other musicians that followed in his footsteps. Scott Joplin was an important figure in American History because he is considered the “King of Ragtime Writers.” Ragtime is music played in “ragged” or off-the-beat time.
Looking back on the dazzling and male-dominant world of music in the Sixties and Seventies, there stood a petite woman who was especially eye-catching. Janis Joplin, the female icon of the Sixties’ counterculture, conquered millions of audiences with her confidence, sexiness, straightforwardness, hoarse voice, and electrifying on-stage performance. To this day, no one can ever compare with her. She is thus known as the greatest white female rock and blues singer. Not only has her flabbergasting singing style innovated the music in the Sixties and Seventies, Janis Joplin herself is also character with most controversial and interesting characteristics.
This is seen in the poem The Weary Blues. In this poem Hughes sends out a sort of funk feel when he says, “In a deep song voice with a melancholy tone, I heard that Negro sing, that old piano moan… Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor. He played a few chords then he sang some more”. This type of style was seen in my favorite song done by the Jazz Big Band called Squib Cakes. This song is a funky up-beat jazz song that is filled with energy, hip, and grove, which fits the theme seen in Hughes work, The Weary Blues.
Hank Williams, Jr. was meant to be a superstar from the day he was born.
Ragtime music is described as having a syncopated or “ragged” rhythm, and that is exactly how Scott Joplin’s music sounds. The music he writes sounds to me like upbeat but light piano music. The music is not classical and dramatic; it is hoppy and sometimes delicate. All of it however has a strange but incredibly catchy beat or tune. I wasn’t sure if I would like ragtime music because I thought that I had never heard any before, and since its origins are from the early 1900s. However, I had heard ragtime music before and just hadn’t realized it, and I liked it a lot. Something about the beat of the music made it easily get stuck in your head and I found myself singing the beat to The Entertainer over and over in my head.
As a child Dylan was comfortable being the center of attention, often writing creative poetry for his mother and on occasion singing. Dylan had no formal music lessons, but none the less he began to compose. Later at age 14, he took up the guitar and shortly after formed a band, one of many he played the guitar in. Always plunging ahead, performing to his up most potentional, Dylan absorbed his surroundings as a source of inspiration. Even during his early efforts Dylan responded very positivly to mainstream musicians, such as country star Hank Williams. Yet, he responded especially well to early rock stars such as Little Richard, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis. In the summer of 1959, after graduation Dylan began to work at a cafe, where he began to pay increasing attention to folksingers such as Judy Collins and Jesse Fuller. Finding an instant connection with their songs, songs relevant to social issues. Dylan was drawn into both the musical style and the social message of these indivisuals.
Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901 to Mayanne and William Armstrong. His father abandoned his family during Louis' infancy. Louis spent the first years of his life with his grandmother, Josephine Armstrong. After age five, Louis moved back with his mother and his sister, "Mama Lucy." The family was forced to live in stark poverty. Louis got into some trouble when he was just 12 years old and was placed in the Waif's Home for Boys. It was there that he first received musical instruction and learned to play the coronet. He was released from the Waif's Home in June of 1914. He worked selling papers, unloading boats, and selling coal from a cart. Joe Oliver, one of the finest trumpet players in New Orleans, was Louis' music teacher and mentor. Louis married Daisy Parker, a prostitute from Gretna, Louisiana in 1918. He joined the Kid Ory Band after Joe Oliver moved to Chicago. In 1922, Louis moved to Chicago to play in the band Joe Oliver's band, " King Oliver." It was there where he separated from his wife, Daisy. He made his first recording with the band in one year later in Richmond, Indiana. He later married Lil Hardin, a pianist in the King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. He moved to New York City in 1924 to join the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra at the Roseland Ballroom. During that time he also did dozens of recording sessions with numerous Blues singers including Bessie Smith's 1925 classic recording of "St. Louis Blues." He also recorded with Clarence Williams and the Red Onion Jazz Babies.
Woody Guthrie Woody Guthrie, born Woodrow Wilson Guthrie, was born in Okemah, Oklahoma in 1912. When he was 16 he began to travel around the United States (Feather 428). He had a great love for music and soon began writing his own songs about the Great Depression and the treatment of the migrant workers, who were forced to move west because of the Dust Bowl. His music greatly influenced many people across the country.
The music of jazz became an important aspect of American culture in the early 20th century. The crisp syncopation of ragtime and the smooth tunes of the blues seeped into American mainstream music through dance halls and saloons and later through ballrooms. Instruments like the piano, trumpet, trombone and clarinet became important and symbolized the “swing-feel” of jazz because of their capability to syncopate and improvise precisely. With the help of the booming recording industry, musical geniuses were discovered and their talent and contributions to the emergence of jazz spread throughout the entire country. Such musicians include composer, arranger and pianist Jelly Roll Morton who heavily influenced the development of early jazz by his unique piano style, his “invention” of musical notation for jazz, and his compositions that have become the core in the jazz repertory. Because the style was new and different and so successful in drawing in large audiences, musicians around the world tried to mimic it. Furthermore, Morton’s masterpieces were the first to show notation for complicated jazz music and thus, formed the basis for standard notation in jazz compositions today.
In 1920 the Jazz music has emerged in the City of New Orleans and from there, there were also many great New Orleans Jazz musicians. Jazz is a music style that combines of three main element improvisation, bluesy flavor and swing feeling. Often, African American play Jazz on the street of New Orleans and they started to form bands and perform for people without charging them money. In the early history of Jazz, there was one major artist that has major contributions to Jazz, his name is Louis Armstrong. Armstrong was one of early jazz musicians who were born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Though, many African American Jazz musicians play music on the street of New Orleans but there was not any known record of their musics. Armstrong was one of those early Jazz musicians who move to Chicago where later he play and develop historic jazz style called improvision. Louis Armstrong well known as a soloist performer of his cornet or trumpet. Louis Armstrong using improvising technique where he can compose music while he is solo with his trumpet and create smooths and depth melodies.
The first song, Magnificat in C, was one of the longer songs performed, and featured many solos by Union students. This song is in Latin, but due to the English translation the audience received prior to the performance, we were able to follow along and comprehend the lyrics. This song demonstrated the various parts of a choir and allowed the sopranos, altos, and tenors to express themselves through sectional solos.