Chapter Three: Traditional African-American Music

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Chapter Three Traditional African-American Music

• From Africa to Afrocentric Innovations
• Some Call Jazz

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Traditional African-American Music

• Music Evolves During the Struggle for
  Independence and Equal Rights.X
• American Folksongs and the Blues Pre-Civil
  War...X
• Marches..X
• Minstrel Shows...X
• The Dawn of RagtimeX
• The Term Jazz.X
• Musical Influence on Religion, Racism, and
  Revolution....X
• Voodoo_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ X
• Jim Crow Segregation Perpetuates Segregated
  Musical Styles.X
• Summary..X

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A. Definitions - terminology - concepts, places,
etc. Think of the effect each has on the
evolution of African-American art music.

• Cross fertilization, racism, 13. Creole, mulatto,
  etc.
• sexism, artistic pillaging 14. Elements of
  Style
• 2. Africanization 15. Beat-metrical
  organization tempo
• Swing Rhythm 16. Artistic purpose and/or
  philosophy
• 4. Origins of the term jazz 17. Call and
  response
• 5. Polyrhythmical 18. Tunes, arrangements, and
  compositions
• Syncopation 19.
  Ostinato
• 7. Blue Note 20. decorating tones
• 8. Cultural function 21. Art, Folk Popular
  Music
• Melody 22. African Griot
• Harmony changes 23. Storyville
  The French Quarters
• Blues, AABA Form 24. Patting Juba
• 12. Timbre (tone color) 25. Place Congo
  (Congo Square)

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B. Understanding the history of the original
names used (both appropriately and
inappropriately) to describe the music we now
call jazz
1. March music 2. Novelty music 3. Juke
music 4. Fun music 5. Ragged music 6. Blue
music 7. Folk music 8. Jass 9. The "Devil's"
Music
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C. Traditional African musical elements
frequently retained in the spiritual, blues,
"jazz" and other music within the African
Diaspora an adaptation resulting from the
distillation of African multi-linguism (etc.),
subconscious memory, a social necessity in an
environment where communication was severely
restricted, and the convergences of cultural
traits within an oppressive American society.
1. Call and response
14. Interdisciplinary performances
2. Blue notes (microtones)
15. Communal participation 3. Polyrhythms
16. Sustained
intensity 4. Street cry - Field
hollar 17. Delivery projects over great
distance (outdoors) 5. Work song
18. Propensity toward
embellishment
6. Sea shanty 19. No musical time
limits 7. Church Spirituality (ritual)
20. Metronomic and repetitive 8. Falsetto Break
21. Hypermetric, non-periodic,
rubato, elastic 9. Signifying songs 22. Tension
release 10. Bantu Rain songs
23. Consonance dissonance 11. timbral
liberation (natural sounds) 24. Pitch
treatment 12. Ring shout 25. Display of
virtuosity 13. Oral tradition 26. Voice
imitating instrument visa versa
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D. Religious influences on jazz 1) The Great
Awakening Periods (1700's and the1800's) 2)
Voodoo vs. Catholicism and the
contradistinction between these and the
Protestant religions (especially Methodist and
Baptist) 3) Understanding the following
terms a. spiritual
b. gospel c. jubilee d. lining out e. jerks
and jerking
E. The Blues 1) Geographical regions involved
in the development a. Delta (Mississippi -
Alabama) b. The Territories (Texas- Louisiana-
Arkansas- Oklahoma-Missouri) c. Southeastern
seaboard (Georgia - Florida) d. Chicago
(urban) e. Kansas City (Mid and Southwestern -
urban) f. Memphis (urban) 2) Understanding the
major types of Blues and the innovators of each.
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Question WHY DO SOME PEOPLE FAVOR THE MUSIC OF
THOSE WHO IMMITATE AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC
(minstrels, Elvis, etc.) WHILE REJECTING THE
MUSIC IN ITS ORIGINAL FORM?
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F.What are the differences between the various
styles in terms of musical elements and
sociocultural conditioning?

1. Rural Blues
2. Classical Blues
3. Rhythm and Blues
4. Urban Blues
5. Rock and Roll
6. Blues or Rock revival
7. Rhythm and Blues or Soul revival
8. Blue-eyed soul

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G. Minstrelsy and its effect on jazz.

• Geographical areas involved (World's Fairs)
• Major composers
• Various parts of the minstrel show
• Origin of the term "Jim Crow"
• Origin and use of the Cake Walk
• Henry "Juba" Lane (artistic integrity of African
  American dances).
• Jack Diamond
• Famous personalities who borrowed from the
  minstrel show
• a. D. H. Lawrence
• b. Charlie Chaplin
• c. Al Jolson
• Christies (England's and North America's love of
  "black face")
• Hoe-down
• Social concepts

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H. Ragtime as an early jazz form

1. Geographical areas involved (The Worlds Fair)
2. Major composers and their work
3. Mining camps
4. Relationship to American theater (specific
   composers)
5. Forms and styles of ragtime
6. Piano rolls
7. Major record companies
8. John Phillip Sousa as a ragtime composer
9. Ragtimes relationship to Dixieland
10. Music for silent films

Ragtime composer Scott Joplin (1868-1917) Image
http//www.lsjunction.com/ people/joplin.htm
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END