The Sound of Philadelphia an extremely characteristic song in the movement of the disco beat movement. This upbeat funky tune came in during the time of motown in the 1970’s, and started a new genre of music. This Disco beat is classified or known specifically by the subdivided 4/4 meter on the drum set, in this song keeping the underlying beat and flow of the song going. Songs that came about during this disco beat don’t hesitate to build up, evident from the flow established from the beginning stanza.

In the beginning of the song, We hear several main instruments that are responsible for beat, and others that classify the melody. We hear a keyboard and a drum set that are establishing the beat or flow of the song, on top of the brass instruments that come in immediately to start the melody of this song. This song establishes a melody that is very iconic of the disco period. The range and contour of the melody help make this unique. The phrasing is constantly moving up and down every other beat in the sub-division. Another quality of the drum set that establishes the flow, is the off beat phrasing. The high hat symbol of the set is played on the off beat during every phrase making it very distinguishable. On top of the off-beat phrasing that we see from the drums, we hear the syncopation from every other note played in each phrase. This is where we see the timbres of 2 layers coming together for one function. Each of the different layers has the same speed, as the music moves through time as one piece.

A large part of the timbres of each layer in this song is the dynamics of each layer. As the musical message builds in the melody of the song, the volume of the playing dramatically increases, and swings from low to a pronounced high sound with  a noticeable gap. Generally we dont notice the punched or separated nature of the tune, since for the most part the melody presents a smoother tune while the refrains and beat are more punched. The saxophone blends the notes together when we hear the melody, except for the  call and response between the saxophones and brass instruments. Here we hear the alternation between the Three and One note phrases. Each of the phrases that we hear in this song during the call and response are responding to one another musically. We don’t hear and text in the song until the end when a group of singers comes in to sing the main tune, displaying the same call and response. Towards the end when the singers come in, we hear the call and response within their layer, as one sings the rhythm and the other responds with a melody.

We hear scales being played constantly and chords heavily repeated in this song. There is a scale played repeatedly in this song, that every instrument plays. We see this scale come in with the playing of the saxophone, and the response of the brass instruments. In the background we also hear the playing of the electric guitar and bongos to establish the rhythm. This pattern with the melody accompanied by the response of another instrument is maintained, and then interchanged throughout with different instruments taking turns in this spot. The timbres of each of the switches makes it harder to realize they are playing the same tune, and the transition helps block it as well. The response we see lays on the off beat in between the scales that are played.

At the end of the song, we hear repeated scales as we do throughout, but this time leading up and building up to the vocals. We hear whole notes being held which have a crescendo to them. The music intensifies as the vocals are added. We hear the saxophone belting notes and holding them when the vocals are sung, still holding the same sub-division of notes as the vocals are added. The vocals parallel the music at first, by not only singing the scales that are played, but adding text on top of that. This layer that is added signifies almost the climax of the song, bringing it to a conclusion.

The development of Jazz music in the United States, like many forms of music, is derived from African American musical style. The Jazz music scene incorporated not only African American musical styles, but presented European characteristics during performances, and shows origins reaching as far back to ragtime music. As we see a progression of this musical genre, branches of Jazz such as the Bebop style begin to show popularity during the late 1930’s, only after obstacles surfaced. Artists such as Charlie Parker and Carmen McRae gained popularity through this new style of Jazz, which allowed for intricate expression through musical characteristics. Bebop allowed Parker and McRae to use their musical influences of previous successful artists they looked up to, as well as their own musical knowledge to relay messages of social stratification and feelings. Parker and McRae show parallels in their musical styles by displaying differences in melody, texture and harmony to  justify their messages through music, characterizing their identity as well as using music as a medium of expression.
Charlie Parker is seen as one of, if not the main pioneer of the bebop music style, helping shape the course of twentieth century music (Larkin, 415). This bebop music style sees its beginnings in the early 1940’s, and doesn’t become what we now refer to as ‘modern jazz’ until the 1960’s (“Jazz”). This twist of jazz music was driven by a younger generation of musical talent that parker was a part of, as the artists of the time were striving to make a version of jazz that showed great virtuosity. This new style shifted away from the swing of jazz music, and shifted towards the emphasis on improvisation, driving the tempo of music to be faster. This allowed for more variation within the tempo of the music, underlined by the characteristics of the melody that shapes the music being played. Parker and other performers played with the different speeds and functions of the layers as we see the dynamics and articulation within each layer become more pronounced, ultimately leading to the expression and identity of this playing style.

To start, let’s take a look at the piece, “Groovin’ High” by Charlie Parker. This is an iconic piece that Parker and Dizzie Gillespie collaborated on. Gillespie is heard playing the trumpet in this piece alongside Parkers saxophone playing, in one of the most iconic bebop pieces that came about right as bebop was seeing its origins. In this piece, Parker in particular steers away from the typical Jazz swing music. Parker speeds up the tempo of this song, which allows for distinctive improvisation alongside the bass pulse heard. In this piece, Parker is able to create a distinct harmony by altering the dynamics of the song, with the help of his punched articulation through scales. This is the main contributor in his virtuosity when he displays his emotion through his music. The melodic structure also contributes to this by his addition of motives, an extremely wide range of notes in his scales. These elements are driven by his improvisation and twist away from traditional jazz, characterizing bebop. Parker’s emotional expression in this song is a gateway to his creation of his identity in bebop. Not only did parker want to shape bebop so it expressed the artists musical talent, but he wanted to change the social stratification of African Americans in this genre. He saw this as a gateway for other African American music artists including himself, to display their musical talent, which drove their social status. Charlie Parkers musical style also paralleled that of Carmen McRae who flourished in this genre as well.

Carmen McRae, much like Charlie parker, grew up for a heavy passion in jazz music. Since her childhood and teenage years, she was influenced by one of the all time jazz greats, Billie Holiday, who she considers to be her primary influence (Armstrong, 162-164). As Armstrong expressed in an excerpt from Contemporary Musicians, “Growing up in the culturally rich environment of Harlem in New york City gave McRae a strong background in blues”. Jazz music is derived, as many styles are, from the blues scene. McRae worked with influential artists throughout her early years as a pianist and jazz singer in New York City, and found herself linked up with Charlie Parker and Dizzie Gillespie. McRae performed with Parker and Gillespie in a club called Minton’s, linking their musical talents in the jazz scene. In McRae’s musical style, we see similar elements to Parkers birth of bebop. Most notably, in the song “Dear Ruby (Ruby, My Dear)”, we see a slower version that resembles more of a jazz feel, compared to Parkers intense virtuosity. McRae not only sings in this piece, but also plays piano. Similar to elements heard in parkers playing, the saxophone solos present distort the melody, by expanding the range of the notes, and creating an unequal subdivision between the notes. A unique characteristic of this piece is the motives that create the melody. There are levels consisting of McRae’s piano playing, saxophone solos, and a string bass maintaining the pulse. This song shows characteristics of the jazz swing style, accompanied by the knowledge of musical range in the birth of bebop. The messages that we saw parker relay in his piece, were musically driven in the sense of using his saxophone as a medium of expression for his message. Comparatively, we see McRae use her singing and voice as her form of expression. The same musical qualities are present in both, as McRae distorts the notes by bending and blending them. McRae drives her emotional message through these elements, sending a message again, of her social status.

Similarities between parker and McRae are drawn by the characteristics in their musical styles. Charlie Parker and Carmen McRae, both African American artists, use music as a form of expression that drives their identity. Historically, African American artists weren’t always placed towards the top of the social stratification, however parker and McRae are using their musical abilities and unique style of expression to drive their status upward.

Works Cited

Armstrong, Robin, and Julia Rubiner.Contemporary Musicians – Profiles of the People in Music. Gale Research. 162-164. Print.

Larkin, Colin, ed. The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. 4th ed. Vol. 6. Oxford UP, 2006. 415-417. Print.

“Jazz.” African American Music. Ed. Mellonee Burnim and Portia Maultsby. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2015. 163-188. Print.

Shake, Rattle and Roll is a classic example of a twelve bar blues format song, that is now incorporated into early rock and roll. In the beginning of this song, we see the opening use of repeated piano scales and the pulse of the snare drum to maintain and establish the underlying rhythm of the song, found continuously throughout. This snare drum and repeated piano scales at the beginning before the text of the song begins is articulated more heavily than when the text begins. The piano and drum maintain a strong harmonic character as they are laying the foundation for this piece. The function of this layer typically does not change, as it is keeping the flow of the song going, while complimenting the singing and saxophone solos. It maintains a strong contour as the range only deviates slightly when the phrase shifts. The notes in the scale change pitch expanding the range in each phrase. The shift occurs in three motions in each phrase, but does not occur in every phrase. The snare drum, however, maintains a constant timbre in each phrase and does not change contour.

When the text of the song begins, the function of the piano and drum layer changes to a compliment of the text, but does not change speed only timbre. The scales and drums are not as pronounced and have decreased in volume to just simply compliment. In this piece, the text is often repeated. The repetition is usually seen on the fist line of each phrase, which is repeated once with a substance line following it that contains the main message of the song. There is heavy swing evident between the scales being played and the range of the singers voice. Each word in the phrases played have distinct characteristics. Most words are punched and contain bending of the notes to show emotion. Often, specifically in the opening of the song before the singer changes, the timbre undergoes a dynamic change for additional emotion and message.

We see an incorporation of a second singer, along with a consistent hand clap that goes along with the rhythmic structure of the song. Right before the musical shift of singers occurs, a saxophone is present, almost in a call and response fashion as it plays up scales on the off beats of the text after each phrase. It also compliments the singer right before the shift occurs, playing in the background functioning as a compliment to the singer and the pulse of the tune. The musical transition that occurs during this piece is present at the halfway point, symbolic of the climax of the song. As the transition is taking place, there is a heavy consonant harmonic quality of the tune while the overall timbre is adjusting. The drums in this tune play a plethora of notes and the saxophone begins playing its melody, sounding disjunct. This saxophone is playing the shake rattle and roll tune or beat by the saxophone. We also hear the incorporation of a  string bass that plays along with the melody created by the saxophone playing. The saxophone playing has several characteristics such as the blending and bending of notes that adds to the motives and rhythm in the melodic layer. After this shift in this song occurs, so does the text. The function of each layer maintains its integrity in regard to the musical structure, however the lyrics change and focuses on a different topic. The hand clapping is now a structured musical element and is continuous with the speed and function of the snare drum, just adding a separate timbre.

The saxophone now almost plays the roll of a back up singer for the lead singer. The saxophone responds to the text of the song with four punched notes at the end of each stanza, however this is only maintained through the main melody of the second half, before the main tune of shake, rattle and roll is repeated. When the shake, rattle and roll is repeated the saxophone begins to play more intricate musical patterns that expand the range and add to the phrasing of the rhythm. The articulation of the towards the end of the song becomes smooth for the saxophone playing, and falls on the off beat of the main tune consisting of an unequal subdivision for the saxophone. This playing of the saxophone really compliments the timbre and function of the text, as the bending and blending of notes are parallel to each other.

At the conclusion of the song after the phrasing of shake, rattle and roll is repeated for the last time, all elements that were incorporated in to the song, such as the hand clapping and saxophones that were added all come together and function as a strong melodic tune. The dynamics increase, and the contour parallels the undertones found in the song such as the blending and bending of the notes. The layers function together as there are two main layers, the text and instrumentals as the instruments play together. This is the point when the harmonic character is the most structured, and the range expands one last time as a progressive scale is played by the instruments, coming to a climactic conclusion with a punched note to end the song.

This piece by Edwin Hawkins Singers is an iconic piece for its time period. This piece was a driving force behind the movement of Contemporary Gospel music seen in the late 1960’s. Edwin Hawkins singers moved to the scene of contemporary gospel by including instruments like horns, bongos and the fender bass to blend all popular genres of the time period. The beginning of this song sets the tone for the message being relayed. This song titled “Oh Happy Day” most likely referred to a good day, which is inferred before the song begins. The use of piano and bongos that come in during the very beginning of this piece establish a melody that is present throughout the whole song. The bongos and percussion play the pulse for the piano that is playing the melody. This melody rolls on as the beat builds through the first stanza, through melodic phrasing. several phrases are added before the opening text of the song, shaping the melody in an upward motion, like it is building for the text. The motive of the the bongos on the offbeat of this melodic phrase help the rolling of the basic melody, expressed by the articulation of the bongo. The piano notes are punched as each phrase is built along the melody so the change is evident.

The text that comes in right after the basic melody and pulse are established, is filled with emotion. Through the timbre of the lead vocalist, you can pick up a distinct “happy” tone to her voice. Not only is she singing about it being a happy day, she starts off with a softer tune where she uses blending and bending of the notes to show emotion. A call and response between the lead vocalist and the choir also help express the emotion being conveyed. Here we see another layer added to the song. The choir responds to the lead vocalist as they are preaching about the lord washing their sins away. Now there are 3 layers. One being the instrumental melody and another being the lead vocalist accompanied by the choir of the song. Throughout the song we see these 3 layers functioning differently. As the choir responds to the call of the lead singer, a progression of range is present. The song builds, and the timbre of the layers develops, the choir being the most prominent, particularly when they take over most of the singing while the lead vocalist responds to them in a shift. When this shift takes place, There is a distinct change in the function of the layers. The choir takes over the singing, becoming extremely dynamically inclined as as the singers move through time together. A call and response with heavy swing is seen within the choir now, as they take over the vocals. This rhythm established seems to be functioning on two layers. One where the lead vocalist sings with the choir as it builds, then another when the expression of the choir is pronounced singing the main refrain of the song. Dynamically, as the function of the layers change, we see an increase in speed and volume as a consonant quality of the song. When the choir of the song takes over, the bass of the song is more pronounced and the articulation is more harsh. We see a separation of pause in between the phrases of the choir. At the beginning of the phrase, the notes of both the text and the instruments in punched. The instruments are delayed behind the singing of the choir, as they are the main tune now.

The text of this piece drives the emotional playing of the instruments and especially the choir that compliments. When the speed and function of the layers changes from the refrain to the chorus, the text changes, and matches the function of the layers. This function of the layer seems to be powerful expression. As they sing the chorus of the song, they describe how jesus taught them how to do things like fight and pray, which is why this section is sped up and the character of the notes is dramatically changed. The Range of the vocals along with the dynamics and articulation specifically correlate with the speed of each layer. As the layer speeds up, these elements increase in strength. Since the father figure in this song is jesus, and they are preaching to him especially during the parts of the song when the choir is pronounced, it functionally makes sense these are more powerful. As the song concludes, it is evident that this song came during the time period and help progress the “urban” style of gospel music by adding a funk/rock twist. First evident by the instrumentation with the string bass, as well as the overall timbre and flow of the piece, from start to end, the song has 2 faces. Either the lead vocalist singing with a response from the choir, or the choir preaching with heavy emotion and louder vocals, still with a less pronounced response in the background. Each face of the song was repeated twice before the song was over, as the structure wasn’t hidden. Each part respectively had their own emotional feel through the speed and function of the layers.

Potato Head Blues is a song that greatly represents the face of early jazz music during the early 1900’s. Many of Louis Armstrong’s roles in early jazz music became the pathway that jazz seemed to take. Iconic pieces such as this one include elements that were unique of Armstrong’s styles.

In the beginning of this song, no time is wasted establishing the texture that is present throughout the whole piece. Granted, the roles of the instruments and the presence of them change throughout, from the first note all instruments are present. In the first verse of this piece, it seems as if 3 or 4 instruments are playing a disjunct tune that almost sets up the melody. Each layer in its own timbre plays the overall melody of the song, which is a disjunct tune where all of the instruments aren’t necessarily playing in the same tune, however they are moving through time as one. This tempo present in the opening of the song is fast paced, with heavy swing to the notes, typical of jazz music. The Syncopation in the beginning also plays a role in the disjunct tune, as each layer is playing with their own sub-division, making notes fall on the off beats of other layers, which is a heavy motive for the disjunct nature. All of these elements including the dissonant nature of the harmonic character in the beginning make up the overall melody being played to establish or set up for the solos present as the piece progresses.

We see a dramatic shift in all elements as the piece moves through time. The piece is set up by this extremely disjunct and wild melody at the beginning, and is almost soothed about 45 seconds into the piece when the first solo begins. When the disjunct tune regresses, the only instruments we hear present for this section are an underlying pulse of a string instrument, accompanied by a melodic tune being played by what seems to be a trumpet. Both of these components seem to move through time at a rather rapid pace with the speed of each layer progressing steadily. One main component in this solo is the progression of timbre in the trumpet playing. There is heavy bending and distortion of the notes, as if they incorporated almost a sass into their trumpet playing. The articulation of this section is also important specifically in the function and timbre of the layers. The function of the trumpet solo playing is to heavily express feeling or relay a specific message through their tone, which is very evident. The range in every layer except for the pulse is extremely variable, and depends on the function of the layer. For example in  the first solo, the progression of the range from start to finish is significant, as the range builds, complimenting the timbre.

As the we move on to the second solo in this piece, we see more of a call and response type action being performed in the song. With the shift in style of music, we see a major shift in roles of the layers which are essential to this piece. I see it as three major shifts in function as the song progresses. The song begins and ends with a disjunct tune, sandwiched by two different types or styles of playing. One is the trumpet solo playing accompanied by the pulse of the string instrument that I previously discussed. The second is the unique solo by Armstrong. Here is when we see the call and response really start to play out, however the bass is almost just an accompanying response, not as detailed as Armstrong. In this piece, as the book discusses, Armstrong’s unique style of playing is shown, as he includes vibrato at the ends of his phrases. Up until the moment of Armstrong’s solo at the end the phrasing of the layers helps to set up or establish a platform for what he relays at the end. the tempo and swing of the notes is present throughout the opening and majority of the first half of the song, then armstrong uses semitones which is a motive to set up the shape of the contour which changes at the end. It is altered by the characteristics developed such as the semitones that resemble Armstrong’s style of music. the Timbre of the harmonic character is dramatically altered at the end as well. When we hear Armstrong’s trumpet playing to conclude the solos in this piece, the function and speed of each layer is changed which seems to alter the message relayed. This piece doesn’t even include text, as most jazz doesn’t, but it is evident that all of the melodic elements specifically character, range, and motives really help to establish timbres that relay a message without text. The power of the musical elements present helps shape the piece and build its character without words.

During the early to middle 20th century, Jazz music and categories alike flourished as musical genres developed and branched off of blues and jazz. Musicians like Charlie Parker and Carmen McRae helped to develop the sub-divisions of popular genre, creating popular styles such as bebop which was expanded greatly by these two. Parker and McRae both developed jazz music in their own respects as Parker focused on Saxophone solos and McRae took a vocalist approach. Both McRae and Parker were extremely respected artists that received social recognition by receiving several Grammy Award Nominations. Many fans and musicians looked up to Parker and McRae as they assisted greatly in the progression of this genre, however encountered hurdles in their personal lives along the way. In this Literature Review, an in depth look at the social, historical, as well as musical elements will show the impact Parker and McRae had during their musical careers.

A social context of a someones life is seen as a large influential factor as to the development of their social interactions. In one case, in particular Charlie Parker, the social structure and stratification of Parkers life heavily influenced the path his life took. Parker had a chronic addiction to heroin, along with a good number of jazz musicians as heroin was popular during this time. This influenced Parker so heavily that he missed performances and even went as far as to pawning his saxophone for drug money. Parker was extremely popular and well respected as his fans fueled his addiction by assisting him monetarily to buy heroin. This addiction, as any kind of addiction would, took over his musical career, slowing down the progression of bebop and jazz. Parker couldn’t perform in a number of shows, which is what his fans lived for as they loved seeing him perform live. When parkers addiction to heroin became less impactful, he resorted to alcohol, which also caused similar affects to shows as the heroin did. As seen even today, fans stay faithful through hard times. Parker attended rehab in California, where he developed his musical career eventually releasing music in reference to his stay in California. This heavy drug addiction ultimately ended Parkers career at a tender age of 35. Parkers life ended too early, and left behind hours and hours of hard work he used to perform at the top of the genre and be respected by so many. Many people rejected the improvisation of his style of jazz he pioneered, as they viewed it as no longer being a part of the jazz tradition, especially when artists elaborated his innovation ( Patrick , 227). Similarly to Parker, McRae started her playing career at a very young age. McRae showed significant resistance in her early years as she was an African American woman musician in the north. McRae had a nack for performing and loved to be on stage. She had a similar intellectual approach as Parker, however appeared more in public as she did not let drugs affect her life. McRae also tagged along with some of the most influential artists such as Billie Holiday, which is when McRae received significant publicity. Parker, compared to McRae, created a name for himself by more of a self-promotion approach. Both Parker and McRae were highly respected in the jazz scene, but established themselves socially in their own respect.

In a Historical context for both Parker and McRae, both of these artists significantly impacted history, and were also affected by the events that were present during their lives. Charlie Parker was seen as an artist that shaped the course of twentieth-century music (Larkin, 415). Parker grew up in Kansas city where jazz was very popular and saxophone playing was extremely competitive. Parker dropped out of school at a young age and decided to take up playing the saxophone. Impacted by the war, the number of big bands present was numerous in Kansas City, so Parker took his playing to Harlem where he started to pioneer new music along with other artists like Charlie Christian and Thelonious Monk (Larkin, 416).  Parker was playing improvisation pieces accompanied by percussion instruments, eventually creating his own style that the press started to call “bebop”. Parker and other African American artists became extremely confident during this period in time when full employment for the black community was present, as parker established bebop (Larkin, 416). At the time, Parker was seen to be producing music for what was considered to be modern and hip. Notoriously known for extreme heroin use, jazz musicians found the drug easily available from the rise of mafias that came about at the end of WWII. Fortunately, Parker was able to go to rehab and eventually produce music about his stay in rehab. As for Carmen McRae, when she began performing in her late teens with idols such as Billie Holiday, she developed as a musician during the thick of the Harlem Renaissance. During this movement, many african american artists migrated to norther cities in search of a fresh start. These musicians celebrated their renewal through musical collaborations. These artists picked up on the bebop that Parker had pioneered a few years earlier. McRae began playing in New York Clubs part time early in her career when she thought she was too young and inexperienced to really make her living as a musician (Armstrong, 162). In Harlem, it had become a breeding ground for thriving arts particularly music. Minton’s Playhouse was one spot in particular that artists played and experimented with harmonies and rhythms into the new music (Gourse). This is where McRae began learning about bebop as McRae referred to it as “the new thing” that became the focus of her life, which influenced Carmen’s overall style (Gourse).

Charlie Parker and Carmen McRae had a significant impact on the jazz scene, in particular the rise of bebop. As Parker helped drive the birth of what is referred to as bebop, McRae helped influence the progression and ultimately the success of the style. Not only did events during their lives help the establishment of bebop, the evolution continued after their passing as well. Bebop didn’t initially flourish as parker was deviating from the norm, but it continued to progress after his passing when he was just 35 years old. Both Charlie Parker and Carmen McRae were affected by their physical surroundings heavily which influenced their playing with the people around them, and ultimately the genre of Jazz.

Works Cited

Armstrong, Robin, and Julia Rubiner.Contemporary Musicians – Profiles of the People in Music. Gale Research. 162-164. Print.

Gourse, Leslie. “Learning on the Jazz Scene in Harlem.” Miss Jazz. New York: Billboard, 2001. 17-18. Print.

Larkin, Colin, ed. The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. 4th ed. Vol. 6. Oxford UP, 2006. 415-417. Print.

Patrick, James. New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Kernfeld, Barry. 2nd ed. Vol. 3. 227-232. Print.

This piece of work is another one of charlie parkers iconic saxophone playing pieces. To start, lets talk about the texture of the song. From the very beginning of the song, Parker is playing the saxophone, and to start it is a simple one layer of a solo, with a bass of some sort complimenting the saxophone. Shortly, additional layers become incorporated into the song about 10 seconds into parkers saxophone playing. A simple call and response between Parker and a background piano is heard, as parkers playing is more pronounced than the response. While parker is playing his part on the saxophone, and the layer of the piano is added in, and right away compliments and plays a call and response with parkers lead saxophone part. This layer of the piano that is added in does a significant job in establishing the melody throughout this song. This layer of the piano does an excellent job of filling the gaps and keeping the song going as there is a slight progression from Parkers saxophone playing to the guitar solos, possibly mixed in with some trumpet playing. . Throughout the song there are typically 2 melodies in each of the layers as the call and response is seen with different instruments played alongside of parkers saxophone. If i were to take a guess, I would say this is a chordal polyphony. You can hear several melodies being played at the same time, as the notes move along in time together. Each of the layers has a distinctive timbre shown by the stress of the notes and the complexity of each rhythm. These timbres are also evolving throughout the song as it progresses, and the solo instruments becomes diverse. For example, the timbre of Parkers saxophone playing seems smooth and conjunct, as opposed to when the soloist comes in playing the trumpet. Not only is the trumpet harsher on the ears as opposed to the saxophone, but the music that was complimenting the trumpet was also more harsh. As the song moves on, we see different instruments being played with several different compliments each contributing to the timbre of each layer.  As we discuss the time of the song, most of what parker is playing is scales, and its hard to distinguish the stressing, if there is any at all, on the notes in each meter. the pulse of the song is played by a bass string instrument behind the piano as it responds to parkers saxophone. The overall Meter typically stays consistent through the whole song, with exceptions of the call and response where there are only 2 instruments playing. The basic tempo of the piece consists of the call and response between saxophone and piano for one meter, a scale complimented by the piano, and back to the call and response as a repeated theme. This theme that we see go back and forth incorporates more character each time it is established by adding more instruments and increasing articulation. Most of the time the syncopation is noticeable as the last note of each subdivision is held, but other than that the stress of the notes varies. About halfway through the song as the two bass instruments play a call and response scale to transition instruments for the solo, the syncopation becomes evident and more pronounced. The piano is the biggest player in the syncopation as well. Most of the solos played wether it be the sax, trumpet or guitar, scales built up and transitioned one instrument to the next. As the instruments transitioned from one to the next, the piano syncopated the change with a tune from the melody in between. The melody of this song is created by a variety of pitches. As parker and the piano perform the call-response mechanism, the next phrase is usually inclusive of  a scale with a pronounced note to start. The phrases in this song all work together, as a wide range of notes are played through a wide variety of scales. Scales played seem to range from C to D major. The character of these scales is constituted by the blending and bending of the notes that parker plays, which is a natural element and often times key to successful saxophone playing. You can hear a lot of blending of notes as each phrase is coming to an end. Parker also tends to hold the notes at the end of each solo which adds to the motives of the melody, building on this throughout the whole song. One of the motives that we hear evolve throughout this piece is the constant repetition of the use of scales for every instrument. This can be found in the melody as well as the functioning layers. Each of these scales plays along and compliments the overall functioning pulse, played by a string instrument. He does this to create the stye of jazz he plays in many of his pieces. There are no lyrics in this piece, however it seems as if the different phrases vary in length based on his style of play with the overall contour, up and down, of the scales. Most jazz songs flow and come together by incorporation of background playing of some instrument that goes along with the main playing of the saxophone, trumpet, etc. There is heavy articulation of notes that are both far apart or close together, but parker makes these punctuated notes blend together, so the sound is not harsh on the ears. Parkers timbre only changes slightly throughout the song, and is only noticed when he changes from the call and response and solos, like he is setting up for call and response. The separated notes of the call response create a different identity for a short time, and a change of pace from the punctuated scales he plays throughout.

This piece by Scott Joplin was groundbreaking for the genre of rag music. This song preformed by Joplin on the piano became a template for the composers of rag music in the years to come. Joplin was deemed the “King of Ragtime” after releasing this piece, as he made incredible amounts of money off of this song.

This piece is remarkable in the fact that only one person is playing the piano, for the entire song. As this song starts off from the first note, Joplin doesn’t hesitate to establish the tempo and the overall element of time. There is no build up as the song begins, he jumps right into the continuous tempo and meter heard throughout the song from start to finish.

As well as establishing the tempo of the song from the beginning, an important characteristic established during this song is the repetition of off beat melodic phrasing. As established with rag time songs, the general structure is typically consisting of the left hand playing a melody and the right hand accompanying that melody. As this piece moves through time, the off beat playing of the melody and the accompaniment stay structured, meaning the stressed beats do not fall together. The aspect of syncopation can be analyzed throughout the whole song as well, and may very well be the most important aspect of this piece as a whole. As this song progresses and plays different melodies, you can hear the shift of the different melodies being played. These shifts occur in the song after the established melody and rhythm of the song is played through, about 20-30 seconds into the song. There are only several shifts and it seems that the syncopation allows for these shifts to notice. Joplin does not hesitate to make these shifts distinguishable either. As the shifts occur on the off beat of the melodies, Its easy to pick out where the several shifts occur.

As we discuss the shifts in melody throughout this piece by parker, its important to know why each of the melodies is distinguishable. This piece that we are able to pick out is due to the connection between the pitch and rhythm of each melody. As the rhythm of each of the shifts is relatively same (only slows down a little towards the end), the pitch is how these phrases are distinguishable. Joplin executes this work with careful coordination and doesn’t seem to miss a beat. As if his left hand, the melodic undertone, seems to be automatic, Joplin adjusts the accompaniment to show how he uses syncopation almost as a character trait in this song. Since most of the song is focused on shifting the melodies from start to finish, Joplin uses a variety of phrases to make up the overall contour. A good example of the phrases he uses is the repetition of the first note. As joplin plays about 4 notes in his basic phrase, he repeats one of the notes, typically the first one to add to the off beat phrasing. This aspect is seen throughout the whole piece. Each transition from melody to melody puts a kink in the contour of the song. The pitch dives down at the end of a phrase to set up for the next melody, and then quickly hikes back up for the shift in melody. This pattern is found from start to finish, making it an extremely wide range of notes. Many of the notes that establish the syncopation in this piece Are very low, and the notes that help shift the melody or establish it are very high pitched.

Since there are only two possible layers for each section, the number of layers is not likely to change, however the function of the layers will change throughout. Some of the layers during the shifts even seem change tempo, adding to the timbre of the layers. The function of the layers has already been discussed as we see two layers, one establishing the melody and the other playing alongside it. It is almost natural for these two layers present to have a call and response structure to them. These layers work together to establish a rhythm, so it makes sense that as one plays a tune, the other is laying another series of notes overtop to respond. There is not a strict pattern as to which layer is responding and which layer is calling the other. Both seem to act and reverse rolls. The syncopation helps establish which layer is dominant as well as the structure of these seem conjunct.

There is also much repetition seen from phrase to phrase. When we talk about how this song shows a steady bass accompanied by several melodies, we can see how repetition is used to create separation as well. At the beginning and end of each shift, the melodic undertone is repeated twice then quickly drops off and the new melody is being played. This shift is important in upholding the harmonic character of the piece. Being that there is one instrument, and only two layers to the song. The variety in the contour as the song transitions from melody to melody is important.

This Rag song by Bill Edwards is a fast paced and enthusiastic. It seems as if the dancing that would go along with this rag song is also very up tempo and enthusiastic. The lack of instruments in this song suggests that there is  a performance of 2 or so people, as the piano isn’t drawing away from the performance, rather adding a compliment to the dancing.

The piano playing in this piece, even though there is only one person playing, has a very smooth transition between notes and phrases, as the notes are played with swing. Some of the notes being played are punched, while others are separated. Since there is no text in this song, you can’t analyze how the lyrics move along with the playing of the piano and the visualized dancing during the rag song. As if there were lyrics to go along with this song, the phrases that the piano playing is broken down into could fit the structure of the singing. Even though the sub divisions are broken down into short choppy bits, its still arranged in a way that could parallel with lyrics. The harmonic character keeps its integrity throughout as the two timbres of the piano playing work together to compliment one another as the song progresses, each playing different roles at different times.

Since there are only two layers in the texture of this whole rag song, the two timbres of the piano make up the vertical structure of the song. The function of these two layers, however, are not the same. One of the layers, the one that consists of the lower timbre, is playing an underlying pulse to the song that keeps the song flowing. If we could see the people dancing to this rag song, It would seem like this layer is the layer their feet would move consistently with. The second layer present is the layer with a much more light timbre, consisting of the main tune of the song. These two parts, keep in mind, are being played at the respective opposite ends of the keyboard on the piano, automatically resembling different timbres. As I listen to the song more and more, It seems as if there are two people playing the piano, however there are still only two underlying layers, each consistent of a different timbre. The speed of these layers differs at select points of the song, along with the volume or harshness of the notes being played. As i mentioned before, one of the layers contains less notes than the other, making it seem like its being played slower. In reality the two piano parts are being played in the same time, one just more clustered due to the amount of notes being played. Its almost as if the two parts are being played in a call and response fashion. As there is a separation in the notes of the higher timbre section, the lower timbre chimes in with a scale, in response to the playing of the higher timbre. As we establish the imagination of the dancing of the rag song, the music and the dancers play a call and response activity. The music will speed up and almost dominate the dancing in the song with more sound, and at other times the music is played very softly as if the dancing is performing a solo of some sort.

The melody within this rag song is what creates the character to the piece. The motives, most obviously are the two piano pieces that create the whole melody, as these are the only parts of the vertical structure of the music. The intentional phrasing of the the two pieces creates the tunes that are played back and forth to each other. As one of the layers has a separation in the tune, the other layer has a stressed syllable. For example, when there is a gap within the main tune of the song, the lower timbre chimes in and stresses a beat of that layer on the off beat of the higher timbre. The shape within each phrase is also key to shaping the melody. The shape within each of the melodies is hard to pick out because of all of the scales and the speed of the beats. Each of the layers however has a different swing to it, which i will talk about briefly in the next paragraph. The overall contour of the song has an up and down motion, as the during the whole song each layer moves up and down rapidly through time, changing the height and range of the scale as the lowest timbre separates the phrases of the higher timbre.

The time in this song is established for the purpose of the dancing that usually accompanies the tune. the underlying rhythm of this piece is established by the timbre of the layer with the highest pitch. In this layer, a scale is played that rises 4 or 5 notes, goes up and down between a couple notes, and rises and falls repeatedly. Its hard to pick out exactly how many notes is rises and falls, however this is the rhythm established in this song. The rhythm of the highest pitched timbre is accompanied by the conjunct and smooth pattern of the lower timbre, as I mentioned earlier that flows with the sub division of the other layer. All in all, the rhythm of this piece is established by both layers that move through time together at the same overall tempo. As I said earlier, each layer has a swing to it, as the notes are not always harsh in nature. The first note of each scale being played seems to be naturally harsh, followed by blended notes that swing together, possibly assisted by a pedal on the piano, creating character for each layer and the overall melody.

After listening to this song a couple of times, I really started to pick up and understand the meaning of these folk spirituals. While listening to the song, you can easily pick up the structure and organization in the context this song was performed in. This song was played obviously with a group of people, displayed by the call and response, and clearly wasn’t a piece that was practiced over and over again. Within the call and response, It shows the relaxed nature of the performance by the stratification of the layers within each layer. Some of the performers responses take longer than others, as they are more focused on the meaning of the spiritual, and not the dynamic structure to a precision. An important aspect of folk spirituals is the harmony, as this creates uniqueness within this piece. First, the spirituals, as stated by the name have a certain purpose. The text of the song goes perfectly with the style of playing, such as the preaching within the call and response. The dynamics of the song evolve from beginning to end. The leader of the call and response starts off just his vocals, then the response, then clapping halfway through the song. The clapping is consistent with the speed of the dancing as the rhythm is established after several repetitions of the chorus. Dynamically, this song does not stop changing, along with the articulation. As the song speeds up throughout time, the articulation of the repeated phrase changes from smooth to harsh, respectively. The harmonic character of this piece I believe is important to the identity to this style of music. Assessing the harmonic quality of this piece wouldn’t be right, as one of the premises of the style of folk spirituals is the relaxed nature of those musical elements. As I discussed, the elements of the folk spirituals and ring shouts typically are not that complex. In this piece for example, the syncopation switches between two speeds throughout. One is a simple clap on the first and third beat of each meter accompanied by a foot tap on the second and fourth. This then switches to  a more intricate pattern that is created by stomping and clapping along with body percussion. These two changes in the syncopation help understand the change in tempo of the song as well. The tempo changes when the articulation of the beats changes, as these two accompany each other. Since there aren’t many layers within this song (singing and body percussion) the change in rhythm of each layer is easy to establish. The repeated chorus of the song keeps the same rhythm throughout, with the clapping and dancing layer changing. The second layer of clapping and dancing changes the sub-division of beats that still ultimately flows with the pulse of the vocals. As discussed briefly, there are only a couple layers throughout this song. The vocal layer with the call and response, shows several different timbres. The leader, who appears to be a male, receives responses from what appears to be a mix of males and females, the occasional child as well. These timbres of the layers also help create the meaning of the song as it is a spiritual, most likely being sung during worship. Having these layers so distinguishable develops a function for each of the layers. As the speed of the layers picks up it seems as if the level of worship and participation does as well. Dancing in a circle with heavier body percussion is heard, creating a timbre resembled of people worshiping. The same can be said for the end of the song as the speed of the layers slow down to really articulate the meaning of what they just performed in the spiritual. The speed of the layers correlates with the timbre and function of the layers. As we are unable to distinguish exactly what the response group is singing, if they’re singing the same thing at all, only a contour can be established as the harmonic structure is poorly established. Some of the layers different phrases that work together to create the shape of the contour. For example, the space in between the lyrics correlate with the pattern on the beat, as the rhythm is being established before the dancing and body percussion pick up. The integrity of the piece is hard to judge by elements such as pitch, since the most basic of instruments and singing is used. Pitch in the voices and the articulation of words, however create melody throughout, such as how “jesus” in the text was the highest in pitch. The articulation of that particular word can give hints as to the importance, as the pitch is the highest so the word will stand out.