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Music 150
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Exam 1
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Thursday October10
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Review Sheet
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The exam will cover the material in the first eight
chapters of the text and CD examples through chapter 8.
There are two required parts to the exam. These
two--musical examples for you to describe and short answer
questions --will be done in class on October 10.
There is an optional takehome essay question at the end
of the Review Sheet. Tapes of the two pieces for the essay
are at the Multi-media desk in the library. NOTE: The tapes
are for use in the library If you choose to do the
takehome essay, it is to be prepared and written up ahead of
time and turned in with your in-class exam. The takehome
essay can add up to 20 points to your score on the in-class
exam.
PART I SHORT ANSWERS (47 points total)
All questions on the test will be based on these
questions.
Exam questions may be multiple choice, matching, true
false, short answer or brief essay.
Chapter I: The Anglo-American
Tradition
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Be able to identify
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Aunt Molly Jackson
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Woody Guthrie
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Pete Seeger
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Huddie Ledbetter
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Kingston Trio
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New Lost City Ramblers
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1. What are likely characteristics of a
typical Anglo-American ballad text?
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2. What forces act on ballad texts to
produce textual and musical variants? Is
there an "authentic" or "correct" version
of the text of a ballad? Of the tune?
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3. What instruments were used to
accompany ballads before 1800?
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4 What are effects of adding
accompaniment to ballads?
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5. Describe the sound of the
traditional singing voice for ballads.
Does the singing style always reflect the
subject matter?
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6 Compare the approach a traditional
ballad singer takes to performing with the
approach of a professional folk singer.
Describe the attitude of each toward the
music sung, the vocal quality, the type of
musical arrangement, the singer's attitude
toward the audience and the audience's
expectations.
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7. List three different approaches to
folk music that have evolved since
1900.
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8 How did the transition from folk
musician, creating songs to address the
problems of a limited area, to FOLK
MUSICIAN, creating songs aimed at no one
group but rather meant to reach a large,
diverse audience, affect performances by
Aunt Molly Jackson? by Woodie Guthrie? by
Huddie Ledbetter? by Pete Seeger? by the
Kingston Trio? by the New Lost City
Ramblers?
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9. Do you agree with Kingman's view
that, although "songs promoting unity and
solidarity among the already committed are
still and will always be effective
sustainers of morale...," "the old line
hard-hitting protest song is probably
being sung to a diminishing public?" Why
or why not?
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10 How and why did folk songs become
popular music in the 1960's? What happened
to their "popularity?"
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11. Are new "urban" folksongs still
being created today? If not, why not? If
so, how do they differ from the "urban"
folk songs of the past? From the urban
folk songs of the 1930's? From the folk
music of the 1960's?
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12. How has recording encouraged the
preservation of folk music and styles from
the past as living traditions?
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Chapter II: The Afro-American
Tradition
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1. List three important characteristics
of African music. For each one, describe
how that characteristic has manifested
itself in Afro-American music.
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2. Where and when did the spiritual
first evolve in Afro-American culture? In
what ways did the Afro-American community
reinterpret the Christian gospel to make
it particular to their position in
society?
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3 . What instrumental forces usually
accompanied the spiritual in the early
19th century?
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4. How did Fisk University make
Northern and European society aware of the
spiritual? Why was this task
undertaken?
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5. Compare the character of singing in
an Afro-American church, an urban upper
middle class church and a lower class
Southern white church in 1900.
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6. What role does the spiritual play
today?
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7. When did the blues first evolve?
List four social or cultural conditions
peculiar to and/or new to Afro-Americans
at that time which contributed to the rise
of blues.
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8 Was the starting point for blues a
standard form? What factors contributed
toward the standardizing of the form in
the early 20th century? What contribution
to standardization was made by W. C.
Handy?
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9 List three characteristics of blues
lyrics.
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10. List three ways the standard blues
form encourages textual and musical
improvisation.
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11. List five typical vocal
characteristics of blues singing.
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12. Why was the guitar an especially
appropriate instrument for accompanying
rural blues? What special ways of playing
the guitar (beyond picking and strumming)
arose among rural blues guitar
players?
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Chapter 3: The American Indian
Tradition
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1. List three beliefs of Native
Americans about music that defined its
role in culture as utterly different from
any European music.
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2. What functions for music important
in Native American culture are absent in
Anglo-American culture?
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3. List three different instruments
that play a role in Native American
music.
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4. How have government policies toward
Native Americans undermined Native
American music within Native American
culture?
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5. What was the Ghost Dance? What
significance did the Ghost Dance have for
Native American attitudes toward the
relationship between tribal identity and
music? How did the Ghost Dance movement
help to break down musical differences
between Native American cultures?
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6. What does the term renovated
mean in relationship to music? How does a
renovationist attitude toward music differ
from a revivalist attitude?
Describe briefly the importance of both of
these concepts to an understanding of the
state of Native American music today.
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Chapter 4 The Latino Tradition
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1. List three geographically distinct
cultures which contributed to the
development of music in Central and South
America.
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2 What is an albado ?
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3. Contrast briefly the treatment of
slaves in Spanish America with that in
English America and the United States.
What effect did this difference have on
the development of music in Central and
South America?
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4. Compare the secular music of Mexico,
as described on page 58-59, with that of
the United States. In what ways are they
similar? How--besides language--do they
differ?
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5. Compare the role of drums in
Afro-Cuban music & Afro-American
music.
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6. Contrast briefly the corrido and the
Anglo-American ballad? How are they
similar? How different
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7 What is conjuncto ?
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8 What two distinct ways of "importing"
Latin-American have been important
influences on American music? (See page
68.)
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9. What is clave ? Why is it
important in Cuban music?
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Chapter 5 Country Music
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State briefly the significance of
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Jimmy Rogers
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Carter family
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Vernon Dalhart
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Chet Atkins
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Bill Monroe
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Hank Williams
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1. List 3 characteristics of country
music that have changed over
time.
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2. List 3 characteristics of country
music that have not changed over
time.
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3. What family of instruments provides
the backbone of country instrumental
sound?
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4. In what decade of what century does
country music begin? Why can we date the
beginnings of the music so precisely?
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5. What technology was important to the
beginnings of country music? Why was it
important?
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6. Compare the approach to country
music exemplified by Jimmy Rogers in
"Waiting for a Train" and the Carter
family in "Can the Circle be Unbroken".
Discuss briefly the how each approach is
reflected in the country music of
today.
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7. How did the "western" get into
"country and western"? What contributions
did the west--its history, music,
fashions, imagery, etc.--make to country
music?
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8. What effects does the emergence of
rock'n'roll in the 50's have on country
music?
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9. Compare briefly the style of old
country music and the Nashville sound of
commercial country. Consider singing
style, instruments used and style of
playing.
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10. When and where did honky-tonk
arise? How does its function differ from
old country music? from Nashville
commercial country? How does the nature of
text and music reflect these differences
in function?
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11. List 4 instruments basic to the
sound of bluegrass.
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12. What aspects of bluegrass grow out
of traditional styles? What aspects go
beyond traditional styles?
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Chapter 6 Blues and Soul: From Country
to City
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State briefly the significance of
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Bessie Smith
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Robert Johnson
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"T-Bone" Walker
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Muddy Waters
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Lighnin' Hopkins
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B. B. King
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1. List 3 characteristics of blues that
have changed over time.
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2. List 3 characteristics of blues that
have not changed over time.
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3. What characteristics of African
music have remained important in
Afro-American blues? What aspects of blues
derive from musics blacks heard in
America?
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4. When did the blues begin? Why can we
not be a specific about a starting point
for blues as we could be for country
music?
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5. List four socio-cultural
characteristics of the post-Civil war
status of blacks in the South that
contributed to the development of
blues.
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6. What factors contribute to the
"standardization" of blues as a form in
the first three decades of the 20th
century?
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7. Describe briefly the "standard"
blues lyric form. Why is this form ideal
for making up lyrics as you go along? for
instrumental improvisation? What is fixed,
what can vary?
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8. Describe briefly the "standard"
blues musical form. What is fixed, what
can vary?
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9. List 3 differences between the blues
of the rural South 1900-1920 and the
so-called "Classic" blues of the 1920's.
In what respect is "Classic" blues unique
among the styles of blues we have
studied?
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10. List 3 source geographical areas
for rural blues. What contribution did
technology make to the popularization of
rural blues?
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11. How did the function of blues
change when the performers moved to large
urban areas? How does the style of urban
blues reflect these changes in
function?
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12. How can one differentiate between
blues and R & B? Why were drums added
to the blues? What were some of the
effects of this addition? What new
functions did R & B serve?
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13. How did radio change the character
of the R & B audience in the
1950's?
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14. List 3 types of music that
contribute to the 'soul synthesis'. What
was the most important difference between
soul music and R&B?
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15. Who is the audience for blues
today? How has that affected the character
of the music?
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Chapter 7 Rock and Its Progeny
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State briefly the significance of
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Bill Haley
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Littel Richard
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Elvis
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Chuck Berry
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Jerry Lee Lewis
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Lieber & Stoller
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"covering" a record
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George Martin
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1. List 3 characteristics of rock music
that have changed over time.
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2. List 3 characteristics of rock music
that have not changed over
time.
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3. List 3 social conditions that
contributed to the rise of
rock'n'roll.
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4. List 3 technological developments
that are crucial to the rise and
dissemination of rock n roll in the
1950's.
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5. What is the most important source
music for early rock'n'roll?
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6. How did the emergence of rock'n'roll
affect the recording industry in the short
run? in the middle run? in the long
run?
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7. Compare the contributions of Elvis
Presley and Chuck Berry to the development
of rock music.
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8. Compare the contributions of Bob
Dylan, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones
to the development of rock music.
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9. List three new genres of source
music rock drew on beginning in the middle
60's.
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10. How has rock music since 1970
reflected the changing economic, social
and cultural climates during that
time?
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11. Rock music is the first music whose
identity has grown at least as much from
recordings as from live performance. What
effect has this change had on the way the
music is experienced?
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12. How has the emergence of MTV in the
last decade changed the experience of rock
music? What effects has a home visual
component had on live performance?
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Chapter 8: From Psalm Tune to Rural
Revivalism
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State briefly the significance of
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psalm tune
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psalter
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lining out
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regular way
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usual way
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singing school
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1. What type of religious music was
brought to America by the Pilgrims and the
Puritans? Was this music a notated or
vernacular tradition? Were there different
parts or did everyone sing in unison?
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2. How did congregational singing
change from 1620 to 1720? Where might one
hear a style of congregational singing
similar to that of 1720 in America
today?
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3. Describe briefly the operation of a
typical singing school. Was it a permanent
institution in the community?
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4. What were the musical goals of the
singing school reformers? How important
was "improved performance" to the leaders
of the reform movement?
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5.Describe briefly the change in the
way music might operate in a congregation
whose members had attended a singing
school.
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6. How did singing schools encourage
the emergence of composers? Did these
composers generally make their living by
composing?
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7. Describe briefly the life of William
Billings. Was he a successful composer?
How, in his view, should a composer learn
the craft of composition?
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8. Were sacred and secular kept
separate in music from 1620 to the
Revolution? What was the most common home
music during this period?
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9. In what ways did the music of the
Moravians differ from the music of the
Puritan sects in pre-Revolution America?
Did it develop a "usual way" of performing
comparable to the New England "usual
way"?
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10. What were the most important
characteristics of Shaker music?
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PART II MUSICAL EXAMPLES (5 examples,
53 points total)
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There will be five examples on the
exam. Three will chosen from the CD's for
the text, two will be "unknowns". On the
exam I will list these categories" and the
pieces on the CD's for the class.
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There will be five examples on the
exam. Three will chosen from the CD's for
the text, two will be "unknowns". On the
exam I will list these categories" and the
pieces on the CD's for the class.
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Anglo American ballad
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Afro-American folk blues
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Afro-American spiritual
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Mexican secular music
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Caribbean secular music
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Native American song
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20th century folk song
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old timey country
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honky tonk
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Nashville country
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rural blues
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urban blues
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R & B
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soul music
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rock'n'roll
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rock 1960-1970
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rock after 1970
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rap
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usual way singing
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regular way singing
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For the known pieces, you are to
identify the piece (1), choose the
category above which best fits the example
(2), to cite two characteristics of the
music (3 points each) and to describe the
function the music served in its cultural
setting (2). For the unknowns, you are to
choose an appropriate category for the
piece (2), to cite two characteristics of
the piece which made you choose that
category (3 points each), and to describe
briefly the function the music served in
its cultural setting (2).
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PART III: Take-home Essay Question OPTIONAL
Maximum additional points: 20. Tapes of Lament
Over Boston and With God on Our Side are
available for listening in the library at
the Multi-meida checkout desk.
In his discussion of Native American music,
Kingman begins with these words.
There are two ways to view an artistic artifact.
The first is as a thing of interest and beauty in
and of itself. The second is as something to be
viewed in the complete context of the society that
brought it forth, having essential meaning only in
that context.
Both of these perspectives are basic to
understanding any music; they are especially useful
in contrasting music of the same culture but from
very different times.
I want you to use these approaches as points of
departure for your Takehome Essay.
Begin by listening to two pieces of U. S. Music
written about two hundred years apart and differing
greatly in style but sharing a common theme, a
theme very mcuh on all our minds: William Billings'
Lament Over Boston (about 1770) and Bob Dylan's
With God on Our Side (about 1965). 5 copies of a
tape of both pieces are available to listen to (NOT
to check out) in the Media Center of the Library;
ask for the Music 150 Exam I tape. (I apologize for
the skips in the Dylan recording; I had only an LP
record, and could not get over the skips.) The
texts are at the end of the page.
After you familiarize yourself with the pieces,
write a 3-4 page typed essay (not simply answers to
the questions) describing and comparing them both
as "(pieces)... of interest and beauty in and of
(themselves)" and as " (pieces) to be viewed in the
complete context of the society which brought
(them) forth." The questions below are intended to
guide your own investigations; they need not be
answered literally, but your discussion should
include consideration of all the points suggested.
Conclude your essay with a brief statement of your
own response to each piece..
AS "a thing of interest an beauty in and of
itself."
FOR EACH PIECE: How is it made? Describe it's
musical and textual characteristics. How does it
make its effect? How does it utilize religious
imagery? (I have included the text of Psalm 137;
what does Billings take from the Psalm for his
text?) How does it compare with other music of this
type that we have examined? What stands out to you
about it?
AS "something to be viewed in the ... context
of the society which brought it forth...
.".
FOR EACH PIECE: How does the composer view war?
How does the attitude toward war relate to what was
going on in its time? In what ways do the musical
characteristics of each piece--performing forces,
form, style, feeling--exemplify the social,
cultural and musical characteristics of the society
which produced it? Is the piece more than a
reflection--does it seek to challenge attitudes of
its time? Does it speak to our time?
Consider the FUNCTION of each piece. Why was
each written? Who was its intended audience? How
did each reach its audience at the time of its
writing? How well do you think each piece served
its intended purpose at the time it was written?
What made it effective, or ineffective?
What place does each piece have in the world
today?
Your essay is to be turned in with your in-class
exam on Thursday October 10. It must be typed.
LAMENT OVER BOSTON (William Billings, text
adaptation and music)
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By the Rivers of Watertown we sat down
and wept when we remember'd thee, O
Boston.
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As for our Friends, Lord God of Heaven
preserve them, defend them, deliver and
restore them unto us.
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For they that held them in bondage
requir'd of them to take up arms against
their brethren.
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Forbid it, Lord. God Forbid! Forbid it,
Lord, God forbid!
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That those who have sucked Bostonian
Breasts should thirst for American
Blood!
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A Voice was heard in Roxbury which
echo'd thro' the Continent, weeping for
Boston because of their danger.
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Is Boston my dear Town, is it my native
place? For since their Calamity, I do
earnestly remember it still.
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If I forget thee, if I forget thee, yea
if I do not remember thee, let my numbers
cease to flow,
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then be my Muse unkind; then let my
tongue forget to move and ever be
confin'd.
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Let horrid Jargon split the Air and
rive my nerves asunder;
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let hateful Discord greet my Ear, as
terrible as Thunder.
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Let Harmony be banish'd hence and
Consonance depart;
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let Dissonance erect her Throne and
reign within my heart.
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PSALM 137
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By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat
down.. Yes, we wept, when we remembered
Zion.
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On the willows in the midst of it, w
hung up our harps.
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For there, those who led us captive
asked us for songs.
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Those who tormented us demanded songs
of joy: "Sing us one of the songs of
Zion!"
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How can we sing Yahweh's song in a
foreign land?
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If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my
right hand forget its skill.
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Let my tongue stick to the roof of my
mouth if I don't remember you;
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If I don't prefer Jerusalem above my
chief joy.
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Remember, Yahweh, against the children
of Edom, the day of Jerusalem;
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Who said, "Raze it! Raze it even to its
foundation!"
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Daughter of Babylon, doomed to
destruction,He will be happy who rewards
you, as you have served us.
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Happy shall he be, who takes and dashes
your little ones against the rock.
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WITH GOD ON OUR SIDE (words and music by Bob
Dylan)
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Oh, my name it ain't nothin', my age it
means less.
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The country I come from is called the
midwest.
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I's taught and brought up there the
laws to abide,
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And that the land that I live in has
God on its side.
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All the history books tell it, they
tell it so well,
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The cavalry charged, the Indians
fell,
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The cavalry charged, the Indians
died,
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For the county was young with God on
its side.
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The Spanish American War had its
day,
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And the Civil War, too was soon laid
away
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And the names of the heroes I's made to
memorize
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With guns in their hands, and God on
their side.
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The first World War, boys, it came and
it went,
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The reason for fighting I never did
get.
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But I learned to accept it , accept it
with pride,
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For you don't count the dead when God's
on your side.
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The second World War came to an
end,
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We forgave the Germans, and then we
were friends.
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Though they murdered six millions, in
the ovens they fried,
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The Germans now too have God on their
side.
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I learned to hate the Russians, all
through my whole life.
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If another war comes, it's them we must
fight.
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To hate them and fear them, to run and
to hide,
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And accept it all bravely with God on
my side,.
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But now we got weapons of chemical
dust,
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If fire them we're forced to, then fire
them we must
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One push of the button and shock the
world white
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And you never ask questions when God's
on your side.
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Through many dark hour I been thinkin'
about this
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That Jesus Christ was betrayed by a
kiss
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But I can't think for you, you'll have
to decide
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Whether Judas Iscariot had God on his
side.,
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So now as I'm leavin', I'm weary as
hell
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The confusion I'm feelin' aint no
tongue can tell
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The words fill my head and fall to the
floor
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That if God's on our side, he'll stop
the next war.
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