M100: Music Appreciation
Discussion Group
Ben Tibbetts, T.A.
benjamintibbetts@yahoo.com
Tuesday April 23, 2013
Welcome! Please sign the attendance at the front of the room.
(The quiz will be over pages 366-382 and 455-460.)
Today’s Agenda
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Collect What is Music?, Part 2
Pop Quiz on today’s reading
Talk about Final Projects
Finish Jazz Lab
Pages 366-382 and 455-460
Hopefully we’ll get through everything. 
Collect “What is Music?, Part 2”
Pop Quiz on pages 366-382 and 455-460
You can use your notes, but not your book.
Please take out a sheet of paper and put your
name at the top, with the words “Pop Quiz”
and the date (April 23, 2013).
Each question is true/false or multiple choice.
You’ll get about a minute for each question.
POP QUIZ April 23, 2013
Question 1 of 10:
Which of the following composers famously wrote
using twelve-tone composition techniques?
A) John Cage
B) Arnold Schoenberg
C) Ralph Vaughn Williams
D) Tan Dun
POP QUIZ April 23, 2013
Question 2 of 10:
True or False: The Rite of Spring is an opera,
written by Igor Stravinsky.
POP QUIZ April 23, 2013
Question 3 of 10:
True or False: “Sprechstimme” refers to a style
of singing halfway between speech and
lyrical song.
POP QUIZ April 23, 2013
Question 4 of 10:
True or False: “Polytonality” refers to a 20th
century trend towards collaboration
between tonal composers.
POP QUIZ April 23, 2013
Question 5 of 10:
A “through-composed” piece is one in which…
A) The composer deliberately did not lift his/her
pen during the creative process.
B) Close inspection of the music reveals hidden
messages or “codes”.
C) There is no clear formal repetition of musical
sections.
D) The composer anticipates or innovates new
musical techniques.
POP QUIZ April 23, 2013
Question 6 of 10:
True or False: “Serialism” refers to a style of
writing in which notes are drawn not from a
scale, but from a predetermined series of
notes.
POP QUIZ April 23, 2013
Question 7 of 10:
True or False: “Expressionism” refers to a
movement in mathematics in the late 19th
century which had an impact on 20th
century composers, characterized by a new
flexibility in the interpretation of
established axioms.
POP QUIZ April 23, 2013
Question 8 of 10:
Twelve-tone composition refers to…
A) A type of serial composition in which a series consisting of
all twelve notes of the chromatic scale is manipulated,
without repeating any one of these notes until all other
eleven had been sounded.
B) The composition of music in which every piece contains
only twelve notes, all of which are repeated a total of
twelve times.
C) A style of writing reserved exclusively for bell ensembles
with twelve players, notably advanced by the music of John
Cage.
POP QUIZ April 23, 2013
Question 9 of 10:
True or False: “Atonality” refers to a style of
writing in which no melodic center of
gravity is established.
POP QUIZ April 23, 2013
Question 10 of 10:
True or False: An “ostinato” refers to a pattern
of notes which is repeated over and over.
Collect quizzes
(answers will be revealed over the course of
this discussion, as we go over the material)
Pass out final project rubric
Final Project
M100 FINAL PROJECT GRADING SHEET
Name(s) of Student(s): _____
Title of Final Project: _____
Final Project
PRESENTATION
1. Presented for an appropriate amount of time.
2. Covered an appropriate an appropriate amount of
information about their topic.
3. Correctly used and demonstrated understanding
of musical vocabulary.
4. Used at least three* musical examples to
demonstrate key aspects of the topic.
*or an amount appropriate to the topic
Final Project
PAPER
1. Paper is an appropriate length (5-7 pages, not
including bibliography or other materials)
2. Paper properly cites sources which are credible
and relevant.
3. Paper covers an appropriate amount of material.
4. Paper correctly used and demonstrated
understanding of musical vocabulary.
Final Project
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Points will be subtracted if any of the following
requirements are not met:
1. If students are working together in a group, both
the presentation and paper must include
information about who did what, demonstrating
that everyone pulled his/her weight.
2. Both the presentation and the paper must use
information which is accurate and relevant to the
topic.
Final Project
Final project grade = ½ paper, ½ presentation
Final Project
• Don’t forget to cite sources and use quotes.
• Citation is better than plagiarism. Consequences
can be severe.
• Paper must include bibliography.
• Presentation should also briefly reference sources.
I recommend
www.easybib.com
(use whatever citation format you prefer; MLA is
fine)
Final Project
We’ll be doing presentation sign-ups next
class
Paper will be due on Presentation Day #2
Monday May 6th from 8-10am (meeting in
here, Herter 231)
Hard copy only
Questions?
Jazz Lab
anybody who missed last discussion can pick
up a copy now
Will start the exercise over
Questions during exercise? Raise your hand
Jazz Listening Lab
How to hear more (and have more to write
about) when you listen to jazz
Part 1: “Cool” Jazz and the 32-bar song form
Example: The Gerry Mulligan Quartet (with
Chet Baker) playing “Bernie’s Tune”
(Play MP3)
The 32-bar song form divides a melody into four small
sections. Each of these small sections contains eight
measures. Like this:
AABA
In this music, specifically, each “bar” (or “measure”) contains
two beats.
Jazz musicians often begin their performance of a piece of
music by playing through the “head” (the main body of the
music; the melody and its accompanying harmonies). As
you listen to the head, try to (1) learn the tune, so you can
recognize it; (2) describe how the “B” section is different
from the “A” section.
Also, try to identify the most prominent instrument(s) and
whether this instrument(s) changes from section to section
or remains the same throughout the head.
(Play MP3 of the head to “Bernie’s Tune”)
After playing the head, musicians begin to
“improvise.” This improvisation is carefully
structured: (1) Each “chorus” (large section of
improvised music) contains exactly the same
number of measures as the head. (2) The
“changes” (underlying harmonies/chords) follow
roughly the same pattern as the changes in the
head.
These improvisations often bear some resemblance
to the tune in the head. Players may improvise for
more than one chorus.
First chorus:
What is the most prominent instrument? Is it the
same prominent instrument as in the head?
What change takes place in the B section here?
Describe how the musicians “changed” the melody in
each section.
(Play MP3 of first chorus of “Bernie’s Tune”)
Second chorus:
What has changed between the first chorus and the second
chorus?
What change takes place in the B section here?
Sometimes musicians prepare the listener for the B section
with a short figure referred to as a “break”. Usually, it’s
done by the drummer. Does it happen here?
(Play MP3 of second chorus of “Bernie’s Tune”)
Third chorus
By the third chorus the musicians may make greater
changes. But the same rules still apply—each
chorus contains the same number of measures,
similar chord progression, and the improvisations
still tend to reference the original melody. This is
the last chorus in this recording. Try to describe
what you hear. Note the drastic change which
occurs this time in the B section.
(Play MP3 of third chorus of “Bernie’s Tune”)
Return
At this point, the group will usually “return”
(re-play) the head. It may be the same as
before, or it may be a little different. What’s
similar in this return? And what’s different?
(Play MP3 of return of “Bernie’s Tune”)
Part 2: Hard Bop
Example: The Charlie Parker Septet playing “Anthropology”
Parker on alto sax, Lucky Thompson on tenor sax, Al Haig on
piano, Milt Jackson on vibes, Tommy Potter on bass, and
Max Roach on drums
By the way—Max Roach was a UMass faculty member until
his death in 2007
(Play MP3)
Now we are turning from the “form” of the piece to the “style”.
The same strategies apply—as you listen to the musician
play the first time through the piece, try to learn and
remember the melody. It will become the primary basis for
the improvisation that follows.
Describe how the “hard bop” style of Anthropology differs
from that used in “Bernie’s Tune”.
Consider the following: which instruments are playing, the
tempo, dynamic levels, and how far the musicians’
improvisations moved away from the original melody.
(Play MP3 again)
Part 3: New Orleans Jazz (“Dixieland”)
Like other styles of jazz, Dixieland has its roots in
the blues (which were originally sung) and
ragtime (which were usually played on the
piano). Dixieland was generally played by a
small group of melody instruments (cornet or
trumpet, clarinet and trombone) and rhythm
instruments (often a drum or drums, banjo or
guitar, something homemade such as a
washtub with a rope attached).
The melody instruments were called the “front
line”. Behind them (marching or standing)
were the rhythm instrument(s). This music
was often functional; it was played for parades,
gatherings, celebrations, picnics, in a bordello
(brothel), etc.
Example: Louis Armstrong’s Hot Fives playing
“Struttin’ With Some Barbeque”
Louis Armstrong on cornet, Kid Ory on
trombone, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Lil
Hardin Armstrong on piano, Johnny St. Cyr on
banjo.
(Play MP3)
In this style the cornet or trumpet often plays
the melody, the clarinet improvises above
the melody, and the trombone plays
something rhythmic below the melody.
When all three are playing something
different at the same time, it is called a
“collective improvisation”. Although it is a
trademark of this style, collective
improvisation appears in all styles of jazz.
Listen and try to remember the melody.
Each time they play the tune again (or enter into a new
musical section through improvisation), describe what
changes: which instrument is playing, how is that player
changing the tune, etc.
How often, in this performance, did you hear “collective
improvisation?” At what point in the recording did it
occur?
(Play MP3 again)
Part 4: Swing
Example: Count Basie Band playing “One O’Clock Jump”
Eventually, Dixieland became more polished and more
commercial. It found its way into hotels and similar “upper
income” locations in many cities. Often, a piano was added
to the band. This music became known as “Chicago jazz”.
As more and more Americans learned to listen and dance to
these evolved groups, called “society bands,” more
instruments were added—perhaps another cornet or
trumpet, another saxophone, another trombone, etc.
Eventually bands became bigger, using whole “sections” of
each instrument—trumpets, trombones, saxophones, and
rhythm instruments (piano, bass, drums and sometimes
others). This music became known as “swing”. It was
intended primarily for dancing.
(Play MP3)
Much of the music in this era relied upon arrangers.
Players were much more limited in how often they
could improvise. Listen for the difference between
music which sounds as if it was written by the
arranger and music which sounds as if it was
improvised by the player.
Play excerpts from “One O’Clock Jump”: Pre-arranged
vs. improvised
Describe this style of jazz. How does it differ from Dixieland?
The limited amount of time allotted for improvisation
eventually became a major issue for the players. This
frustration helped develop the emerging styles of bop and
cool jazz.
How can you tell which music is probably improvised and
which music is written out ahead of time?
Which instruments are improvising? (And when?)
Compared with the music which is pre-arranged (or written
out), how often do improvisational sections occur?
(Play MP3 again)
Part 5: Big Band Now (some modern jazz)
Example: excerpt from a recording of Sherrie
Maricle and the Diva Jazz Orchestra playing
????
Big Band + Orchestra
(Play MP3)
Using the skills you’ve gained so far, describe
the beginning of this piece.
At what point can you decisively hear the
melody?
Can you name that tune?
(Play MP3 again)
(end of Jazz Lab)
Pass in at end of class
Onto pages 366-382 and 455-460
Arnold Schoenberg
1874-1951
Austrian composer/painter
serialism - "A style of writing in which notes
are drawn not from a scale, but from a
predetermined series of notes. Serial
composition flourished between ca. 1920
and 1980. See also 'twelve-tone
composition.'" -page 518
twelve-tone composition - "A type of serial
composition in which twentieth-century
composers manipulated a series ('row')
consisting of all twelve notes of the
chromatic scale, not repeating any one of
these notes until all other eleven had been
sounded, thereby effectively avoiding any
sense of tonality." -page 519
atonal - "A style of writing that establishes no
harmonic or melodic center of gravity;
without a tonic, all notes are of equal weight
and significance." -page 515
expressionism - "A broad artistic movement
that flourished in music, painting, and
literature in the early decades of the
twentieth century, in which psychological
truth took precedence over beauty, and
inner emotion took precedence over any
sense of external reality." -page 516
Sprechstimme - "In German, 'speech-voice'. A
style of singing halfway between speech and
lyrical song, in which the singer hits precise
pitches and then allows them to tail off,
rather than sustaining them, as in lyrical
singing." -page 518
"Colombine" from Pierrot lunaire (English
Pierrot in the Moonlight)
Pierrot – a sad clown, pining for love of
Colombine, who breaks his heart and leaves
him
Text/translation on next slide
Translation from http://www.lunanova.org/pierrot/text.html
Igor Stravinsky
1882-1971
Russian composer
Ballet – “a theatrical entertainment in which
ballet dancing and music, often with scenery
and costumes, combine to tell a story,
establish an emotional atmosphere, etc.”
-Dictionary.Com (definition 2)
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ballet
• polytonality - "The juxtaposition of two conventional
harmonies in a way that creates a new dissonance." -page
517
• pentatonic [scale] - "A scale consisting of five tones." -page
517
• ostinato - "A short pattern of notes repeated over and
over." -page 517
• through-composed - "A form in which each section has its
own music, with very little or no repetition between
sections." -page 518
Sergei Diaghilev was a Russian art critic and
patron
Founded the “Russian Ballets”
Ballet: The Rite of Spring, Part One: The
Adoration of the Earth (excerpt)
John Cage
1912-1992
American composer/music theorist
aleatory music - "Music composed using
elements of chance." -page 515
About Cage’s 4‘ 33“ or “Four minutes and
thirty-three seconds”
Three movements, composed in 1952
(Supplemental: Sam Harris on mindfulness
meditation)
Electronic music - "Music using sounds
generated (and not merely amplified) either
in whole or in part by electronic means." page 516
Musique concrète - "French for 'concrete
music.' Music using sounds generated by
everyday, real ('concrete') objects not
normally thought of as musical instruments
and then manipulated electronically." -page
517
Indeterminacy (excerpt)
Text on following slides
One evening I was walking along Hollywood
Boulevard, nothing much to do. I stopped and
looked in the window of a stationary shop. A
mechanized pen was suspended in space in such a
way that, as a mechanized roll of paper passed by
it, the pen went through the motions of the same
penmanship exercises I had learned as a child in
the third grade. Centrally placed in the window
was an advertisement explaining the mechanical
reasons for the perfection of the operation of the
suspended mechanical pen. I was fascinated, for
everything was going wrong. The pen was tearing
the paper to shreds and splattering ink all over the
window and on the advertisement, which,
nevertheless, remained legible.
It was after I got to Boston that I went into the
anechoic chamber at Harvard University.
Anybody who knows me knows this story. I
am constantly telling it. Anyway, in that
silent room, I heard two sounds, one high
and one low. Afterward I asked the engineer
in charge why, if the room was so silent, I
had heard the two sounds. He said,
"Describe them." I did. He said, "The high
one was your nervous system in operation.
The low one was your blood in circulation."
Final Reminders / Homework
• Pass in the Jazz Lab
• Read pages 446-454 and 461-466
• Heads up: Concert #3 coming up on Friday
April 26th @ 8pm
• Heads up: Listening Log Collection #2 and
Final Presentation Day 1 will be Tuesday
April 30th
• Questions? Email:
benjamintibbetts@yahoo.com