Chapter Ten
Harmonizing
Chords Under a Melody

When a melody sits on top of chords,
the texture called homophony is
created. Depending on whether the
chords are created by instruments or
by voices, these chords are called
either accompaniment (instruments)
or harmonizing (voices).
Harmonizing
Techniques for creating melodic lines
that harmonize a melody-X
1. Find Pitch in the Tonic Chord
Sing a parallel melody
X
2. Use Chords of the song
Create a Bass Line
X
3. Sing the Words of the song
on One Pitch until you need to change
Harmonization Methods
American Vernacular Music
A Rich Blend of Musical Elements
brought by Various Ethnic Groups
Woody Guthrie
Leadbelly
Folk music of
Country Blues from
Ireland
Wales
Scotland
England
Traditional
Southern Mississippi
Eastern Texas
Joe Hill

Joe Hill personifies the tradition of
political song. Born in Sweden, he
migrated to the US and in 1910
joined the Industrial Workers of
the World - the "Wobblies".

Over the next five years he
campaigned for many working
class causes. He became a
popular song-writer with a gift for
capturing the meaning of these
causes in song.
Joe Hill


In 1914, during bitter struggles
over free speech in Utah, Joe Hill
was framed on a murder charge.
Despite appeals from President
Wilson and the Swedish
government, Joe Hill was executed
on November 19th, 1915.
His body was taken to Chicago
where over 30,000 people
attended his funeral procession
and eulogies were read in nine
languages
Joe Hill




Hill’s music was a uniting force for Industrial
Workers of the World (I.W.W.) labor movement.
He never recorded his songs, but his music was
passed from person to person.
Certain songs emerged as anthems for labor
movement. They are still sung today.
Modern students of music history have identified
Hill as one the most influential protest artists in
American history, an influence that can be heard in
the work of songwriters as diverse as Woody
Guthrie and John Lennon.
Joe Hill
Flynn with other
IWW organizers
“Joe Hill,” written in 1935,
performed by Phil Ochs

After meeting Elizabeth Gurley Flynn in
the spring of 1915, Joe Hill composed
“The Rebel Girl” in tribute to the women
who served the Industrial Workers of the World.

Chorus
“That's the Rebel Girl, that's the Rebel Girl!
To the working class she's a precious pearl.
She brings courage, pride and joy
To the fighting Rebel Boy.
We've had girls before, but we need some more
In the Industrial Workers of the World.
For it's great to fight for freedom
With a Rebel Girl.”
Current Protest Music
John McCutcheon
John is very generous in using his
singing and song writing talents
to support progressive
causes. For example, he toured
Nicaragua on behalf of a
children's literacy program, gave
a featured concert at an AFL/CIO
Convention and produced three
recordings to benefit a
community organizing group.
Ashcroft’s Army
Current Protest Music
David Rovics
David is a singer of anti-imperialist
songs who appears frequently at rallies
and protests. He has had the honor in
recent years of sharing the stage with
many fine activists including Amy
Goodman, Howard Zinn, Noam
Chomsky, Ralph Nader, Cynthia
McKinney, Dennis Kucinich, Barbara
Lee, Angela Davis, Danny Glover,
Desmond Tutu, Michael Moore, Susan
Sarandon, Ward Churchill, Jello Biafra,
Pete Seeger, Billy Bragg, Bruce
Cockburn, the Indigo Girls, and many
others.
Who Would Jesus Bomb?
Current Protest Music
Pat Humphries and Sandy Opatow
Their song “If I Give Your Name ” was
the Grand Prize Winner in the Folk
Category of the prestigious John Lennon
Song Writing Contest. The song sheds
light on the silent suffering of family
members of undocumented workers lost
on 9/11 in the World Trade Center and
was one of 12 grand prize winners out of
24,000 entries.
In May 2002, NPR featured the story
of an underground "folk anthem" that
was 'everywhere,' despite its having
no commercial airplay and no major
or indie label, support. The song was
"Swimming to the Other Side" by
Pat Humphries. Folk legend Pete
Seeger, said, "The powers that be
can control the media (but) it's hard to
stop a good song . . . Pat's songs will
be sung well into the 21st century.”
“Pretty Boy Floyd”
This Land is Your Land
Written by Woody Guthrie
Performed by- Woody Guthrie
 Arlo Guthrie
 Bruce Springsteen
 Taj Mahal
 EmmyLou Harris
 Little Richard
 U2 (Bono)
 John Mellencamp
 Pete Seeger
 and many others
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND
words and music by Woody Guthrie
Chorus:
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California, to the New York Island
From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me
As I was walking a ribbon of highway
I saw above me an endless skyway
I saw below me a golden valley
This land was made for you and me
Chorus
I've roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me
Chorus
The sun comes shining as I was strolling
The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The fog was lifting a voice come chanting
This land was made for you and me
Chorus
Original 4, 5, and 6th verses—rarely sung anymore
As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there
And that sign said - no tress passin'
But on the other side.... it didn't say nothin!
Now that side was made for you and me!
Chorus
In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office - I see my people
And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin'
If this land's still made for you and me.
Chorus (2x)
Nobody living can ever stop me
As I go walking
That freedom highway
Nobody living can make me turn back
This land was made for you and me
“Leadbelly” -Huddie Ledbetter
•Huddie Ledbetter
•Born 1888 - Louisiana
•Raised - east Texas
•Died 1949 of Lou
Gehrig’s Disease
Leadbelly’s “parole” song
Please, Governor Neff, Be good 'n' kind
Have mercy on my great long time...
I don't see to save my soul
If I don't get a pardon, try me on a parole...
If I had you, Governor Neff, like you got me
I'd wake up in the mornin' and I'd set you free
Bourgeois Blues
How Long Blues
Goodnight, Irene
Sweet Honey in the Rock
Sweet Honey In The Rock
is a Grammy Award-winning
African American female
a cappella ensemble with
deep musical roots in the
sacred music of the black
church -spirituals, hymns,
gospel - as well as jazz and
blues.
Bring Me Little Water Sylvie
Leadbelly’s version