History of Rock ‘n’ Roll.pptVIP

History of Rock ‘n’ Roll Two great eras of mainstream popular music in US since 1899: Tin Pan Alley (c. 1900 – 1945) and 1950 - present Popular Music in the US Tin Pan Alley – Characteristics Light hearted/urbane Appealed to middle-class sensibilities No age distinctions Associated with sheet music and the music publishing industry Euro – American paradigm of music making Popular Music in the US (cont.) Rock – Characteristics Heavy handed/urbane Working-class orientation Targeted a younger audience (teenaged) Associated with the recording industry Decidedly more African – American in convention Mass Culture High culture = upper/ruling class More sophisticated music (usually written down) Folk culture = poor people Simpler music (usually not written down) Popular Culture Insinuated between High Culture and Folk Culture Distinguishable from both Borrowed freely from each Tin Pan Alley writers: Incorporated influences from a wide range of genres: Ragtime Dixieland New Technology Mass Communication: Records Radio Film Television (eventually) Emergence of Mass Culture = a shift from a culture of the people to a culture for the masses Elements – placed R ‘n R outside reach of middle class: Subtleties and sophistication: prominence of rhythm immoderate volume slurred notes grainy vocals aggressive attack pedestrian speech (vernacular) Elements (cont.) Simpler form and structure appealed to the masses Shift from Euro-American to African American sensibilities Increased emphasis on rhythm Recurring rhythmic structure = defining principle of popular music Simpler harmonies (12 bar blues) – 3 chords Awareness of African American influences (Tin Pan Alley) = wholesale adoption by Rock ‘n’ Roll Elements (concl.) Rock ‘n Roll = musical hybrid Euro-American standards = coupled with a new cultural formula, favoring African American Values Marketing African American Culture triumphed. African Americans didn’t Three categories of popular music: “Race” (African American) “Hillbi