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Period: 500 to 1400
Secular Medieval Music
Tavern songs, love songs, hunting songs (with animal sounds), satirical criticisms of society and the Church, themes of chivalry love, songs about the Crusades, dancing songs, spinning (work) songs. -
900
Parallel Organum appears in Europe
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1100
Florid Organum appears in Europe
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1350
First mention of the Clavichord in Europe
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Period: 1400 to
Musical Textures/Forms used in the European Renaissance
Textures: A cappella (vocal), polyphony, imitation, homophony
Forms Techniques: purely sacred motet, the secular madrigal, mass ordinary vs. mass proper, pop-tune masses, musical borrowing, word painting, clear harmonic structure, secular instrumental music (written), music for groups called "consorts", schools for instrumental virtuosity. -
1450
Printing Press is perfected in Europe
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1493
Spanish colonization
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1523
French colonization
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1564
Protestant Settlers in America
French Huguenots English Pilgrims (1620) and Puritans (1607).
Psalmody: monophonic and without instruments -
Period: to
European Baroque Forms & Techniques
Techniques: Improvisation, ornamentation, "spinning melodies", driving and energetic rhythms, contrasts (numbers of players, dynamics, tempos, tone colors, etc.), complex polyphony (e.g. the fugue), imitation, "Doctrine of Affections", movements as a structural force, monodic texture (using figured bass played by a basso continuo) Forms: Opera, oratorio, cantata, concerto, dance suites (as concert pieces NOT to be danced to). -
First (successful) Opera in Europe & Birth of the Orchestra
“L'Orfeo", by C. Monteverdi. Called for a specific instrumentation = the beginning of the orchestra. -
British colonization
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The Ainsworth Psalter
Demonstrated a “medieval Catholic” way of treating psalmody: be able to sing multiple Bible verses with just a few melodies. The melodies only exist to serve as a vehicle for contemplating the words of Scripture. -
The Bay Psalm Book & Lining-Out
First full-length book printed in the English-speaking American colonies.
The content of the music was further simplified.
The technique of Lining-Out began. -
The piano is born
Originally called a "fortepiano". By 1730 most elite Europeans had and played a piano. -
Secular American Ballads
Based on British song. By the early 1700s, ballads were published on broadsides. -
T&T Masquerades & Canboulay
Masquerades: Catholic feast of indulgence, brought with and performed by the upper-class white settlers. Canboulay: Slaves’ own version of Carnival celebrations. (Slaves were not allowed to associated with whites.) Origination of the “chantwell” - a male singer improvising songs to introduce his fighter before a stickfighting match.
This evolved into “kalinda bands” that would support the singer with African drums and other instruments. -
Colonial Military Music
Including "Harmoniemusik groups” of wind instruments playing European classical music, as well as drum and fife military bands. -
American Singing Schools are established
A result of the Lining-Out vs. Old Way Singing controversy: “Regular Singing” style is born. Presented music as an art requiring a technical background. These schools were devoted to rudimentary singing and note-reading skills. -
First Known Concert in the American Colonies
Featuring a mix of European art music for large ensembles, chamber ensembles, and voice. -
Period: to
First Great Awakening
White protestants began to see blacks as potential Christians, allowing blacks to be taught Christian singing. -
First church choirs in America are formed.
As a result of singing schools, people wanted more interesting music to sing. -
Period: to
European Classical Techniques and Forms
"Gallant Style": graceful, balanced, polite, symmetrical, logical - reaction against the extravagance of the Baroque period. Techniques: Easy-to-remember melodies, homophony (tuneful melodies with simple harmonic accompaniment), unpredictable rhythms, contrasting moods (fluctuated often), gradual dynamic changes. Forms: Classical symphony (including sonata form, minuet-and-trio form, rondo form, and theme-and-variations form), string quartet, comic opera, -
First Colonial American Secular Art Song
“Seven Songs for Harpsichord or Forte Piano” by Franics Hopkinson -
Period: to
Settlers start moving west and south
Americans start settling undiscovered territories and establishing new towns. -
First American Opera
“The Disappointment” by Andrew Barton -
The New-England Psalm-Singer by W. Billings
A collection of over 100 original songs that struck a uniquely American chord, featuring songs named after American towns and churches as well as patriotic and anti-British themes of freedom and liberty. -
Period: to
American Revolutionary War
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In the wake of war...
Americans were less inclined to find spiritual guidance in Puritanism. Thus the performance of sacred American tunes became popular outside of church as well as inside. -
Native American Parlor Songs:
“The Death Song of the Cherokee Indians” is published and becomes popular. -
Period: to
Second Great Awakening
Birth of camp-style revivials, during which black attendees were given space to sing, praise, and worship in their own way. It was a rare social event where whites and blacks interacted as partners, where whites accepted the customs of black expression. -
Shape Note Notation is born
Shape notes simplified notation and became especially popular in the American south. It created an equality between city-dwellers and uneducated rural folks. -
White fasincation with black slave music...
…gives rise to blackface minstrel shows. -
Brazilian Carnaval is a European-esque street parade
Accompanied by European dance music like waltzes, polkas, and marches. -
Cuban Rumba
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American-born singers and actors start performing on American stages
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Period: to
19th Cent. Popular American Secular Music
Minstrel songs, patriotic songs, separation songs, nostalgia songs, social reform songs. Post-Civil War songs sheet music included nostalgia songs, drinking songs, and western songs. -
“A Collection of Spiritual Songs and Hymns"
First American psalter assembled by a black author for a black congregation. Included sections of call-and-response. -
Period: to
European Romantic Period Techniques & Forms
Style: imagination, supernatural, horror stories, nature, human passion, fascination with the Medieval and Renaissance periods, individuality, nationalism, exoticism, virtuosity, program music.
Techniques: thematic transformation of melody, chromatic harmony, expanded dynamics, rubato tempo, both giant forms and miniature forms, unusual time signatures, unusual instruments, folk music influences.
Forms: art song, song cycles, concert overture, tone poem, incidental music, program symphony. -
Great Britain emancipates the slaves of Trinidad & Tobago
Former slaves were now allowed to participate in the Carnival celebrations, making them truly wild and free events! -
Key Systems and Piston Valve Systems
The first key system for brass was invented in 1814, and th episton valve system in use today was invented in 1838. -
New York Philharmonic Society is formed
…later to be called the New York Philharmonic (the professional orchestra). This was the first US professional orchestra with permanent membership. -
“The Sacred Harp"
One of the best-selling tune books in American publishing history. Used shape note notation. Included traditional sacred songs as well as new hymns constructed from secular tunes. The arrangements are very raw and unpolished sounding--using lots of parallel fifths (very un-European), multiple text repetitions, and thick homophonic textures. -
First American Grand Opera
“Leonora” by William Henry Fry
The premier production in Philadelphia featured solo vocalists, a seventy-member chorus, and a fifty-member orchestra and was immediately successful. -
Massive move westward
Almost half the American population began settling the west by this point! -
American Wind Bands include brass instruments and percussion
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The modern piano is born
Thanks to industrial advancements. -
Period: to
American Industrialization
The US became the world’s leading industrialized nation. -
Period: to
American Civil War
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“Slave Songs of the United States"
The first anthology of black spirituals collected in an effort of preservation. The work of these three authors led them to witness another black plantation worship tradition: the ring shout. -
Fisk Jubilee Singers
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Seward’s arrangement of a Black Spiritual: “Go Down Moses"
Based on the singing of freed slaves given sanctuary at Fort Monroe in 1861, but “watered down” to be accessible to white listeners. -
British government bans use of African drums in Trinidad & Tobago
…leading to the development of “tamboo bamboo” bands - rhythms creating with bamboo sticks being struck on the ground instead of drums. -
The Cakewalk
Became a popular song of Black Culture. -
Tin Pan Alley
Beginning of mass production and aggressive sales of new sheet music. -
Recorded Music as an Industry is Born
Wind bands, orchestras, military brass bands, and Russian opera singers held the public’s attention through the new medium until the 1920s. -
Labor Songs start being published
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Dvorak Comes to America
…spurring a controversy about “what is American music?”, and leading to a new style celebrating Native American sound called the Indianist Movement. -
“O Abre Alas”: The first Brazilian Carnaval March
Written composer, pianist, and first woman conductor, Chiquinha Gonzaga -
Ragtime becomes popular...
…among both whites and blacks through sheet music, gramophone recordings, and player-piano piano-rolls. -
Asian & Indian immigrants arrive in Trinidad
The population becmae more integrated. -
Jazz develops...
…around 1900 in New Orleans: a blend of ragtime and West African and French Baroque styles. Wasn’t called “jazz” until 1915. -
Period: to
20th Century Generalisms
New harmonies and rhythms, alternate tonalities, big focus on tone colors, jazz, world cultures, percussion sounds, irregular melody, electronics, computers, music no longer catering to listeners’ expectations, using old tools in new ways, the recording industry.
Impressionism, primitivism, expressionism, free atonality, serialism (12-tone), aleatorism, minimalism... -
"In Dahomey” by Will Marion Cook
The first full-length, black-produced, black-composed, and black-performed show to make a successful run at a Broadway theater, as well as throughout Great Britain and the United States. -
First Cohan Musical: “Little Johnny Jones"
George M. Cohan is considered the father of musical comedy in the United States. -
Blues develops...
…as a black response to intensifying segregation laws in the south. W.C. Handy penned the first notated blues songs in 1914. -
Period: to
World War 1
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“Pele Telefone”: First Samba Recording
Brazilian samba = European and African dance music + Brazilian percussion rhythms -
First jazz recording
…done by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band (ODJB). -
Radio explodes in popularity
Thanks to the successful broadcast of the 1920 presidentaiul election from radio KDKA in Pittsburgh, 340,000 people purchased a new radio throughout the following year. -
Danzón becomes national dance of Cuba
Danzón = West African rhythms + European dances like the waltz or minuet -
Mamie Smith records “Crazy Blues"
The first recording of a blues song sung by a balck singer. It was hugely successful and started the scramble of record companies to make “race records” and female-led blues recordings. -
White Gospel and Black Gospel develop
White gospel thrived in rural areas and integrated aspects of rural country music. Black gospel thrived in cities and integrated elements of blues and jazz. -
White Jazz + Country-Western
White bandleaders led groups playing polished arrangements of blues rhythms and minimal improvisation. Meanwhile, country and western flourished, founding the Grand Ole Opry. -
Birth of Calypso in T&T
Calypso tents become the popular venue for chantwell performances, some charging fees for attendance and spurring on the first calypso recordings. -
Women allowed to vote!
Male-female relationships started changing, and female blues singers sang openly about women’s issues like sex, opposition to traditional marriage roles, poverty, adultery, violence, etc. -
Harlem Renaissance
In New York around 1920, black intellectuals began a cultural movement now referred to as the Harlem Renaissance, which was an attempt to break through the wall of racism via art by showing that black artists could master classic, prestigious, European forms and techniques. -
Microphones are commerically widespread...
…giving a big boost to the recording industry and changing singing styles. -
Irish Radio is formed and broadcasts traditional Irish music
It allowed people throughout the country to hear the various styles that existed. -
Period: to
Great Depression
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Samba-canção
A focus on melody, converstaional texts, interesting harmonies in the accompaniment, and de-emphasized rhythm. -
Danzón-Mambo
Faster, more Afro-Cuban, more ostinatos, improvised flute solos, ensembles start adding congas and cowbell. -
Samba de Morro
A reaction to the perceived “watering down” of Carnaval samba’s quality. This authentic, grassroots style of samba survived in the favelas and became a contrast to the more commercial samba, surviving into the 1970s. -
Big Band next Big Thing
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Debut of NBC Orchestra on radio
Arturo Toscanini led the NBC Orchestra, the first orchestra to perform regularly on nationwide radio (1937-1954). -
Period: to
World War 2
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Tamboo Bamboo Bands start using metal drums
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Bebop
A reaction against the commercialization of big bands. Used small ensembles of 4 to 6 musicians; the audience was expected to listen, as in the tradition of art music performances. -
American Folk Music Revival
Woodie Guthrie collected, preserved, and composed hundreds of folk songs that treated politics, racism, corporate hypocrisy, and other social issues with a stark frankness that inspired singers like Pete Seeger in the 1950s and Bob Dylan in the 1960s. -
Television!
Takes all the advertising dollars away from radio, as well as all the shows that were once on radio (like soap operas, detective shows, comedy shows, etc.). This left radio with the freedom to start exploring the airing of black artists’ RB for the underground teenage market. -
The steel drum is born and becomes the national instrument (T&T)
During WW2, instrument makers experimentd with empty oil drums used during the war to make the first steel drums and steel pans. -
Cha Cha Chá & Mambo
Cha Cha Chá is a lighter Afro-Cuban style with slower tempos, blatantly clear andf steady beat, more transparent textures - specficially geared toward non-Latin, amateur dancers. Mambo is faster and more aggressive; became popular alongside the rise of rock and roll. Ensembles include big band/swing jazz instruments. -
Popular Music in America (1950s)
Hard Bop, Cool Jazz (reaction against bebop), Folk Music Revival, Blues Revival/Electric Blues, Bluegrass, RB, Rockabilly -
First airing of Black Artists on White Radio
Cleveland DJ Alan “Moondog" Freed noticed that teenagers in the Midwest were purchasing and enjoying black RB records in surprising numbers, so he began airing these records on his radio show, giving birth to the term “rock and roll” as well as the traditional style of “DJ talk” that became pravelnt on music radio. He reached out to white teenagers like no one else had. -
Period: to
Vietnam War
Influential 20th century event. -
Popular Music in America (1960s)
Doo-wop, Girl Groups, Soul, Soul Jazz, Motown, Funk, The British Invasion, Surfing and Hot Rod Music, Folk and Protest Music, Free Jazz, Acid Rock -
Brazilian samba becomes popular
Favored music of Carnaval, replacing marches. -
Newport Folk Festival introduces Irish music to the US
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Civil Rights Act Passed
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Updated Mambo & Salsa
Modern mambo: Latin rock feel, addition of electric guitar and drum set. Salsa: New York City style Afro-Cuban. -
Popular Music in America (1970s)
Fusion Jazz, Reggae and Modern Ska, Heavy Metal, Rock and Heavy Metal Theatre, Disco, the Various Rocks (blues-rock, folk-rock, country-rock, punk-rock, art/progressive rock) -
Hip-Hop is Born
Hip-hop was created by DJ Kool Herc in 1973 and constructed with turntables, looped beats, and drum breaks from funk songs. It developed its own culture and became associated with hip-hop fashion, break dancing, and artistic graffiti. During the late '70s and early ‘80s MCs would start rapping live over the DJ's groove. -
“Rapper’s Delight” is a commercial success
When 1979's "Rapper's Delight" became a commercial success, it opened the door for hip-hop/rap to become a mainstream genre. Rappers quickly left the DJs behind (as record labels were reluctant to pay a live DJ as opposed to programming a background beat with a drum machine), but turntablists still create live-performance hip-hop for festivals and other performance events. -
Popular Music in America (1980s)
Post-Punk Rock, Hardcore Rock, Synth-Rock Electro-Pop, Soul-Pop, Techno, Pop-Metal, Mainstream Rock, Neo-Trad. Jazz, Speed Metal, Rap Hip-Hop -
Popular Music in America (1990s)
Smooth and Urban Jazz, Country Rock, Grunge and Alternative Rock, Electronica, Gangsta Rap, RB Rap, Heavy Metal Rap, Jazz: Acid, Nu, and Rap -
Internet goes public
And the mp3 is solidified as an effective digital format in 1992. -
First pirated mp3 on the Internet
“Until It Sleeps” by Metallica.