Unit 3 Flashcards
(17 cards)
What are arranged spirituals?
Spirituals that retained the melodies and texts of their folk predecessors, but sung in the European tradition and formal performance style
Arranged spirituals bridge folk traditions and formal musical styles.
What is blow harmony?
A gesture common in doo-wop where the singer simultaneously blew into the microphone and sang ‘ooh-wee, ooh-wee’
This technique adds a unique vocal texture to doo-wop performances.
Define doo-wop.
Vocal harmony groups, also known as ‘street corner groups’, that featured four a capella singers performing popular songs with wide ranges and adventurous harmonies
Doo-wop emerged in the 1940s and 1950s as a significant genre in American music.
What is a folk spiritual?
Unaccompanied slave songs on religious themes that were sung in a heterogeneous, call-and-response style
Folk spirituals reflect the cultural and historical experiences of African Americans.
What characterizes gospel music?
Black sacred music that included instrumental accompaniment, borrowed from popular music and hymns, and contained melodies intended for improvisation
Gospel music plays a crucial role in African American worship and cultural expression.
What was the Great Migration?
A period during the early twentieth century when many African Americans moved from the rural South to the urban North in search of better work and quality of life
The Great Migration significantly influenced cultural and social dynamics in the United States.
What are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs)?
All-black universities founded after the Civil War to educate young African American men and women
HBCUs have played a vital role in providing higher education and fostering leadership in the African American community.
What is the Holiness-Pentecostal movement?
A movement in American Christianity that encouraged congregational participation and expression and eschewed polished performance styles
This movement emphasizes personal experience and emotional expression in worship.
Define jump blues.
A style of African American music that featured a 12-bar blues form, boogie woogie bass, strong back beats, shuffle rhythms, and group singing during the choruses
Jump blues laid the groundwork for the emergence of rhythm and blues and rock and roll.
What is melisma?
Many notes sung to a single syllable of text
Melisma is a common technique in various musical styles, including gospel and R&B.
What are shuffle rhythms?
Rhythm common in early rhythm and blues that consisted of a triplet quarter note followed by a triplet eighth note
Shuffle rhythms contribute to the distinctive groove of rhythm and blues music.
What are vocables?
Non-semantic syllables added to doo-wop songs that provided a sense of rhythmic drive and a standard musical phrase for the background singers
Vocables enhance the musical texture and rhythmic feel of doo-wop songs.
Who was Thomas A. Dorsey?
A Methodist minister and composer of the song ‘Stand by Me’
Dorsey is known as the father of gospel music for his contributions to the genre.
Which of the following is not a historically black college or university? Florida A&M University, Fisk University, Duke University, Tuskegee University?
Duke University
Duke University is a private university located in North Carolina and does not have a historical designation as an HBCU.
Which of the following was not a doo-wop group? the Ravens, the Tympany Five, the Orioles, the Chords?
the Tympany Five
The Tympany Five was primarily known as a jump blues band, not a doo-wop group.
Which of the following songs was not by Louis Jordan? ‘We Will Understand It Better By and By’, ‘Is You Is, Or Is You Ain’t Ma Baby?’, ‘Let the Good Times Roll’?
‘We Will Understand It Better By and By’
This song is associated with gospel music and not Louis Jordan’s repertoire.
During the 1940s, the term ‘rhythm and blues’ was used by record companies to include all but which of the following styles? gospel, vocal harmony groups, small swing combos, arranged spirituals?
arranged spirituals
Arranged spirituals were not categorized under rhythm and blues during this era.
