MUSICAL CREATORS

Chapter 8

What you will learn

Identify five modern American composers and songwriters

Describe how these musical artists use music to communicate

Identify the characteristics that make their works American

Identify the creative processes and the source of musical ideas that these composers and arrangers use in developing their music

Vocabulary

Composition Hook Modulation Fanfare Synthesizer

Musician Profiles

Moses Hogan

George Gershwin

Composers and Songwriters

The art of composition:The craft of putting together sounds to

create a musical workExteriorizing inner feelingsMost use musical notation – some create

with electronicsComposers must be able to convey feelings

and meanings to the audience

The creative process

The process can be a struggle (Beethoven) or spontaneous (Chopin and Mozart)

InspirationA creative force that awakens the

creative voice within the artistWhere do composers begin?

○ Some composers work randomly○ Some start with the form

Songwriter Diane Warren

Writes music for films, TV and singers First hit was “Rhythm of the Night” from

the movie The Last Dragon in 1984 Songs have been in dozens of TV

shows and movies Recorded by Aerosmith, Toni Braxton,

Gloria Estefan, Celine Dion, and Rod Stewart

Interview p. 171

Activity 1, p. 174 CD 5:19-20 Identify the hook:

The motive or “grabber phrase in a song that often accompanies the words of the song’s title

“Because you Love Me” & “Unbreak My Heart” by Diane Warren

How do the melodic and harmonic structures reinforce the lyric message of each song?

Imagine that you were to hear just the music of each song without the lyrics. What emotions does the music successfully communicate?

Assignment

Write a paragraph outlining the creative processes used by songwriter Diane Warren.

American Masters

At one time American music was considered inferior to European musicMost performances in America were of

European musicWWI brought American popular music to

Europe – especially jazzEuropean composers began using American

elements in their music

George Gershwin (1898-1937)

Prolific American composer of popular songs, Broadway musicals, and concert music

The child of Russian-Jewish immigrants Taught himself to play – then studies formally Worked in Tin Pan Alley – a section of New

York City where musicians could play their songs for publishers and producers

George Gershwin

His first hit song was “Swanee” He took American music further by

fusing jazz chords and motives with classical meters and orchestration

He combined American jazz with traditional classical forms for the concert hall

Rhapsody in Blue (1924) An American in Paris (1928)

Gershwin’s musicals

He wrote his first musical at age 19 – La, La Lucille

He composed over 30 musicals with lyrics written by his brother Ira

One of his most popular was Girl Crazy(1930)

Of Thee I Sing (1931) won the Pulitzer Prize

Activity 2 & 3, p. 176 CD 5:21 “I Got Rhythm” by George Gershwin

From the musical Girl CrazyLead role catapulted Ethel Merman to fame

Gershwin loved this tune so much that he used it as the theme for a theme and variations

Activity 3, p. 178 CD 6:1

An American Opera

Gershwin’s most ambitious work was the opera Porgy and Bess (1935)

Based on a novel by DuBose Heyward It portrays the struggles of two African

Americans living in the racially segregated South in the early 1900’s

Gershwin wrote the words in Gullah(a regional dialect of English spoken by descendants of enslaved Africans living in the coastal South) for authenticity

Porgy and Bess

When the show opened, backers didn’t want to use the word opera

The show wasn’t fully appreciated until after Gershwin’s death in 1937

Songs from the opera became popular“Summertime”“Bess You is My Woman Now” CD 6:2

○ Duet between Porgy and BessModulation:

○ Change of key

Aaron Copland (1900-1990)

Experimented and studied for years before becoming successful

Studied in France Explored jazz rhythm then harsh

dissonant music Had a bold, brash compositional style Used American folk music and jazz style

Appalachian Spring: Copland’s “Gift for Simplicity”

One of the characteristics of his style is simplicity

Ballet Appalachian Spring (1944)Based on the song “Tis a Gift to be Simple”

○ Made famous by Copland○ Played at the inaugurations of President

Reagan and President Clinton○ Listed by the National Association for Music

Education as one of the songs that every American should know

“Simple Gifts”

Activity 5, p. 184 CD 6:3 The ballet was written for the dancer

and choreographer Martha Graham It celebrates a newly married pioneer

couple’s moving into a home built for them

The last section is variations on the theme

Activity 6, p. 184 CD 6:4

Fanfare for the Common Man (1942) Fanfare:

A short, showy tune, usually written for brass, played to honor important people or announce an important event

During WWII, Eugene Goossens, then conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, commissioned several American composers to write fanfares

Copland’s was one of the most successful Activity 7, p. 185 CD 6:5

New Directions How much technology is

acceptable for a band to use? Electronic Music

The development of the integrated circuit or chip opened up technology for musicians

Synthesizer○ An electronic device, usually with a

keyboard, capable of producing sounds in almost any range, tone quality, and volume

○ Invented by Robert Moog

Libby Larsen (b. 1950)

Incorporates synthesized sound into her music

Writes for many genres Makes use of video images and

other multimedia effects The Settling Years

The Settling Years

Expresses life in the untamed West in the 19th century

3 movements“Comin’ to Town” – details the experience of a

Western town overrun by cowboys“Beneath These Alien Stars” describes the great

western expanse“A Hoopla” celebrates good times with country

fiddling Activity 8, p. 188 CD 6:6 “Comin’ to Town” from The Settling Years

Marimba Concert: After Hampton

Marimba is an idiophone made of wooden bars and resonating tubes

Its roots are in Africa and South and Central America

Made famous by jazz musician Lionel Hampton (1908-2002)

Activity 9, p. 189 CD 6:7Marimba Concerto: After Hampton by Libby

Larsen

The Source of Musical Ideas Activity 10, p. 190 - video

Moses Hogan (1957-2003) Late 20th century composer and arranger Focused on promoting and preserving the African

American spiritual Activity 11, p. 191 CD 6:8

“I am Gonna Sing ‘Til the Spirit Moves in My Heart” by Moses Hogan

How does the composer create a sense of growing intensity toward the end of the composition

Describe Hogan’s use of a contrasting style of rhythm to end the composition

What is the emotional effect of this contrasting styleDo you think this composition would be difficult to sing? Why?

From the Top CD 1:15-16

Sojourner HodgesTrio for Violin, Cello, and Piano

Review - Terms Modulation

A change of key Fanfare

A short, showy tune, usually written for brass, played to honor important people or announce and important event

SynthesizerAn electronic device capable of producing sounds in

almost any range, tone quality, and volume Composition

The craft of putting together sounds to create a musical work

HookThe motive or “grabber’ phrase in a song that often

accompanies the words of the song’s title.

Who composed what? “Because You Loved Me”

Diane Warren “Bess, You Is My Woman Now”

George Gershwin “Unbreak My Heart”

Diane Warren “Comin’ to Town”

Libby Larsen “Rhythm of the Night”

Diane Warren

Who composed what? “I Got Rhythm”

George Gershwin Marimba Concerto: After Hampton

Libby Larsen Rhapsody in Blue

George Gershwin Fanfare for the Common Man

Aaron Copland Appalachian Spring

Aaron Copland

In Beethoven’s time, what instrument was widely used for composing?piano What is a marimba?

An idiophone that is larger than a xylophone with tuned resonating tubes under the tone bars

What song catapulted Ethel Merman to fame in 1930?“I Got Rhythm” From what musical, by

George Gershwin, was “I Got Rhythm”Girl Crazy

What was Aaron Copland’s compositional style?He used American folk

traditions and themes

Who popularized spirituals in the 2nd half of the 20th century?Moses Hogan

Which musical of Gershwin’s won the Pulitzer Prize?Of Thee I Sing

What does Diane Warren usually build her song around?A hook

Who was a late 20th century composer and arranger of gospel music?Moses Hogan

Which composers compositions for the concert hall combined American jazz with traditional classical forms?George Gershwin

The hymn “Tis a Gift to be Simple,” was used by which composer in what piece?Aaron Copland in Appalachian

Spring What word was avoided when advertising Porgy and Bess?opera

Essay

How do composers make their musical works sound “American”?Using religious tunesFolk songsPopular melodiesJazzOther themes associated with American

culture

Discuss different approaches to creating music. Cite examples.Some composers(Andrew Lloyd Webber or

Starving Goliath) rely on inspiration and improvisation

Others (Libby Larsen) hear the music in their head first

Diane Warren writes every day, completing one song before going on to the next