Music Composition and Styles Quiz

Music Composition Elements

• Verse-refrain: Structure with an introductory verse leading to the main body (refrain/chorus) following an AABA format.
• Verse: A poetic text group with rhymes and recurrent patterns, serving as an introduction in verse-refrain songs.
• Bridge: Contrasting passage in a song, providing a 'release' from the preceding sections.
• Tag: Repeated phrase, often altered, found in AABA structures, specifically in the third A line.

Music Styles and Genres

• Torch songs: Emotional pieces expressing heartbreak from separation or failed romances.
• Crooning: Gentle singing style made possible by the microphone, with Bing Crosby as a pioneering figure.
• Crooner: A singer who effectively used the electric microphone post-1925.

Musical Keys

• Minor key: One of the two primary scales in Western music, characterized by a specific sequence of intervals; prevalent in blues music.
• Major key: The second primary scale in Western music with its own interval arrangement.

Music Standards

• Standard: Songs that have retained popularity and active performance for over seventy years.

Notable Figures in Tin Pan Alley

• Irving Berlin: Influential composer from Temun, Russia, who emigrated to the U.S. due to anti-Jewish persecution.
• John Philip Sousa: Identified as not being an influential Tin Pan Alley composer.
• Al Jolson: Known as "The World's Greatest Entertainer" and recognized for his 1921 recording of "April Showers" featuring elaborate orchestral accompaniment.

Musical Contributions and Influence

• Bing Crosby: Known for dynamically varied phrase deliveries, exemplified in his recording of "How Deep Is the Ocean."
• Gene Austin: Released the hit "My Blue Heaven" in 1927.
• George Gershwin: Composer of "I Got Rhythm," and noted for the opera "Porgy and Bess," merging various musical styles.
• Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II: Creators of "Show Boat," a groundbreaking musical in 1927 emphasizing seriousness in content.

Tin Pan Alley Context

• Location: New York City, the hub for many influential songwriters and composers of the era.
• Cultural Reflection: Tin Pan Alley songs typically did not address serious societal issues of the 1920s and 1930s, such as racism or economic struggle.

Musical Techniques and Elements

• Arrangers: Individuals tasked with creating suitable musical settings for singers by matching vocal strengths with song parameters.
• Blue notes: Unique tones reflecting African American musical traits, noted for their deviation from traditional scales.
• Blues: A significant genre rooted in African American tradition, influencing mainstream music since the 1920s.
• Riff: Repetitive musical pattern used to build rhythm, characteristic of much African American music.

Test your knowledge on the elements of music composition, including verse-refrain structures and various musical styles like torch songs and crooning. This quiz covers key concepts in musical keys and the techniques of famous singers.