MTM Lesson 4 - Music of Early Recordings 2022 PDF

The Music of Early Recordings, 1890-1920 John Young, tenor; Eugene Jaudas, conductor; Edison studios, http://www.randyspecktacular.com/2012_07_01_archive.html, accessed 2/3/16 Themes Running Through The Unit Agency: a focus on the actions of individual people – agency of inventors-entrepreneurs – ag...

The Music of Early Recordings, 1890-1920 John Young, tenor; Eugene Jaudas, conductor; Edison studios, http://www.randyspecktacular.com/2012_07_01_archive.html, accessed 2/3/16 Themes Running Through The Unit Agency: a focus on the actions of individual people – agency of inventors-entrepreneurs – agency of musicians – Agency of music scholars Relation to 19th century musical culture Historical Context: WWI Race, Ethnicity, National origins, Religion, Class, and Gender Relationships between live and recorded performance What kinds of music was recorded in the early years, 1880-1920? Recordings of Native American Music. What was this? Native American recordings, for Research, not commerce 1879: U.S. Government, Bureau of Indian Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution Anthropologists documented Indian life and culture, including music 1880s: Wrote lyrics, transcribed songs with staff notation 1890s: Frances Densmore, using Edison phonographs to record music, recorded Brave Buffalo in South Dakota, 1911-14 What did recordings provide that transcriptions lacked? Early Recorded Music for Commerce Music with mass appeal Classical and Opera Brass bands Popular music, Tin Pan Alley – “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” by Irving Berlin, sung by Billy Murray, 1911 Comedy and Novelty songs; Vaudeville: dominated popular entertainment – “A bunch of nonsense” by Murray K. Hill, 1908 Sentimental favorites, Nostalgia for the south Religious songs, Christmas songs Imported field recordings for ethnic groups Ethnic humor; Minstrel songs, Coon songs; Other stereotypes: Country folk, immigrants, Jews – “Snyder, Does Your Mother Know You're Out?” by George P. Watson, 1899 “Ethnic humor” in Tin Pan Alley songs Representations of China on U.S. Records Example 1 of 2: Field recording of Cantonese opera in San Francisco on Edison, 1902 (instrumentation records well) Example 2: Tin Pan Alley song about Chinatown: “Chinatown, My Chinatown” by William Jerome and Jean Schwartz. Sung by Billy Murray, Victor 1914 Marches and Rags “Stars and Stripes Forever March” by John Philip Sousa Recording: Sousa’s band, Edison Records, 1909 Usual Form: Intro - AABB – CDCDC Orchestration? “Maple Leaf Rag” by Scott Joplin Recording: U.S. Marine Band, Victor Records, 1906 Usual Form: AABBA – CCDD Orchestration? John Phillips Sousa (1854-1932) “The March King” in the USA Family of military musicians in Washington, D.C. Led the United States Marine Band (in photo) Then his own band, Sousa’s Band Scott Joplin, Ragtime Changed popular song Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” (1899) Source of pride for African Americans II. Technological Limitations of Recording Sound What were they? Technical limits of recording sound Can’t be too loud or too much bass, or else stylus will jumps groove, ruining the recording Tubas replaced basses Banjos replaced pianos in ragtime But pianos were played loudly, so sound was harsher and more percussive Brass bands were reduced in number No great symphony orchestras were recorded Ensembles had to be arranged around recording horns Horns were selected to match performers, ensembles Singers placed in front of horns Stroh violin: sound box and horn attached to violin Musical theater songs (Cohan) were altered to fit the machines Jazz recordings: drums had to be muffled or removed Blues wasn’t as constrained as jazz Theo Wangemann at Edison Laboratory 1905 Stroh violin, since 1899 German inventor John Matthias Augustus Stroh http://historywired.si.edu/enlarge.cfm?ID=46&ShowEnlargement=1 Music that was easy to record Yodeling and Whistling – “Jere Sanford's Yodeling and Whistling Specialty” by Jere Sanford, 1910 Banjos, mandolins, ukuleles Xylophones – “Dinah Polka” Charles P. Lowe, 1900 Male voice Voice and single accompaniment, short songs with piano Opera III. Example Recording Artists Major Recording Artists: Two Examples Billy Murray (1877-1954) Ada Jones (1873-1922) Irish family Moved from Philly to Denver Ethnic dialects (Irish, Italian, Af-Am…) Romantic and dance songs Recorded on all major and minor labels From England to Philly Less famous than Murray, but sang popular songs and many duets with Murray Duet: “On the Old Front Porch” Victor, 1913 Instrumentation? Form? Lyrics? Bert Williams (1875-1922) “Bert Williams (1875-1922) was the most popular African American comedian of the early twentieth century. With his partner George Walker (1873-1911), he performed, in blackface, in all of the leading variety and vaudeville houses of the era as well as before royal audiences in England. He also cofounded a pioneering union for African American actors.” (David Suisman) David Suisman: Teaching the JAH: March 2004 (Vol. 90, no. 4) http://www.journalofamericanhistory.org/teaching/2004_03/teaching.html Ragtime vs. Minstrelsy "Nobody," by Bert Williams and Alex Rogers (1905). Williams's signature song Recorded by Columbia Graphophone Company When life seems full of clouds and rain And I am filled with nothing and pain Who soothes my thumping, bumping brain? Nobody And me with hunger and cold feet Who says, "Here's twenty-five cents, go and eat"? Nobody I ain't ever done nothing to nobody I ain't ever done nothing to nobody, no time And until I get something from somebody, sometime I'll never do nothing for nobody When I was in that railroad wreck And thought I'd cashed in my last check Who took the engine off my neck? Nobody When time was things was looking bright I started to whittle on stick one night Who cried out, "Stop now, that's dynamite"? Not a soul I ain't ever done nothing to nobody I ain't ever done nothing to nobody, no time And until I get something from somebody, sometime I'll never do nothing for nobody (Note: The original 1905 published version contained eleven verses, only two of which are heard on the 1906 recording (which also has two verses not in the published version). Handout: Three Interpretations of Williams How did the three African-American authors view Bert Williams differently? Bert Williams, "The Comic Side of Trouble" Before I got through with "Nobody" [no longer sang it in his act] I could have wished that both the author of the words and the assembler of the tune had been strangled or drowned or talked to death. For seven whole years I had to sing it. Month after month I tried to drop it and sing something new, but I could get nothing to replace it, and the audiences seemed to want nothing else. Every comedian at some time in his life learns to curse the particular stunt of his that was most popular. "Nobody" was a particularly hard song to replace. Song writers say that I am a particularly hard man to write songs for. Whenever they have a song a man can use they seem to want a portion of his life before they will sell it to him. They want war prices for their songs, but I have not observed any war salaries being paid to artists. The way some of them deal with me is to calculate what my income ought to be for the next ten years, and then ask ten per cent of that.... Eulogy in The Messenger Bert Williams, the premier American comedian, is dead. He achieved the very highest distinction in his line. He won fame and made much money. Writers, who knew him intimately, say that he never satisfied his ambitions; that he aspired to more serious work.... It is no little pleasing to learn of his thinkings. It is interesting and heartening, too, to know that there are a few Negro stage folk who smart under the cork and struggle to rend the veil even though but a few succeed; for this is our only hope. As we see it, Bert Williams as he was, rendered a disservice to black people. He was heralded throughout the country as a great comedian; but he left in his train the fallen gods of Negro culture-urgings. He played in theatres that either barred or Jim-Crowed Negroes--a policy born of the conceptions that all men of color are inherently inferior to white men--and by a strange irony of fate, Bert Williams himself was a facile instrument of this insidious cult. At the end, he lamented his failure to be considered and acclaimed as a whole, full-orbed man on the American stage and yet his life's work rendered it possible for the Negro actor to be received as a half-man only.... Eulogy by W.E.B. DuBois When in the calm afterday of thought and struggle to racial peace we look back to pay tribute to those who helped the most, we shall single out for highest praise those who made the world laugh; Bob Cole, Ernest Hogan, George Walker, and above all, Bert Williams. For this was not mere laughing; it was the smile that hovered above blood and tragedy; the light mask of happiness that hid breaking hearts and bitter souls. This is the top of bravery; the finest thing in service. May the world long honor the undying fame of Bert Williams as a great comedian, a great negro, a great man. “Over There” (1917) by George M. Cohan WWI (1914-1919) US joins Allies (1917) Tin Pan Alley songs switch from neutrality to patriotism War impacts recording industry, lack of imported supplies and exporting records (Andre Millard, p. 70) Johnnie, get your gun, get your gun, get your gun, Take it on the run, on the run, on the run, Hear them calling you and me, ev'ry one for liberty Hurry right away, no delay, go today Make your Daddy glad to have had such a lad, Tell your sweetheart not to pine, to be proud her boy's in line Over there, over there! Send the word, send the word, over there! That the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming, The drums rum-tumming ev'rywhere! So prepare, say a prayer, send the word, send the word to beware! We'll be over, we're coming over, And we won't come back 'til it's over Over There! Johnnie, get your gun, get your gun, get your gun, Johnnie show the Hun you're a son of a gun! Hoist the flag and let her fly, Yankee Doodle do or die Pack your little kit, show your grit, do your bit Yankees to the ranks from the towns and the tanks Make your mother proud of you and the old Red White and Blue Over there, over there, Send the word, send the word, over there! That the Sammies are coming, the Sammies are coming, The drums rum-tumming ev'ry where So prepare, say a prayer, send the word, send the word to beware We'll be over, we're coming over, And we won't come back 'til it's over Over There! Nora Bayes (1880-1928) Jewish American Vaudeville and Musical Theater star in NYC Recorded for Victor and Columbia Read Handout: How did she challenge gender roles? Cover of “When It’s Apple Blossom Time” (1912) “Over There” sung by Billy Murray (1917) Edison Blue Amberol cylinder Edison Diamond Disc – With “Premiere Quartet” Victor disc – With “American Quartet” (mostly same singers) Billy Murray on Edison Caruso, “Over There,” in English and French