Module 3

Module 3 covers a lot of different types of music.  With more and more technology being developed in the 1920s-1940s, music is being influenced in many ways.  Radio is sending music from coast to coast, almost eliminating the idea of “regional” music, records are available with many people (even the poor) going on payment plans to purchase record players, and people are now leaving rural areas to urban areas for job opportunities in the factory industry.  The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl hurt the economy in many different ways.  When these people migrated to different areas, they brought their culture with them the same way immigrants have always brought their influence to new countries.

I find the differences between classic blues and country blues to be quite interesting.  I was not aware that professional songwriters wrote classic blues songs and I had assumed that the difference between classic blues and country blues was simply regional.  W.C. Handy was an African American songwriter that was classically trained in music.  He did not grow up around the blues, but sought it out as an adult.  He became a very well known class blues songwriter throughout his life.  His song “St. Louis Blues” was performed by Bessie Smith and became a huge hit.  The blues is not a complex type of music, but this piece does some very untraditional things.  The first A section is a typical 12 bar blues, but then it moves to a very distinct B section and then to a C section.   This piece does include interplay between the singer and cornet for the duration of the song.  The song seems to tell a story, but sounds very different from country blues.  Blind Lemon Jefferson’s “That Black Snake Moan” is country blues and has a very different sound than classic blues.  This piece only utilizes the guitar (and very simplistically at that) and the singer.  It is not easy to anticipate where the new section or even measure is going to happen.  It is very difficult to tap your foot because it does not follow a set structure.  The lyrics do not tell a story like the classic blues in that the lyrics do not seem to feed off what was previously said and are very sexual in nature.  The lyrics seem to work in any given order whereas classic blues songs have an actual conversation that tells a story, usually about love and heartbreak.  Where Bessie Smith has a very soothing voice (as in all classic blues), Blind Lemon Jefferson’s voice is far from that.  He moans and slides pitches throughout, yet there is humor and urgency in his voice.

In regards to swing music, there are definite differences in the sound of the bands during this time period.  I find it interesting that these big bands were all considered to be swing music.  It is especially perplexing to me when comparing Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington.  While there were definite differences between the black and white big bands of the swing era, Benny Goodman used many pieces arranged by Fletcher Henderson (a black composer) yet these pieces sound drastically different from Duke Ellington pieces.  “Taking a Chance on Love” was arranged by Henderson and performed by Goodman’s band.  It is very laid back and pleasant in its approach to the listener.  Almost totally opposite, “Caravan” was a piece arranged by Duke Ellington and has a very eerie sound.  It does not invoke any urge to dance, but is pleasant to listen to nonetheless.  It has a very mysterious sound with a seemingly different approach to instrumentation and roles of the instruments from Benny Goodman’s music.  While it widely understood that Ellington was in music for the sake of music and not fame or money, I find it very interesting that Ellington and Goodman are both placed into the same category of swing having such very different sounds.  It is very clear that there are many different types of music being composed and introduced during the swing era.