indigenous music

LESSON 1 QUESTIONS
1. The roots of rock and roll are clearly African-American in origin. Much of the indigenous music from West African cultures features
musical characteristics that are prevalent in rock and roll. Listen for some of the following musical characteristics in the recording of
Ba-Benjelle Pygmies from Central Sub-Saharan Africa. The variety of timbres present in many sub-Saharan African singing voices
range from rounded, to guttural, without vibrato, raw, and grainy. Buzzing sounds (buzzing timbres) are prevalent in many of the
instruments used in the countries and culture groups of sub-Saharan Africa.
Open the Music Characteristics To Listen For page and list any of the musical characteristics you happen to hear in this incredible
Pygmy selection. Beyond a mere listing of the characteristics, try to describe what you are hearing.
a) ostinato – a rhythm, phrase, or theme that is repeated over and over
b) polyrhythms – two or more rhythms that are played or sung simultaneously c) call and response – a pattern in which one voice or
instrument is answered by another voice, instrument, or group. d) syncopation – accenting of a note(s) or beat(s) at an unexpected
time-as between two beats or on a weak beat. e) multiphonic singing or “raw vocal emotionalism” – an individual singer who
produces more than one pitch simultaneously.
2. Listen, compare, and contrast the following two spirituals:
Shout All Over God’s Heaven – The Fisk Jubilee Singers
Roll, Jordan Roll – The Fairfield Four
How are they different? What do they seem to have in common? List and describe any musical
characteristics you notice in these recordings.
3. Listen to the W.C. Handy composition St. Louis Blues as performed by The Empress of the Blues, Bessie
Smith. On this recording of the Classic Blues style, Bessie is accompanied by Louis Armstrong on Cornet and
Fred Longshaw on the Reed Organ. Describe this music–what mood is being conveyed here? As you listen,
please list and describe any musical characteristics you recognize.
4. Compare and contrast St. Louis Blues from question #3 and Traveling Riverside Blues by Robert Johnson.
How are they different? What do they seem to have in common? List and describe characteristics you
notice in the music. As you listen to Traveling Riverside Blues, performed by the great Country or Delta Blues
artist Robert Johnson, notice how Robert Johnson typifies the extremely personal approach of the
Country/Delta Blues artist as evidenced by his adding to (adding one extra beat), or deleting from (dropping one beat) the 4/4 time
of each measure of music. He does not do this to all the measures, but rather to just a selected few purely as a means of
communicating his art. Maintaining strict 4/4 time coupled with the twelve-bar harmonic progression of the blues is secondary to
the personal expression of his voice and guitar. Additionally, because this music is just Robert by himself on guitar and singing, he
does not have to worry about keeping a stable 4/4 meter or a steady tempo as he would if he was playing with other musicians in a
band.
5. Urban Blues is a post World War II musical development. As African-Americans migrated north, the basic Country/Delta blues
style mixed with the jazz rhythm section of piano, bass, and drums. Additionally, the musicians “plugged in,” as amplification of the
guitars, vocals, and the harmonica became standard. Listen to the following examples of Urban Blues. In these recordings, list and
describe the musical characteristics that you hear:
Bessie Smith