Category: Music

Jazz Origins Scott Joplin’s Solace: A Mexican Serenade is a very beautiful piece. It’s hard to believe that the form of Solace is based on a march. However, piano rags such as those by Joplin were formally based on marches.
Solace has several sections. Listen specifically from 00:00 to 03:12, and address the following questions:
How many sections are within this three-plus-minute portion of the piece? Is there an introduction?
Do any sections repeat? How would you label them if you used letters to designate each section? Hint: the first section is from 00:09 to 00:47.
What is syncopation? Is there syncopation in this piece? How prevalent is syncopation in the melody?
Characteristically, rags have a steady “boom-chick, boom-chick” in the left hand, with the bass notes sounding on the beat and chords sounding on the “and” of each beat. Does the left hand play this sort of characteristic figure through Solace, or is it more elaborate than that?
Do any portions of the piece have a more distinctive 2/4 “feel” in the left hand than other portions? Provide counter numbers. Hint: The tempo of Solace is quite slow.

Answer 2 of the 3 questions below. Write a minimum of 500 words per question. Format your essay using 12-point, Times New Roman font, double spaced. Provide a simple bibliography at the end of your source material, which can be from the class text or other academic and well-researched sources. Use parenthetical citation and quotations when necessary. Please watch out for plagiarism and refer to the policy on the syllabus for more information. You do not need to provide an introduction and conclusion for this essay.

Discuss the way African, European, and African American music traditions contributed to the development of jazz. What musical qualities and stylistic elements can be attributed to these cultures and how did they begin to blend?
Discuss the role and importance of urban centers such as New Orleans, Chicago, and New York for the development of jazz. Identify prominent jazz artists associated with each. New York has not been part of your reading yet, but do your own independent research to discuss its importance for jazz in the early 20th century.
Why is Louis Armstrong’s early playing career (up to 1930) so impactful to the development of jazz? Discuss the characteristics of his playing, events, and bands that contributed to the shift in musical style during this period.

First, read Bonnie Gordon’s 2019 NYT article about Barbara Strozzi. This does an excellent job of introducing us to Strozzi, her music, and her career as a singer and composer in the male-dominated world of the arts in seventeenth-century Venice. Then, listen to Lagrime Mie (link to recording attached).
Next, read the introduction from Carolyn Abbate and Roger Parker’s “A History of Opera.”(attached).
After you’ve finished going through the Abbate/Parker reading, please watch the video of Dido’s Lament (attached).
PICK ONE OF THE QUESIONS BELOW ONLY AND WRITE ABOUT IT:
1 How are modern operatic performances different from earlier ones?
2 How do these laments convey tragedy/sadness?
3 What was remarkable about Barbara Srozzi’s career?
4 What are the differences between recitative and aria, and why were these useful for opera composers and audiences?
5 What makes opera unique (or not)?

Purpose
To explore how national identity is defined through music by comparing national anthems from different regions. To conduct research using SU library databases. To synthesize and evaluate findings.
Tasks
Start your research
Begin by evaluating the purpose of national anthems. Discuss the various occasions you encounter a national anthem. What does it invoke and does it sound the same each time?
Select two national anthems from two of the following regions:
Africa (excluding South Africa)
Central Asia
Middle East (excluding Israel)
South America
Southeast Asia
Research the history of the two anthems. When, why, and by whom did it come to be composed and adopted? Two sources must come from the library database.
Describe important musical features of the two anthems.
For the thesis of the essay, explain what you consider as the main reasons for the difference and similarities between the anthems.
Provide an original title for your paper. Your paper should be proofread, double-spaced, in 12-point font, and have at least 600 words (please include a wordcount).
Upload your essay to “Assignment”
Criteria for success
The persuasiveness of thesis
Quality of research and citation
Clarity in organization and sentence structure
Timely submission

1. IAM Planète Mars. Determine 5 characteristics of Marseille found in the lyrics. Please be specific. Refer back to the text and show what words, expressions, and phrases that best support your choices and explain how and why they do so (be specific). (200 words minimum)
2. IAM. Les raisons de la colère. What are the various reasons of their wrath? Refer back to the text and show what words, expressions, and phrases that best support your choices and explain how and why they do so (be specific). (200 words minimum)
I will provide the materials needed to answer these questions.

(You only need to listen to a little of each, 1 page)**
Song/s Name
Artist
Genre
Tone of song/s
Mood of song/s
Instruments or voices used in song/s
Personal connection or emotion evoked

an power point on a composer: My choice is Beethoven
Should also mention the time period in which the music was created and how that may have affected the music
1st slide/cover slide – Your name etc.
2nd why you selected your specific topic / introduction.
3rd-4 slides – body – your chosen topic
5th slide – your conclusion(s). *References used

(You only need to listen to a little of each, 1 page)**
Song/s Name
Artist
Genre
Tone of song/s
Mood of song/s
Instruments or voices used in song/s
Personal connection or emotion evoked

an power point on a composer: My choice is Beethoven
Should also mention the time period in which the music was created and how that may have affected the music
1st slide/cover slide – Your name etc.
2nd why you selected your specific topic / introduction.
3rd-4 slides – body – your chosen topic
5th slide – your conclusion(s). *References used

Answer these 3 questions and number them 1, 2, and 3.
Each question must be answered in at least 2 paragraphs. NO LESS!
Questions to answer:
1. What was the name of the only female member of group Les Six, working in Montparnasse, in early 20th century?
2. Who was the first American woman to compose a symphony?
3. Why American composer Meredith Monk is called An innovator in mixed-media forms?
Use outside sources to help you find the answer to the question.