Predecessors to Rock & Roll Music

Predecessors to Rock & Roll Music Major events in history have shaped the development of Rock Music

Historical Events • Emancipation Proclamation (1862) – freeing of the slaves in the United States. The slaves had brought with them a strong musical heritage consisting of african beats that emphasized the backbeats or weak beats and many syncopated rhythms. When the combined these traditional beat patterns with traditional harmonies….many new musical styles were born.

The Stock Market Crash & Great Depression • The stock market crash of 1929 was the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the United States. The crash began a 10-year economic slump that affected all the Western industrialized countries. • The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s.

World War II • World War II was a global military conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945 which involved most of the world's nations, including all of the great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. • The War effort led to many advances in industry, inventions and eventually was the reason the great depression ended.

New Inventions that impacted music • Several inventions in the early 1900’s also had a direct impact on the development of music. • The phonograph was invented in the late 1800’s and went through many improvements from cylinder recordings to recording on disc. In 1929, the Edison company gave into the popular trend and introduced the Edison Portable Disc Phonograph with New Edison Needle Records, offering both the Diamond Discs and the new needle records simultaneously • The radio was invented by Marconi and in 1933 FM station began which allowed people to listen to music in their homes, rather than go to a concert hall. • The electric guitar was invented in 1935 with its most famous versions the Fender Telecaster & Stratocaster which were introduced in the early 1950s.

Ragtime Music • Ragtime Music(1900’s) was music written for piano only that used traditional chords, but many backbeat and syncopated rhythmic patterns. • Scott Joplin was the most famous • composer of Ragtime music and wrote popular pieces such as Maple Leaf Rag and The Entertainer that are still played regularly today.

Dixieland Music • Dixieland music originated in the New Orleans area and consisted primarily of black American musicians. Most of the music was improvised beginning with a “tune” or melody and then the other musicians would make up complimentary melodies that surrounded the main melody. • Dixieland jazz combined brass band marches, French Quadrilles, ragtime and blues with collective, improvisation by trumpet (or cornet), trombone and clarinet over a "rhythm section" of piano, guitar or banjo, drums, and a double bass or tuba. • Louis Armstrong”s All-Stars was the band most popularly identified with Dixieland • Many of the musicians were illiterate which is why much of the music was not written down.

Jazz Music • Jazz Music was created by primarily the African American musicians. They combined several elements from their African heritage: Blue Notes, Syncopated Rhythms, Back Beat Rhythms and Swung notes with traditional European chords. • One of the major component of all jazz music is that although there is a main “tune” much of the music is improvised (or created ) over top of chord progressions.

Jazz Music • Most jazz band were consisted of a few wind players: saxophone, trumpet, trombone , as the primary solo voices with a rhythm sections consisting of Drum set, Bass, Guitar, Piano • Several of the most influential jazz musicians included: Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Gene Krupa, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.

Jazz as a true American Art form Paul Whiteman and his group presented their first jazz concert in 1924 at the Aeolian Hall in New York City…the hall had only been used for classical music concerts before this date including the famous Piano Concert, Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin. This concert was significant as it opened the way for jazz to take its place as a true art form, being presented in concert halls around the nation and the world.

Big Bands • In the 1930’s, the traditional small jazz band grew into a large Big Band. The big band kept the same rhythm section of piano, bass, guitar and drum set, but added entire sections of trumpets, trombones, saxophones(clarinets) instead of single solo instruments. • The music was primarily written out or arranged with much less improvisation and solos. • Famous Big Band leaders included: Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Benny Goodman

Big Band Music • There were two big bands that arose to popularity in the late 1930’s and 1940’s, those composed of mostly black musicians and those who were mainly white musicians. • At this time in our nations social climate, the law provided for “separate but equal” facilities for black and white americans. (This law ended with the civil rights movement in the 1960’s) • Although big band had been invented by black americans, the white musicians (white bands) who were not hindered by racial discrimination gave it mass appeal to the general public.

Swing Music • In the 1930’s the big bands developed a new style of jazz called swing. • This term is used to describe a steady and lively rhythm that makes listeners want to dance. • Since much of this music was meant to be danced to, most of it was written out with very little improvisation so it was easier for people to dance to.

Blues • The Blues are the essence of the African American laborer, whose spirit is wed to these songs, reflecting his inner soul to all who will listen. Rhythm and Blues, is the cornerstone of all forms of African American music. • The blues form was first popularized about 1911-14 by the black composer W.C. Handy (1873-1958). • During the twenties, the blues became a national craze. Mamie Smith recorded the first vocal blues song, 'Crazy Blues' in 1920. The Blues influence on jazz brought it into the mainstream and made possible the records of blues singers like Bessie Smith and later, in the thirties, Billie Holiday.

Birth of Rock & Roll • Rock around the Clock! – Bill Haley & the Comets

Predecessors to Rock & Roll Music