Transcript jpkc.sisu.edu.cn

The Sounds of the World
Music
Class 4
彭小嫒
Introduction

There is a world of music out there ! What
we hear on the radio or see on TV is only a
small part of all the wonderful music that is
waiting for us. Most of us probably like pop
music and have our favourite
performers ,stars ,or bands ,but many of us
also want to discover new sounds and
rhythms. Here is a brief look at so me of the
exciting musical styles from around the
world .
Classic music

The term classical music refers to a number of different, but related, ge
nres. Without any qualification, the usual meaning of "classical music" i
n the English language is European classical music (an older usage de
scribes specifically the Western art music of the Classical music era). It
can also refer to the classical music of nonWestern cultures such as Persian classical music, Indian classical mus
ic or Chinese classical music.
In a Western context as well as Persian tradition, classical music is gen
erally a classification covering music composed and performed by prof
essionally trained artists. Classical music is a written tradition. It is com
posed and written using music notation, and as a rule is performed fait
hfully to the score. In common usage, "classical music" often refers to o
rchestral music in general, regardless of when it was composed or for
what purpose (film scores and orchestral arrangements on pop music r
ecordings, example).
Gospel
 Gospel is a musical genre characterised by
dominant vocals (often with strong use of ha
rmony) referencing lyrics of a religious natur
e, particularly Christian. Subgenres include
contemporary gospel and urban contempora
ry gospel.
Jazz

Jazz is a musical form that grew out of a crossfertilization of folk blues, ragtime, and European music, particularly band music. It has be
en called the first native art form to develop in the United States.
The music has gone through a series of developments since its inception. In roughly chro
nological order they are: Dixieland, swing/big band, bebop, hard bop, cool jazz, free jazz,
jazz fusion and smooth jazz (The inclusion of smooth jazz as an actual jazz genre is dis
puted).
Jazz is primarily an instrumental form of music. The instrument most closely associated
with jazz may be the saxophone, followed closely by the trumpet. The trombone, piano, d
ouble bass, guitar and drums are also primary jazz instruments. The clarinet and banjo w
ere often used, especially in the earlier styles of jazz. Although there have been many re
nowned jazz vocalists, and many of the most wellknown jazz tunes have lyrics, the majority of wellknown and influential jazz musicians and composers have been instrumentalists. During
the time of its widest popularity, roughly 1920 to 1950, jazz and popular music had a very
intimate connection. Popular songs drew upon jazz influences, and many jazz hits were
reworkings of popular songs, or lyrics were written for jazz tunes in an attempt to create
popular hits.
Jazz

The single most distinguishing characteristic of jazz is improvisation. Ja
zz also tends to utilize complex chord structures and an advanced sens
e of harmony. These characteristics in combination with the use of impr
ovisation require a high degree of technical skill and musical knowledg
e from the performers.
The art form today is a widely varied one, using influences from all of th
e past styles, although the root of modern jazz is primarily bebop. Mod
ern jazz can also incorporate elements of rock and roll, electronica, and
hip-hop.
Jazz was a direct influence on Rhythm and blues, and therefore a seco
ndary influence on most later genres of popular music. Modern Americ
an art music composers have often used elements of jazz in their comp
ositions.
Latin American
 Latin American Music, music of Mexico, Central A
merica, South America, and the Caribbean (see W
est Indies). The region of Latin America contains a
rich variety of cultural and musical heritages, inclu
ding those of lowland Native Americans in the Am
azon River area and parts of Central America; tho
se of highland Native Americans in Mexico, Guate
mala, and the Andes; those of African Americans,
especially in the Caribbean, Ecuador, Suriname, G
uyana, French Guiana, coastal Venezuela, Colom
bia, and northeastern Brazil; and those of people o
f Spanish and Portuguese descent.
Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues is a name for black popular music tradition. When speaking
strictly of "rhythm 'n' blues", the term may refer to black popmusic from 1940s to 1960s that was not jazz nor blues but something more ligh
tweight. The term "R&B" often refers to any contemporary black pop music. Ear
ly1950s R&B music became popular with both black and white audiences, and p
opular records were often covered by white artists, leading to the development
of rock and roll. In fact rock 'n' roll was an interchangeable term with rhythm an
d blues in the 1950s, and term used usually depended on racial background.
A notable subgenre of rhythm 'n' blues was doowop, which put emphasis on polyphonic singing. In the early 1960s rhythm 'n' b
lues took influences from gospel and rock and roll and thus soul music was bor
n. In the late 1960s, funk music started to evolve out of soul; by the 1970s funk
had become its own subgenre that stressed complex, "funky" rhythm patterns a
nd monotonistic compositions based on a riff or two. In the early to mid 1970s,
hip hop music (also known as "rap") grew out of funk and reggae (see below).
Funk and soul music evolved into contemporary R&B (no longer an initialism) i
n the 1980s, which cross-pollinated with hiphop for the rest of the 20th century and into the 21st century.
Funk
 Funk is a distinct style of music originated by African Ameri
cans, e.g., James Brown and his band members (especiall
y Maceo and Melvin Parker), and groups like ParliamentFunkadelic, Sly and the Family Stone, or The Meters.
Funk best can be recognized by its syncopated rhythms; th
ick bass line; razorsharp rhythm guitars; chanted or hollered vocals (as that of
Marva Whitney or the Bar-Kays); strong, rhythmoriented horn sections; prominent percussion; an upbeat at
titude; African tones; danceability; and/or strong jazz influe
nces (e.g., as in the music of Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock,
George Duke, Eddie Harris and others).
Rock
 Rock, in its broadest sense, can refer to almost all popular
music recorded since the early 1950s. Its main features inc
lude an emphasis on rhythm, and the use of amplified instr
uments like the guitar.
Its earliest form, rock and roll, arose from multiple genres i
n the late 1940s, most importantly jump blues. It was first p
opularized by performers like Chuck Berry, Bill Haley, Budd
y Holly, and Elvis Presley, who fused the sound with countr
y music, resulting in rockabilly. Rock soon became one of t
he most popular genres, with girl groups, garage rock and
surf rock most popular in the US.
Rock

Starting the mid1960s, a group of British bands inspired on American blues and R&B became popular on both sides o
f the Atlantic -the British Invasion, a catchall term for multiple genres (including British blues, Mersey beat, and mod
). These groups, including The Beatles, fused the earlier sounds with Appalachian folk music, forming
folk rock, as well as a variety of less-popular genres, including the singer-songwriter tradition.
The British Invasion evolved into psychedelic rock, which in turn gave birth to jam bands and the class
icallyinfluenced progressive rock. Perhaps the most significant psychedelic rock band is the British Pink Flo
yd. Some British blues and mod bands like The Yardbirds and The Who evolved into hard rock. In the
early 1970s appeared a more glamorous version of hard rock called glam rock, and a darker sound kn
own as heavy metal. In the early to mid-1970s, singersongwriters and pop musicians led the charts, as well as southern rock and roots rock performers, whi
ch fused modern techniques with a more traditionalist sound. The late 1970s saw the rise of punk rock
(with bands like The Clash, The Ramones, and the Sex Pistols), notable for its rebellious attitude and
"Do-it-yourself" philosophy.
In the 1980s, rock continued to evolve, with metal becoming popular and punk mutating into other for
ms. Punk yielded New Wave, postpunk, hardcore punk, and alternative rock, while metal developed into various subdivisions, including t
hrash metal, glam metal, death metal, and black metal. Alternative rock became more popular in the 1
990s, with subgenres like Britpop, gothic rock, grunge, and shoegazing being some of the best-known.
Pop
 Pop music is an important genre of popular music
distinguished from classical or art music and from f
olk music. The term indicates specific stylistic trait
s but the genre also includes artists working in ma
ny styles (rock, hip hop, rhythm and blues (R&B),
and country), and it is reasonable to say that "pop
music" is a flexible category. It may also be referre
d to as soft rock or pop/rock.
A pop song is
written in a “factory” where one person writes the
words , someone else the music ,and other
musicians record it .
Country music

Country music is usually used to refer to honky tonk today. Emerging in
the 1930s in the United States, honky tonk country was strongly influe
nced by the blues, as well as jug bands (which cannot be properly calle
d honky tonk). In the 1950s, country achieved great mainstream succe
ss by adding elements of rock and roll; this was called rockabilly. In ad
dition, from Swing and bluegrass emerged as a largely underground ph
enomenon. Later in the decade, the Nashville sound, a highly polished
form of country music, became very popular. In reaction to this, harderedged, gritty musicians sprung up in Bakersfield, California, inventing t
he Bakersfield sound. Merle Haggard, Buck Owens along with similar a
rtists brought the Bakersfield sound to mainstream audiences in the 19
60s, while Nashville started churning out countrypolitan. During the 197
0s, the most popular genre was outlaw country, a heavily rockinfluenced style. The late 1980s saw the Urban Cowboys bring about a
n influx of poporiented stars during the 1990s. Modern bluegrass music has remained
mostly traditional, though progressive bluegrass and close harmony
Electronic music

Electronic music started long before the invention of the synthesizer, with the use of tape loops and an
alogue electronics in the 1950s and 1960s. All electronic music owes its historical existence to early pi
oneers of tape experiments known as musique concrète, such as John Cage, Pierre Schaeffer and Ka
rlheinz Stockhausen, as well as early synthesists like Wendy Carlos, JeanMichel Jarre, and Morton Subotnick. (See electronic art music).
Well known examples include the theme music to the TV series Doctor Who, recorded in 1963 by Deli
a Derbyshire, and the catchall "electronica," which can sometimes include all of the above electronic subgenres, but usually refers to electronic music without lyrics.
One of the first people to popularize the synthesizer was Wendy Carlos who performed classical musi
c on the synthesizer on the recording SwitchedOn Bach. Space music was popularized by the group Tangerine Dream, among others, as a precursor
to new age music. New age music served to support and perpetuate the values of the new age move
ment.
Though there is some overlap between the various subgenres of electronic music, Brian Eno, the creator of ambient music, claimed that ambient had a bit of
"evil" in it, whereas new age music did not. Eno's creation was less valuesdriven than new age; his goal was to create music like wallpaper, insofar as the listener could listen to
or easily ignore the music.
Melodic music

Melodic music is a term that covers various genres of nonclassical music which are primarily characterised by the dominance of a single strong melody line. Rh
ythm, tempo and beat are subordinate to the melody line or tune, which is generally easily memorable
, and followed without great difficulty. Melodic music is found in all parts of the world, overlapping man
y genres, and may be performed by a singer or orchestra, or a combination of the two.
In the west, melodic music has developed largely from folk song sources, and been heavily influenced
by classical music in its development and orchestration. In many areas the border line between classi
cal and melodic popular music is imprecise. Opera is generally considered to be a classical form. The
lighter operetta is considered borderline, whilst stage and film musicals and musical comedy are firmly
placed in the popular melodic category. The reasons for much of this are largely historical.
Other major categories of melodic music include music hall and vaudeville, which, along with the balla
d, grew out of European folk music. Orchestral dance music developed from localised forms such as t
he jig, polka and waltz, but with the admixture of Latin American, negro blues and ragtime influences, i
t diversified into countless subgenres such as big band, cabaret and Swing. More specialised forms of melodic music include military
music, religious music. Also video game music is often melodic.
Traditional pop music overlaps a number of these categories: big band music and musical comedy, for
example, are closely allied to traditional pop.
Hip hop / Rap / Rapcore

Hip hop music can be seen as a subgenre of R&B tradition . Hip hop cu
lture, the movement from which the music came, began in inner cities i
n the US in the 1970s. The earliest recordings, from the late1970s and early 1980s, are now referred to as old school hip hop. In th
e later part of the decade, regional styles developed. East Coast hip ho
p, based out of New York City, was by far the most popular as hip hop
began to break into the mainstream. West Coast hip hop, based out of
Los Angeles, was by far less popular until 1992, when Dr. Dre's The C
hronic revolutionized the West Coast sound, using slow, stoned, lazy b
eats in what came to be called G Funk. Soon after, a host of other regi
onal styles became popular, most notably Southern rap, based out of A
tlanta and New Orleans, primarily. Atlantabased performers like OutKast and Goodie Mob and Ludacris soon dev
eloped their own distinct sound, which came to be known as Dirty Sout
h. As hip hop became more popular in the mid1990s, alternative hip hop gained in popularity among critics and longtime fans of the music.
Hip hop / Rap / Rapcore

De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising (1989) was perhaps the first "alternative hi
p hop" blockbuster, and helped develop a specific style called jazz rap, charact
erized by the use of live instrumentation and/or jazz samples. Other less popul
ar forms of hip hop include various nonAmerican varieties; Japan, Britain, Mexico, Sweden, Finland, France, Germany
, Italy and Turkey have vibrant hip hop communities. In Puerto Rico, a style call
ed reggaeton is popular. Electro hip hop was invented in the 1980s, but is disti
nctly different from most old school hip hop (as is go go, another old style). So
me other genres have been created by fusing hip hop with techno (trip hop) an
d heavy metal (rapcore). In the late 1980s, Miami's hip hop scene was charact
erized by bass-heavy grooves designed for dancing -Miami bass music. Horrorcore, or Acid Rap is mainly credited to Detroit and th
e Midwest. There are also rappers with Christian themes in the lyrics -this is Christian hip hop.
Perhaps the most recent development in hip hop is the Backpacker subgenre. Characterized by a renewed focus on poetry and Hip hop culture, it inclu
des artists such as Sage Francis, Atmosphere, and Eyedea and Abilities .
Conclusion
 There are of course many other interesting
styles of music .There is a wide variety of
new music to be discovered in every corner
of the world , so the next time you look for a
tape or a CD, don’t just look for Chinese or
American music –open your ears to the
sounds of the world!