Archive for December 2010
Different combinations of musicians are given different names, based mostly on personnel, instrumentation, and the style of music played.
An orchestra, traditionally, is made up of the following: strings (violins, violas, cellos, bass), brass (trumpets, trombones, french horns), woodwinds (clarinet, oboe, bassoon, flutes, piccolos), and percussion (snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, misc. percussion instruments). Although there are exceptions, an orchestra plays mostly symphonic music (Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, etc.) and most often performs in a concert setting. Most orchestras are seated the same way with the violins and violas on the conductor’s left, cellos to his right, woodwinds behind the strings, brass in back to the conductor’s right, and percussion, back center. Its quite common that a piano is included to the conductor’s immediate left. A soloist usually takes this position as well. The average size of an orchestra is 75 to 100 players. Smaller groups of 50 or less are often called chamber orchestras.
The word orchestra is sometimes used in a less informal way such as the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. The Boston Pops orchestra is known for playing popular songs of the day.
The origin of country music can be traced back as far as the 1920′s. Many people especially those from outside the USA often think that it is a new music genre due to the rise of young country singers and groups such as Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum who brought the genre back to life and introduced it to the world once again. For those who are interested in the history of music and its many different genres, they should also be interested in finding out the history of country music. It is undoubtedly one of the most popular music genres in the USA today. It is even popular outside the USA such as in Canada and Australia, as numerous American country singers and musicians today have also gained fame outside of their home country.
In the early 1970s, the cultural movement of hip hop music was born. Hip hop’s fast paced music style is made of two parts; the rhythmic delivery of rap and the use ofinstrumentation by a DJ. Hip hop music also brought with it a fashion of its own, the fashion helped to represent this newly created music.
Hip hop music has its roots from West African music and African-American music. The first rap song to be put onto a vinyl record was, “Rapper’s Delight”, a song by the Sugarhill Gang back in the 1970s. This is when block parties started becoming the norm in New York City, which gave hip hop and rap the chance to explode in popularity. Hip hop’s instrumentation came from funk, R&B, and disco, when combined together make this dynamic type of music. When the DJs at these block parties learned what the people liked, they began mixing these vinyl records and created music that played continuously with amazing transitions between
songs. Hip hop was actually created by a DJ named Kool Herc, a Jamaican that had moved to the United States with a style that consisted of mixing music by using two copies of the same record. Many of the poor Jamaican’s in the town could not afford vinyl records, so huge stereo systems were set up so that many could here the rhythmic beats. These stereo systems were the kick-off for the beginning of the
evolution of block parties. So with the musical talent of these amazing DJs, with the use of vinyl record mixing, the culture of hip hop and rap music was born.
Rock music features vocals, electric guitars, a powerful backbeat, and the occasional saxophone. A key element is Rock n Roll, and the terms are used interchangeably. “Rock n Roll” is a nautical expression and refers to the motions of a ship. It entered black spiritual music in 1916; “Rocking” was used by African Americans to describe the bliss they experienced at religious events and their accompanying music. Simultaneously, black secular musicians used the term for dancing or sex.
Wynonie Harris’ ‘Good Rocking Tonight’ started the “rock” fad in 1947, though people became aware of it only in 1954, owing to tracks like ‘Shake, Rattle, and Roll’ and ‘Rock Around The Clock’. In the mid-50′s, when Rock n Roll scaled popularity charts, record companies began promoting singers. RCA backed Elvis Presley – the first superstar rock musician, Decca backed Bill Haley and Buddy Holly, while Capitol promoted Gene Vincent. Thus, R&B artists faded into oblivion.