When I Shine

• When I Shine, The Herbaliser ft. Bahamadia, 1997
• Instrumentation: Vocals (Bahamadia and backup), bass, percussion, guitar, flute (?), and electronics.
• Form: This song is loosely strophic in that it repeats "Stereophonic or mono my lingo tingle topics revolve... I see my influence still shinin'" but it is not strophic in terms of a beat. This song is not accessible because it is very hard to sing along to, slightly difficult to understand the lyrics, and hard to keep up with the pace at which the lyrics are sung.
• Origin: This song draws from various different genres including jazz and hip hop.
• Melody: There is no clear melody to this song, and after listening to it, there is no riff that sticks in my head.
• Lyrics: The lyrics remind me of a poem that someone (maybe someone reminiscent of a stereotypical beatnik) would read at a poetry slam. Unlike a rap song, they do not form a complete story, but rather make (at times coded) statements about contemporary society: "Presentin' dark sounds, cause we in some crucial time now, and I'm tryin' to leave a mark before they place me in the ground." I found the lyrics to have less of an impact because I found it hard to hear exactly what Bahamadia was saying.
• Texture: The texture was not something that my attention was drawn to. Once again, I would describe this song's texture as neither thick nor thin. There are certainly no silences and the accompaniment (instruments) sound well balanced, but they do not resonate with me as past songs such as Variations on a Theme...
• Range: practically no range is explored here. This is perhaps so as not to detract from the instrumentation and the message being sent from the lyrics (which may be clearer to other listeners).
• Tempo: A very steady tempo is maintained throughout. It is moderately slow.
• Meter: A duple beat. The rhythmic beat is very clear and sets a strong pulse for the song. I think that this uniform beat is also meant not to distract from the lyrics.
• Volume: The volume does not vary much throughout the piece at all. The piece as a whole is of a medium volume.
• Personal: I found this piece to be very interesting. It is the first of its kind that I have ever heard, so it is too soon to say whether or not I would listen to it on my own time,. The vocals reminded me of a TLC song, while the lyrics produced an image of a stereotypical beatnik (wearing a beret and black turtleneck) performing at a cafe during a poetry slam. I did appreciate the successful blend of hip hop and jazz, as I had never really heard this before, and found it to be quite creative.

Party In the Rain

• Party In the Rain, Eve, 2002
• Instrumentation: Vocals (Eve and backup), synthesizer, drums, electric guitar, a little beat-boxing
• Origin: this is a contemporary song. It combines rapping with a sung chorus.
• Lyrics: As it is with most rap songs, this one has more lyrics to it because the story told is more spoken and said more quickly, so more can be fit into the song. There are a lot of expletives, which are bleeped out, but still add to the rough-around-the-edges image that the song portrays of its narrator. A lot of rap talks of being "hated on" and just wanting to party ("I wanna party in the rain"). This song is no exception. This is not to say that rap music is not to be taken seriously. In a way, it is advocating change ("things won't be the same"). This song especially makes a name for itself, as Eve was one of the first very successful female rappers.
• Melody: the most memorable riff in this song is "I wanna party in the rain" which is the only sung part. With rap songs it is often the sung chorus that is the only memorable riff because it is the only part that is repeated and is most accessible.
• Form: this song is strophic, it does repeat the chorus. It is not that accessible, because it is hard to rap because of the amount of lyrics to remember as well as the speed at which they are rapped.
• Texture: this song is neither thick nor thin. I don't think the texture is meant to be best aspect of this song.
• Range: the range stays fairly restricted, as most rapping does, with the exception of the chorus, which sings at a higher level.
• Tempo: The tempo is mild and unchanging.
• Meter: There is definitely a clear rhythmic beat (duple beat), which sets a noticeable pulse for the whole song.
• Volume: The volume remains consistent throughout. It does not sound like the vocals or the instruments are particularly loud, however, it seem as if this song is meant to be played loudly. It's lyrics and message are both strong, so it is suiting that it be played loudly.
• Personal: I listen to Eve occasionally, but I had never heard this song before. It is not my favorite of all her songs, but I didn't dislike it. What I've found is that for me, a rap song's chorus makes or breaks the song, because that is what is going to stick in my head after the song is over. I thought the chorus of this song was ok, but not as catchy as "Who's That Girl?" or "Let Me Blow Your Mind."

Back in Your Head

• Back in Your Head, Tegan and Sara, 2007
• Instrumentation: piano, vocals, percussion, guitar, bass.
• Form: strophic, comes back to the chorus "I just want back in you head." This song is easy to sing along to, the words are clear, it does not explore a challenging range, and it is a very straightforward beat.
• Origin: this is a contemporary song.
• Lyrics: the sisters are singing of a romance, to which they are clearly afraid to commit to: "Built a wall... between us in our bed... I'm not unfaithful but I'll stray."
• Melody: there are two riffs that stick in my mind after hearing this song: "I just want back in your head" and "I'm not unfaithful but I'll stray."
• Texture: this song is neither thick nor thin.
• Range: there is not a great range explored in this piece, it pretty much remains consistently neither high nor low throughout in both the vocals and the instruments.
• Tempo: the tempo remains consistent throughout and I would describe it as quick.
• Meter: this is a duple beat. It is very pronounced throughout the song by the percussion and the guitar, as well as the choppy manner the girls have of singing with the beat.
• Volume: The volume is fairly consistent throughout and is neither very high nor very low.
• Personal: I personally do not love Tegan and Sara. I don't strongly dislike them, but I would not choose to listen to them in my free time. I cannot hear them without thinking of the show Grey's Anatomy, which I believe has used a number of their songs on their soundtracks. I used to watch this show, but grew to dislike it, so the connotation is poor, which I do realize is not Tegan nor Sara's fault, but nonetheless, it's there. I would also say that they sound like "shouters" to me, which is not a style that I always appreciate.

Hallelujah

• Hallelujah, k.d. Lang, 2004
• Form: this song is strophic, it comes back to the chorus "Hallelujah" and it is also very accessible, it easy to sing along to- the words are annunciated clearly. It may be harder to reach the pitches that k.d. sings, however.
• Origin: this is a contemporary work, although it is a cover of a song written in the 80s.
• Instrumentation: vocals (one singer), piano, and string accompaniment (guitar, violins).
• Melody: after listening to this song, what sticks in my head is "hallelujah" repeated over and over.
• Texture: I would not describe this song as rich. This is not to say that it is lacking something, but rather that what is most attractive about this song is something other than the texture.
• Range: k.d. explores quite a range in this song, and the instruments flow with her.
• Tempo: this is a fairly slow paced song, which speeds up with the swell of the song at the climaxes.
• Meter: it seems to be in a duple beat the entire time.
• Volume: the volume plays a large role in bringing this piece to life. It is used to emphasize the climaxes of the song, and increases throughout the phrasing. I thought the use of volume change in this song really made it more dynamic.
• Lyrics: This song is exclaiming, "Hallelujah" which is typically a hopeful, cheerful thing to exclaim, but in this case, the song does not seem to be cheery. "Love is not a victory march, it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah" does not imply that she is singing hallelujah out of sheer joy. It seems that she is reminiscing about a lost love, bringing new, melancholic, meaning to the word, "Hallelujah."
• Personal: I found this song to be very beautiful. I really enjoy k.d.'s voice, and the crescendos and swelling of the song through the phrasing made it very pleasing to listen to.

Beast of Burden

• Beast of Burden, Bette Midler, 1983
• Form: This is strophic. It repeats "I'll never be your beast of burden." It is very accessible, and easy to sing along to.
• Origin: This is a remake of a Rolling Stones song (Bette pays tribute to them by including Mick Jagger in the music video). Some of the lyrics are altered slightly ("pretty pretty girls" becomes "my little sister is a pretty, pretty girl"). This remake keeps it within the same genre as The Stones did: rock. In both cases, percussion and guitar are featured, and the vocalist has a rough sound to their voice.
• Lyrics: With a female vocalist, the lyrics suddenly seem to have a slightly new meaning. For a long time men have sung such lyrics as "all I want is for you to make love to me" but this was not always so commonplace with women. With Bette singing, the song suddenly becomes a feminist statement; women can express their intimate desire in songs too. Although, still today, when women sing about their sexual exploits (Britney Spears Tweet), it is assumed that they are loose women with few morals while men can sing about it and it will get them a "cool" reputation. Still, the song presents the image of a strong woman. She starts out with a demanding "Now, write this down! I'll never be your beast of burden." A beast of burden is an animal that labors for the benefit of man (such as an ox), so by saying she'll never be a beast of burden, Bette could be saying that she will not just work in a male-dominated industry.
• Melody: The hook that stays in my mind is the chorus, "I'll never be your beast of burden." It is quite catchy.
• Instrumentation: percussion, guitars, solo vocalist.
• Texture: This song is not particularly rich as there is not great variance in the instrumentation, but it is certainly not thin either.
• Range: There is a fair great range explored by the vocalist, but the instruments stay within a fairly limited range.
• Tempo: This tempo is slightly faster than the one The Stones use. It is moderately fast.
• Meter: A simple 4 beat meter, kept very consistently by the drums and guitars.
• Volume: The volume is not varied greatly. The vocals seem to remain fairly loud throughout.
• Personal: Beast of Burden by the Rolling Stones is my absolute favorite song of all time. I had never heard the Bette Midler cover, and was not expecting to like anything short of my favorite song ever recorded, but surprisingly I really enjoyed this version. Bette has a the right kind of voice to pull this rock song off; it sounds a little rough, it's powerful, and she can sing with volume (perhaps a little Pat Benetar/ Joan Jett-esque?). The intro is very catchy as well.

When You Were Mine

• When You Were Mine, Cyndi Lauper, 1985
• Form: this song is definitely strophic, it does come back to a chorus. You could sing along to it, although some of the notes that she hits are not realistic for a pedestrian music-goer. The lyrics and beat are not too demanding to sing along to.
• Origin: this is a more contemporary piece. It is a cover of Prince song from the early 80's. It has a contemporary sound, as a synthesizer(?) is fairly prominent throughout.
• Lyrics: Cyndi reminisces of the time when she was with her love, and says that now that they're apart, she loves him even more. The lyrics help give the song a contemporary feel: "you were kinda, sorta...", "I know you're going with another girl" these phrases incorporate modern phrases and slang as well as capture the informal way of colloquial talk.
• Instrumentation: Percussion, synthesizer, electric guitar, vocals (lead and backup).
• Melody: What sticks in my head after listening to this song is "I love you more, I love you more, I love you more than when you were mine." The song is very repetitive, so it is not hard to get stuck in your head.
• Texture: This song is not particularly rich. It does not have many different instruments, and the ones it does have serve the purpose of setting the beat and backing up the vocals. The vocals are certainly not rich either. The back up singers do at a layer to the texture, but I wouldn't call it rich.
• Range: Aside from the one, sudden high note sung by Cyndi, the range explored in this song is very limited both in the instruments and in the vocalists.
• Tempo: The tempo is moderate, and very steady. The percussion helps to keep the beat very neat and consistent.
• Volume: The biggest distinction in volume seems to be Cyndi's voice over the instruments and back up singers. At times it sounds like she is shouting out.
• Meter: It seems to be a 4 beat meter.
• Personal: Personally, I am not a huge Cyndi Lauper fan. I do enjoy "Girls just wanna have fun" from time to time, but overall I don't find her style enjoyable, especially the way it is showcased in this song. She almost sounds like she is whining more than she is singing. I was impressed with the sudden high note she belts, however.
• Other: In the song, Cyndi seems to be addressing a bisexual relationship. However, the song does not speak strictly to bisexual relationships. The feelings the singer expresses are easily related to a heterosexual relationship as well. In this way, the song presents the idea that relations that aren't heterosexual are not so foreign.

When Will I Be Loved

• When Will I Be Loved, Linda Ronstadt, 1974
• Instrumentation: Guitar, percussion, vocals (lead and backup), bass (guitar?). Linda sings lead vocals the whole time, and her male backup singers harmonize with her the whole time.
• Texture: This song feels neither thick nor thin. There are certainly no silences and each instrument can be heard, but it does not feel rich. The vocal line is certainly enriched, however, by the backup harmonization. The main line of music is sung, while the instruments seem to play back up to the singer. They do get a little solo about three quarters of the way through the song.
• Form: The song is very repetitive. It always come back to the chorus, "when will I be loved?" You could absolutely sing along to this song. The lyrics are simple, the vocals are not particularly demanding, and it is easy to understand what they are saying.
• Origin: I would classify this song as early rock.
• Range: The range of this song is wide because at any given time, one vocalist is exploring a higher range (usually Linda), while the others are exploring a lower one (usually backup). However, for each individual line of music, the range is not particularly wide. Linda mostly sings the same few notes.
• Tempo: The tempo is fairly quick, and stays consistent throughout the whole song.
• Meter: There is a clear rhythmic beat, which is kept primarily by the percussion (as is traditional in rock songs).
• Volume: The volume of this song is not particularly emphasized, and stays fairly consistent throughout the song. Linda does, however, get lightly louder at the end of each verse.
• Melody: There is definitely a memorable "hook" that stays in mind: "when will i be loved?" This is in part because it is repeated so much throughout the song.
• Personal: I definitely like this song better than Los Laureles, as this genre of music is typically what I enjoy most. I also like songs that leave you with a chorus or part of the song that sticks in your head and is catchy. I also really enjoy the way the backup singers harmonize with Linda.

Los Laureles

• Los Laureles, Linda Ronstadt, 1987
• Instrumentation: Vocals (Linda with backup) and traditional mariachi ensemble (trumpets, guitars, violins). The song starts out with the violins leading the melody as the trumpets back them up and the backup singers, male, sing. Then Linda enters with force and she immediately becomes the focus of the song.
• Texture: The texture of this song is thick. Linda's voice is rich, big, and powerful, and the band is filled out so they only add to the richness of the sound. The main line of music is Linda's voice. The band primarily serves to back her up, but occasionally they will play their own little melody or tune while she is singing a long drawn out note, giving the music two lines.
• Range: The range of this song is certainly large. Linda sings with a large range, and the band follows suit, but to a less dramatic degree.
• Tempo: The tempo is consistent and steady throughout, and it stays at a fairly slow pace.
• Meter: There is a clear rhythmic beat, which can be followed by one of the string instruments, which keeps the pulse throughout.
• Volume: Keeping with tradition, Linda sings loudly throughout the entire piece. The band plays loudly when she is not singing, but backs off when she enters to let her be the main focus.
• Lyrics: As it is with most traditional mariachi songs, the song speaks of love.
• Form: This song is fairly accessible. I could definitely sing along, but I could not sing along accurately. That is to say that I could not hit the notes or sing with as much vigor as Linda, but the pace of the song makes it easy to annunciate the words and understand what she is saying (granted, it is in Spanish).
• Origin: This song is a traditional mariachi song. The ensemble is comprised of the traditional instruments, and the singer sings in a style that is typical of the style (loud, and with force).
• Personal Response: I am personally not a huge fan of mariachi bands. I certainly respect their talent, and I actually found myself slightly enjoying the tribute to Selena, but this song does not really do it for me. I think that it is because of the singing. I find it to be almost harsh. I realize that her voice is extremely accurate to the genre, but it is the main reason that I am not completely fond of this song.

Selena Medley

• Selena Medley, Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea,
• Instrumentation: Vocals (maybe 4 or 5?), vihuela, trumpets, moroccos, violins, flute, guitarrones (traditional mariachi band instruments).
• Texture: I would say that this medley has a fairly thick texture. There seem to be numerous people playing each instrument, which makes the sound richer and feel thicker, and certainly makes the piece feel fuller. Furthermore, the fact that there are numerous singers also adds to the texture, because while one singer is singing a solo, the others can sing back-up.
• Range: The range is not particularly wide in this piece, and remains pretty moderate throughout.
• Tempo: Even though this is a medley, a type of song where the tempo often fluctuates, the tempo remains constant throughout. This can especially be observed by the vihuelas and guitarrones.
• Meter: I would say that the piece is in a 4 beat meter.
• Volume: The volume too remains fairly constant throughout. Each tribute in the medley has a climax, where the singer and instruments often raise the volume, but besides this, the volume remains moderate to loud the whole time. This is in keeping with the feel of a mariachi band. Mariachi bands are traditionally lively and fun, and help to maintain these feelings for their audience by playing loudly.
• Selena Quintanilla-Perez: Better known as simply "Selena," this singer was dubbed "the next Gloria Estefan" in the 90s. She was a very talented young singer from Texas who won numerous awards and was extremely popular in Spanish speaking countries, as well as in the US. She released her first record at the age of twelve. Selena's singing career began within her family, where she sang in the family band. Her family was very involved in her career and even though her father pulled her out of school before she reached high school, Selena still received a high school diploma from continuing her education on the road. Selena was murdered at age 23 by the president of her fan club.
• It is not a wonder that this mariachi band would feel that Selena was deserving of a medley. She accomplished more than a lifetime's worth of work in her short 23 years, creating some of the most popular Tejano songs. Not only did she perform in Spanish, but also in English. Furthermore, she completed her own education and went around texas, advocating the importance of education to young children. Selena was a positive influence on her fans, and an extremely talented singer who left an everlasting mark on Tejano music.

Cucurrucucu Paloma

• Cucurrucucu Paloma, Lola Beltran, 1932-1996
• Instrumentation: Vocals, acoustic guitar, harp or electric guitar(? I can't figure out one of the instruments that is playing what I think are triplets at around minute 2:00) guitar, violins, trumpets, bass. It sounds like a mariachi band.
• Texture: There seems to be pretty much one line of music, which primarily features the vocals, although there are some sections where the instruments are featured, especially the trumpets, while Lola is not singing. I would not describe this song as rich. Lola's voice is certainly full and loud, but it does not feel rich, and while there is a full accompaniment, it primarily is there to support Lola, and does not enrich the sound so much as fill it out.
• Range: The range does not actually vary greatly. Lola remains in a mid to high range the whole time. The instruments certainly vary their range throughout the piece, but it is not extremely noticeable, because the primary sound is certainly the vocals.
• Tempo: The tempo is moderate to fast. Although Lola is holding long notes for a lot of the piece, if you listen to the instruments, which are keeping the beat in the background, you can hear a faster beat.
• Meter: I think it is in a 4 beat meter, and remains in such the entire way through.
• Volume: Lola remains at a pretty high volume throughout the entire song, which really puts the emphasis on her voice as opposed to the instrumentation.
• Lyrics: She is singing of a dove (or swallow, depending on how it's translated) who died of his passionate suffering for his love. I like that the chorus of this song is onomatopoeia, especially this specific bird call because it sounds very lovely in spanish, where the Rs are rolled. The dramatic story is certainly dramatized by Lola's dramatic sining of the song- she draws out the last note of each phrase, and sings at a very high volume throughout.

We Shall Overcome

• We Shall Overcome, Joan Baez, 1960s
• Instrumentation: acoustic guitar, and vocals. Baez is backed by the soft singing/humming of the audience.
• Texture: This song feels full, but I would not describe it as rich. Joan's voice is lighter (especially after listening to Odetta) and the acoustic guitar is played lightly as well. The guitar definitely supports the vocals, but the two lines are not identical.
• Range: The majority of the song is sung at a medium range, but Joan occasionally crescendos very quickly to a very high note, which she sings falsetto.
• Tempo: The tempo remains constant, and is fairly moderate.
• Meter: I think it is a four beat meter, which remains constant throughout and is kept up more distinctly by the guitar.
• Volume: The volume remains fairly high throughout. This is appropriate as she is performing for a large audience, and it is a song about protest and overcoming, which is more effective if sung out, loudly. The higher notes are always sung more loudly.
• Lyrics: She is singing about overcoming violence and finding peace. I've heard this song in a US history class before, in the civil rights unit of the course. We learned that Baez led the audience in singing this song at a march on Washington. This explains her introduction where she shares the anecdote about David and the resistance and asks the audience to join in with her. This type of folk song reminds me of Joni Mitchell's Woodstock in that it has a political agenda and advocates for change. There are some songs that you can listen to and just get lost in the song and disregard the lyrics, and this is not one of them. The song has a clear message, which is emphasized by Joan's clear voice and accurate annunciation of every word.

Glory, Glory

• Glory, Glory, Odetta, 1956
• Instrumentation: a cappella, no instruments.
• Texture: Although there is only one voice with absolutely no other sound, this song has a seemingly rich texture. Odetta's voice has a rich and powerful feel to it and it seems to resonate even though the acoustics do not echo. There is definitely only one line of music at all times.
• Range: The vocals remain at a fairly low range throughout, but at the end of each verse, Odetta ascends up the scale.
• Tempo: The tempo remains constant throughout, and is very slow.
• Meter: There is a definite meter and slow pulse to this song, which remains constant throughout. I am guessing that it is a four beat meter.
• Volume: The volume follows the range in this piece: when she sings lower, she is softer, and she crescendos as she sings higher. The higher volume parts seem to coincide with "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah" which puts emphasis on these words of hope in a song that gives off a baleful feel.
• Lyrics: The song repeats the chorus "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah" and speaks of laying down a burden. It immediately makes me think of the call and response songs often sung by slaves to keep their spirits up and pass the time as they worked. While Odetta emphasizes the words Glory, Glory, Hallelujah, the song has a sadder tone to it, because it seems she will not find glory until she puts her burden down, and it is not clear that she has the choice of when to put this burden down.

Woodstock

• Woodstock, Joni Mitchell, 1969
• Instrumentation: Electric guitar, vocals. The song opens with a 45 second solo intro by the guitar, which goes from simpler notes to thicker chords. Then the vocals begin in a very crisp, clear manner. At times the vocalist is backed by more vocals which do not sing but rather back up with "do-do-dos." These vocal backups, when they briefly sing, remind me of the music in the movie "Brother where art thou."
• Texture: The texture varies in this song. At times it seems bare, such as the very beginning of the guitar's intro, and at times when Joni is singing too. However, when the guitar plays more chords rather than notes, and Joni is backed by more vocalists, the piece grows richer. While it is rich at times, the song overall feels very empty, and there are a number of silent pauses throughout. While the voice and the guitar go together, there seem to be two distinct lines of music most of the time.
• Range: The range in this piece also varies pretty widely. Joni hits some high notes, especially at the most passionate parts of the song, when she is saying that "we have got to get ourselves back to the garden." The song also reaches fairly high when Jodi sounds like a yodeler.
• Tempo: The tempo remains fairly slow throughout, although it does speed up at times. The tempo would never be categorized as fast, though.
• Meter: There is no very clear rhythmic beat to me, but I would guess that the song is in a 4 beat meter.
• Volume: The volume varies a lot, which really helps to emphasize the journey that the vocalist is describing. When Joni is describing the journey to Woodstock, she sings more quietly, and when she sings of the feelings associated with Woodstock, she sings more loudly which also makes her sound more passionate.
• Lyrics: She is singing about the Woodstock concert. The lyrics accurately describe the historic event Woodstock and the cultural movement that it represented. Woodstock is remembered as a mecca for hippies of the sixties, who questioned authority: "I dreamed I saw the bombers riding shotgun in the sky and they were turning into butterflies above our nation. We are stardust... we are caught in the devil's bargain."

Please Mr. Postman

• Please Mr. Postman, The Marvelettes, 1961
• Instrumentation: Percussion, piano, bass, vocals (lead and backup), clapping. The instruments do not vary much- they pretty much repeat the same patterns over and over. They function as a support for the vocals.
• Texture: I would describe the texture as full, but not rich. There are not many different instruments present here, so the sound is not rich, but it is never thin. The percussion, strings, and piano pretty much play the same rhythm over and over, and blend in with the vocal line.
• Range: There is not much variation in range here at all. The voices stay in the same range the entire song, and the instruments seem to play the same notes/ chords the entire time.
• Tempo: The music is of a medium pace, and is undoubtedly steady.
• Meter: 4 beat meter(?) with a very defined pulse. The percussion keeps a very steady beat throughout the song, and there is no variation at all.
• Volume: The song maintains a medium volume throughout.
• Lyrics: In the song, the girls sing about waiting around for a letter from their men. They say that they haven't heard from their boyfriends in a long time and won't be happy until they do: their happiness depends on their man. Although the sixties were a time when women were still establishing their independence and place in society, the Motown genre was a sort of step in the wrong direction. Label owners like Berry Gordy controlled their girl groups and gave them practically no benefits at all. Thus, the lyrics in this song are very appropriate to the genre to which they belong.
• Other: The song has a medium tempo, volume, and range. This mediocrity, or lack of exaggeratedness also reflects the powerless position women often held within Motown.

Preliminary Research Proposal

Benjaminson, Peter. The story of Motown. New York : Grove Press : distributed by Random House, 1979. HON ML429.G67 B4.

This book outlines the history of motown music and how it came to be. It also talks about how it developed and profiles the individuals who helped to create this movement, such as Berry Gordy. It is important to know the history of Motown in general to undestand how Carole King fit into it.

Carole King- I Feel the Earth Move. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoHuxpa4h48.

This song demonstrates Carole performing live, and presents one of her top hits.

Carole King Interview: Singer Songwriter Extraordinaire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZjSIu55sBs

A video of an interview of C. King helps us to better understand her personally and professionally.

Carole King- It’s Too Late. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPeVbEg1DHE.

This song also demonstrates Carole performing live, and presents another one of her top hits.

Early, Gerald Lyn. One nation under a groove : Motown and American culture. Hopewell: Ecco Press, 1995. HON ML3477 .E2 1995.

Music is itself a part of what defines a culture. As new genres pop up within music, such as motown, they are influenced by the present culture. This book will help to explain how culture influences new music genres, which will help us to understand how Carole King’s lyrics, for example, were influenced by the culture of the time.

Havranek, Carrie. Women icons of popular music : the rebels, rockers, and renegades. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2009. HON ML82 .H39 2009.

This book provides an in-depth look at twenty four different women (including carole King) who are legendary in the music industry. Not only does it provide piographical informations, but it also provides a larger context -social, musical, political, and personal- for their success and legacy (Amazon).

Mariah Carey- If it’s Over (live). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEkBcU7YZvg

This is a performance put on by Mariah, of one of the songs that she co-wrote with Carole King.

Perone, James E. The words and music of Carole King. Westport: Praeger, 2006. RILM Abstracts of Music Literature.

This book focuses on the point in King’s career when she released her album Tapestry. It was largely seen as a feminist statement as King was not only singing all the songs on her album, but was in control of the production of the whole thing.

Rohlfing, Mary E. “Don't say nothin' bad about my baby: A re-evaluation of women's roles in the Brill Building era of early rock 'n' roll.” Critical studies in mass communication, 13(2) 93-114. RILM Abstracts of Music Literature.

This article examines how women songwriters such as Carole King broke into the Brill Building era of rock ‘n’ roll, and paved the way for female musicians to come.

Smith, Suzanne E. Dancing in the street : Motown and the cultural politics of Detroit. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1999. HON ML3792 .S65 1999.

Motown, a music genre that Carole King wrote numerous songs for, was started in Detroit. It was certainly influenced by the politics of the city at the time, and this influence stuck with the genre as it spread across the country. This book will help identify how/if politics shaped Carole King’s career as a songwriter.

Szatmary, David P. Rockin' in time: a social history of rock-and-roll. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2010. HON ML3534 .S94 2010.

Just as it is productive to investigate how motown was influenced by the culture of the time and the American society, so it is useful to look at the genre of Rock ‘n’ roll (which Carole King also wrote songs for) and how it was influenced by society.

Tawa, Nicholas E. American composers and their public: a critical look. Metuchen: Scarecrow Press, 1995. HON ML3795 .T25 1995.

This book takes a look at the influence that the public plays on composers and songwriters in America. This will be helpful in examining Carole King’s lyrics and career decisions and making sense of them.

Warwick, Jacqueline C. Girl groups, girl culture : popular music and identity in the 1960s. New York: Routledge, 2007. HON ML3534 .W35 2007.

In this book, Warwick examines the role that Carole King played in the music industry as a singer, songwriter, and composer. She is also compared to Ellie Greenwich, who also composed, and wrote songs in the sixties, and also found great success.

Weller, Sheila. Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon- the journey of a generation. New York: Atria Books, 2008. HON ML 400 .W35 2008.

This book provides a detailed biography of these three women. It explains how they broke the traditional mold of women in the mid twentieth century.

Windeler, Robert. The sound of autobiography: Singer-songwriters, Carole King. Originally published, 'Carole King: 'You can get to know me through my music'' Stereo review (May 1973): 76-77. RILM Abstracts of Music Literature.

This article explores what C. King meant when she said, “you can get to know me through my songs.”

Zollo, Paul. Songwriters on songwriting. New York : Da Capo Press, 2003. HON ML3477 .Z64 2003.

This book is a collection of interviews, previously published in Song Talk magazine, of songwriters. They are asked about songwriting as a profession as well as their peer songwriters.

For my term research paper, I will focus on Carole King. Carole King is a legendary singer, songwriter, and pianist. She was inducted into both the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the beginning of her career King only wrote songs for other performers. She wrote hits such as “Will You Love me Tomorrow” performed by the Shirelles, “Chains” which was recorded by the Beatles, “The Locomotion” recorded by Kylie Minogue and Tina Turner, “I’m into Something Good” recorded by Herman’s Hermits, “You Make me Feel (Like a natural Woman)” by Aretha Franklin, and “If It’s Over” by Mariah Carey.

Eventually, King struck out on her own as a singer and performer. She found great success with her album “Tapestry” which sold about twenty two million copies worldwide. She has performed with many superstars such as Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, Gloria Estefan, and Shania Twain.

Although she had only been known as “C. King” to many before she began performing on her own, it was as a songwriter that Carole began to pave the way for women in the music industry. She was putting in the final stomps on the idea of the “piano girl.” She was further proving that women certainly had a place in this business or aspect of culture. Alongside Ellie Greenwich, she helped women to break out of the male-dominated Brill Building sound of rock and roll.

In my term paper I plan to further investigate how King helped to pave the way for women in the music industry. I plan to examine more closely the difference between her career as simply a songwriter and her career as a performer. I also plan to investigate what had an impact on King’s lyrics, and what made her decide that she wanted to begin performing as well as songwriting.

C'est si Bon

• C'est si Bon, Eartha Kitt, 1927-2008
• Instrumentation: An intro by trumpets, shortly joined by Kitt as the vocalist (male background singers join in later), as well as a bass (?) that is plucked throughout, clarinets, saxophones (?), and percussion. (texture) The instrumental line and the vocal line are not identical, nor are they call and response, but they do work together. For a lot of the song, it seems that the instruments (especially percussion) keep time for Kitt. The instruments never overpower her voice, but they do (trumpets especially) have their little moments where they shine out).
• Texture: This song seems to have a full band accompanying Kitt, and so it does not feel sparse. However, for a lot of the song, the instruments are playing very quietly, so as to leave the focus on Kitt's singing. The intro and the conclusion of the song are very rich of trumpets.
• Range: There is not a great range in this song. The instruments seem to mostly remain in the middle range, while Kitt remains in a slightly lower range (which make her sound more coy).
• Tempo: The tempo remains the same throughout, which is especially illuminated by the percussion.
• Meter: There is a definite rhythmic pulse, which as I said before, is especially illuminated by the percussion. It could possibly be in a quick four beat meter.
• Volume: The trumpets start out very loud, then the song remains at a moderate volume until the end when Kitt and the trumpets get noticeably louder again.
• Lyrics: Although she is American Kitt is singing in french. The song is called "It's so good" and Kitt is singing about walking around with her lover and all the small joys that it brings her to be in love. Ironically, all the joys she mentions (seeing jealousy in other girl's eyes, looking for a millionaire who can provide her with Cadillac cars) do not reflect a true love. This does emphasize the general feel of a jazzy song like this though; jazz performers wore slinky attire, and sang about worldly pleasure such as money.

Deep River

• Deep River, Marian Anderson, 1897-1993
• Instrumentation: This song is only piano and vocalist. The voice is is primarily the dominating sound, although the piano does get fairly loud where Marian raises the volume of her voice.
• Texture: This piece is fairly thin in that there is only one voice, and only one piano. This is not to say that the piano and the voice are not rich themselves. Marian's voice is very full. For the most part the piano and the vocals travel together, but at times it is almost like a call (the vocals) and response (the piano) as the piano will play a note/chord a beat behind when Marian sings it. There is also some independent movement from the piano while Marian is holding a long/ drawn-out note, of which there are many.
• Range: Marian demonstrates great range with her voice. The low notes that she is able to sing are especially notable (to me). The piano pretty much follows the vocals as they travel up and down the notes.
• Tempo: This is primarily a very slow and drawn out piece, although it does pick up around three quarters of the way through the song, both in volume and in tempo.
• Meter: It seems to be a duple beat.
• Volume: I would describe this song as mostly soft, although there is a distinct section where the volume increases noticeably.
• Lyrics: The lyrics seem to imply that this song originated in slave- America. It seems to be the voice of a slave singing for freedom. The "deep river" could symbolize a number of things- it could be God, as the voice seems to be addressing the deep river as if it were a person. This analogy is further supported by the fact that the Jordan River goes through Israel, arguably the most religious piece of land that exists.

God Bless the Child

• God Bless the Child, Billie Holiday, 1941
• Instrumentation: Vocals (Billie), saxophone, piano, trumpet, percussion (what you'd traditionally find in a jazz accompaniment)
• Texture: This texture is solid, there are no empty parts, but it isn't thick. It maintains a light feel throughout. It does have a number of different instruments accompanying the vocals, but there are not a lot of each instrument.
• Range: The range does not vary hugely. This seems to be typical of jazzy blues, as the focus of the songs is not so much the vocal/instrumental range but rather technique and style.
• Tempo: slow, very laid back and relaxed.
• Meter: duple beat, the percussion emphasizes the feel that one could "shuffle dance" to this song (no need to pick your feet up very much or very fast).
• Volume: The volume does not vary largely, and this song seems to have been written to be performed somewhere between forte and piano- loud enough to distinguish all the parts but not so loud that it can't be relaxing.
• Lyrics: Holiday is singing about money and the wonderful freedom that having one's own money can bring. "God bless the child that's got his own (money)... He just don't worry about nothin cuz he's got his own."

Prove it On Me

• Prove it On Me, Ma Rainey (1883-1939)
• Instrumentation: Vocals (Rainey singing and a man beat boxing?), piano, perhaps trumpet with mute, kazoo?
• Texture: While there may be a few instruments used for this piece, Prove it on Me maintains a thin texture throughout. The majority of the time there are two lines of music; the vocal line and the instrumental line. At points, they are in unison, and there is an instrumental section that breaks into two lines. The thin texture emphasizes the feel of the piece. Ma Rainey's songs appealed to a group of people who were not wealthy, and had she been backed by a full orchestra like the one found in some of Amy Beach's compositions, it would not have attracted the same audience.
• Range: The vocals to do not explore a large range, and the instruments do not explore much more. The small range does not detract from the song, but rather allows for the focus to be on the lyrics. It also allows you to get lost in the song without the trance being broken by some ear splitting high note. The ability to get lost in the song is very representative of early African American songs, which originated in the fields and were meant to pass the time.
• Tempo: The song maintains a slow tempo throughout but does speed up for a bit in the middle.
• Meter: Duple meter; could march slowly to this song.
• Volume: The volume remains fairly constant throughout. It is a fairly loud song, one I would never picture being played/performed softly.
• Lyrics: Ma Rainey is singing about going out with her girl friends, drinking, getting in fights, and wearing men's clothes. The lyrics prove the point that anything a man can do, a woman can do too ("it must have been women, cuz I don't like no men"). This also breaks the social norm in hinting at Ma Rainey's bisexuality, something that was by no means accepted at the time.

The Thriller! Rag

• "The Thriller!" rag, May Frances Aufderheide (1888-1972)
• Instrumentation: piano
• Texture: This piece seems to be thin. There is one line of music, and by no means does this composition warrant the adjective "rich."
• Range: There is not a particularly wide range on this piece. While it is noticeable that it does move up and down the keyboard a bit, it does not stretch from the highs and lows that we heard in some of the previous pieces such as Amy Beach's Scherzo.
• Tempo: This is the most consistently upbeat piece we've heard yet. It is also the most consistent piece we've heard yet. The tempo remains fairly constant throughout the whole piece.
• Meter: Ragtimes are typically written in 2/4 or 4/4, so it is a duple beat. It has a very defined musical pulse, and is very rhythmic- the rhythm is syncopated and there is always a feeling that it is catching up, or ragged (hence "ragtime").
• Volume: There is definitely a variance in volume. However, what makes it different in this case is that the variance is over a much shorter period of time. Each meter, or small bit of the music, seems to start out quietly and then crescendo towards the end.
• Other: This is the first kind of music that does not make it seem as though one needs a higher education to appreciate the music. It is more lively and upbeat, and makes you want to dance. My piano teacher told me that ragtime music came from African beats. If she is correct, than Amy Beach was proven wrong, in her own lifetime, that outside music would never prevail in America.

Scherzo

• Scherzo, Amy Beach (1867-1944)
• Instrumentation: Piano, violin
• Texture: This piece is not extremely rich. While it does have violins and a piano, it maintains a lighter, bouncy feel throughout. It does not seem to resonate throughout the performance space. There are two distinct lines of music pretty much throughout the entire piece.
• Range: The violin explores a very wide range. It consistently moves up and down the octaves throughout the piece. The piano's range seems to be somewhat more constricted, although it undoubtedly moves up and down the keyboard. This may be attributed to the fact that while the piano is playing at lower octaves, the violin is the focus of the piece, and therefore it seems as if the piano plays within a higher range.
• Tempo: The majority of the piece is very upbeat and quick. Slightly after half way through the piece, it does slow down for a bit, but picks up again before the finish.
• Meter: There is definitely a rhythmic pulse to this song. I couldn't guess at it, but I would say that it is a duple beat.
• Volume: The volume is not extremely varied, but it does fluctuate slightly. I would say that the volume is not the primary tool used to make this piece dramatic, but rather the tempo and the range.
• Other: I really enjoyed this piece, although not quite as much as the Schumann one. It was enjoyable to listen to, although I would have liked it more if there had been more focus on the piano. This is just my personal taste, however.

Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann

• Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann (1819- 1896)
  
• Instrumentation: piano
• Texture: this piece is rich. The pianist makes it sound like there are multiple lines of music at one time. They are very connected though, as if they are playing off each other, and at times they come together.
• Range: The range of this piece is not spectacularly large. While the pianist does travel up and down the piano, the overall sound of the piece seems to be centered, as opposed to having very distinct high and low parts. It is interesting to analyze range on a piece that is strictly piano, because all pianos have the same range, whereas with vocalists, the range is much broader.
• Tempo: the tempo varies throughout the piece. The parts of it that are forte seem to be faster while the piano parts are played more slowly.
• Meter: I'm going to guess that this piece had a triple beat. I'd certainly be more likely to waltz to it than I would be to march.
• Volume: The volume varies with the tempo. As I said before, the faster parts seem to be louder and the slower parts seem to be softer.
• Other: This piece definitely brings a new style to our listening collection. It may just be my personal taste, but I found this piece to be by far the most listenable. I really enjoyed it and could see myself listening to a piece like this voluntarily. I would attribute this to the fact that there was no vocalist, and the instrumentation was simple. For me a voice that accompanies a piece can often be distracting, especially like the voice in Hor che Apollo. Also, with just a piano providing the music, the overall feel becomes soft; a harpsichord just can't seem to deliver the same relaxing effect.

You Tube

Hildegard

1. <3 style="mso-spacerun: yes">  One of her chants plays in the background.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGIkvmsIg7M

 

2. Hildegard von Bingen.mov, 1:29, This clip is a tribute made to Hildegard in which an antiphon of hers plays while a little biography of her life scrolls.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH9a15EdqRM

 

3. Hildegard von Bingen by Catherine Braslavsky & Joseph Rowe, 6:47, This is a performance by Catherine and Joseph in which they put their own modern twist on Hildegard’s music.  They use some modern string instruments and drums.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4BGvlwyExI&feature=related

 

Clara

1. Song of Love- Part 1, 9:46, This is the first 10 minutes of the movie made about Clara Schumann.  It includes her performance for the King of Saxony.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP_iU-lcZ5Y&feature=PlayList&p=3B155D8EF06D276C&index=0

 

2. Geliebte Clara, 2:08, This is a trailer for a modern film portraying the life of Clara Schumann.  Although it is in German, it is clear that the major conflict of the movie is Robert’s jealousy of her relationship with Johannes Brahms.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjQ1oPM0MII

 

3.Song of Love- Part 13, 2:51, This is the concluding bit of the movie made about Clara.  Many years after her first performance for the King of Saxony, she plays for him again.  However this time her husband is dead, so she dedicates the song to him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V35e5MNjLJI&feature=PlayList&p=ED7C382F61FF1F8B&index=12

 

            As I looked at the search results after typing in the names Hildegard von Bingen and Clara Schumann, what immediately struck me was the sheer volume of responses.  I am certainly no music expert, but I am not foreign to the music world either, and before this class I had not heard of Hildegard, and had barely heard of Clara.  So it shocked me to see the mass amount of responses that appeared when I searched them.  What this showed me, before even watching any of the videos, was just how special and beloved both of these women were, and still are today.  It was immediately cleat just how treasured these women are.

            While it surprised me that both women’s names conjured so many search results, it undoubtedly surprised me more for Hildegard.  I’d gathered from reading Clara’s diary that she was quite well received throughout Europe.  And while I knew that Hildegard was also loved and praised as brilliant it was unclear to me whether this praise was something one would only hear in a class about women in music, or if it was widespread.  Clearly, it is widespread.  There were numerous videos that had titles that went something like “I LOVE HILDEGARD.”  One video clip I found, the title being “Hildegard von Bingen” surrounded by two hearts, did a very nice job in showing the world’s appreciation for Hildegard through numerous paintings, sculptures, and drawings that have been made over the years in her honor. 

The next video was a slideshow.  Each slide had some facts about Hildegard, and what struck me most from this piece was how Hildegard has been appreciated not only in the world of music, but also in the fields of religion and science. 

The final video clip that I watched about Hildegard was interesting because it was a modern twist on medieval music.  This couple had added in their own choice of musical instruments, including something that looked like a sitar and bongo drums.  Before this point, I had never thought of Hildegard’s music out of a medieval context.  It demonstrated the versatility of her music, which really struck me because the chants that we listened to never made me think of modern times.

After searching for Clara on youtube, it was clear that not only her music captivates people but her personal life as well.  The majority of the clips that surfaced were clips from movies that had been made about her life.  Two of the clips I found were from a movie Song of Love, made in 1947, portraying the life of Clara.  The first clip was the first ten minutes of the movie.  Here, Clara is performing for royalty in a large (and filled) concert hall.  While the music is beautiful and appreciated, what seems to be the focus of the clip is Clara’s overbearing father.  He is sitting no more than six inches behind her on stage while she performs, whispering orders in her ear the entire time. 

The focus of the last clip from the movie also seems not to be Clara’s music, but rather her grief for her dead husband.  She is performing for the same king she played for in the opening clip, and asks if she can play one of her husband’s pieces in his honor.  While the music may not have been the primary focus of either of these clips, it was still clear that Clara had numerous fans in her time.  Even the simple fact that Katherine Hepburn, one of the most famous actresses of all time, played Clara attests to her fame.  It means that in 1947, this movie was made to be mainstream, and not to be taken as obscure. 

The final clip that I watched about Clara was a trailer for modern German portrayal of her life.  This movie too seemed to focus on Clara’s personal life, although it took a different angle.  In the clip it is clear that the main conflict of the movie is going to be her husband Robert’s jealousy of her relationship with Johannes Brahms.  This movie wanted to portray Clara’s musical genius but also showed her as having a more tumultuous personal life.

Having completed this assignment, I am left craving a cinematic portrayal of the life of Hildegard.  While the movies depicting Clara’s life may not have been 100% accurate, they did an excellent job getting me excited about her music, because I was excited about her as a person as well.  

Hor che Apollo

• Hor che Apollo, Barbara Strozzi (1619-1664)
• Instrumentation: Solo voice (soprano), maybe a harpsichord(??), violins, and possibly a cello.  The fact that this piece is the first to have instrumentation makes it very memorable to me.  I personally enjoy music much more when there are instruments and vocals.  Just as the richness of O Rubor Sanguinis is what stood out for me, this piece expanded on that element even further.  The more instruments, the richer the sound.  The woman's voice wasn't particularly memorable for me.  I really just enjoyed the instruments, in particular the violins.  Sometimes it felt like the vocal part and the instruments weren't coordinated.  The piece was a bit too long for me, but I did like it better when it picked up at around min. 7:20.  
• Texture: for most of the piece, the texture was thin, until it came together around as I said around 7:20, and then it sounded thicker.  
• Range: The singer certainly covers a wide range, leading the instruments with her.  This is an aspect of the piece where the vocals and instruments are together.
• Tempo: For the majority of the piece, the tempo is slow, but it does occasionally pick up, which I really appreciated.  The variance made the piece more exciting and enjoyable.
• Meter: I think that the meter remains constant throughout the piece, perhaps changing at the point where it speeds up.  I can't be sure but I think the majority of it is a triple beat, because it does feel as if you could waltz to it.
• Volume: the volume in this piece remains fairly constant.  I think that more variance in the volume could have given the piece more texture.
• It seemed that the purpose of this piece was to showcase the woman's voice.  I imagine this being performed at a social engagement of some kind in the 1600s, when knowledge of music was a sign of education and class.  This just goes to show how women in music played such a role in shaping culture throughout time, whether they are remembered or not.

O Rubor Sanguinis

• O Rubor Sanguinis, Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
• Otto Muller Verlag, Salzburg 1969
• Instrumentation: Choir, no instrumentation.  This piece was much more enjoyable for me than Kyrie was, primarily because it was more exciting from the beginning.  It has a much richer sound to it.  Maybe the women are harmonizing (I can't tell), or maybe it's because they are singing in a venue with better acoustics that allow for an echo.  I thought that the length of the piece was perfect; any longer and the novelty of the echo, or whatever it was that strengthened the sound, would have worn off.  
• Texture: There was one line of music the whole time, yet I thought the piece did not lack texture because it had a large sound that seemed full.
• Range: The women in this piece cover a large range of notes.  I found the lower notes to be the highlights of the piece for me.  I didn't enjoy it as much when they sang in the higher octaves.  The lower notes seemed to resonate better and have a more mysterious feel to them.
• Tempo: The music felt slow and even.
• Meter: I was not able to pick up on a distinct meter, but again, the piece felt slow and steady to me.
• Volume: The variance in the volume kept me interested; I particularly liked the softer parts, which seemed to correlate to the lower notes.  
• The richness of this song really demonstrated how women can sing powerfully, and the (de)crescendos showed off their control.  Highlighting their power and control is definitely an effective way to show that women too can be masters of music and not just in a quiet way, but also with a strong presence.  

Kyrie

• Kyrie, Hildegard Von Bingen (1098-1179)
• Otto Muller Verlag, Salzburg 1969
• Chant, no instrumentation
• What made this piece most memorable for me was the success that the choir had in progressing from one note to the next in seemingly perfect unison. This just seemed impressive to me, because unity is especially hard to attain in a group. I was also impressed with the length that the girls held their notes for, and still managed to conceal any audible breathing. In my limited singing experience, I found it difficult to make my breathes after long notes quiet.
• This piece certainly showcases the ability that women have to be precise, accurate, and talented. With the absence of any instruments, their voices are very exposed, and they were pretty to listen to. While this piece undoubtedly showed how talented these singers were, I found myself thinking that if I had to sit and listen to a whole concert of songs of this manner, I would definitely lose interest.