"When I Shine" By the Herbaliser Feat. Bahamadia 1999

Instrumentation: guitar, piano, bass, drums. The drum set beat, while everything adds to a jazzy feel. The introduction is all instrumental and each instrument is sort of doing their own thing, yet their is a good bend between them. Bahamadia's vocals come in slow and steady. She is rapping at one note, no variation in volume or different notes. Novelty in the song comes from the choruses where male voices who have been remixed say, "I see my influence still shinin" While she is speaking the instruments continue their odd mix in the background. This song uses a lot of technology and mixing to achieve its unique sound. The instruments both begin and end the song, giving them a good control over the songs pattern.

Texture: The texture of this song is very Polyphonic. With all the different instruments doing different things, and the vocals resting at one note, their is a full sound to this song. The instruments move without the vocals and their definitely is not one complete sound to this song. The steady tempo does keep everything together and add a line of music that the instruments tend to follow.

Lyrics and Performance: I admire the lyrics and rap style of Bahamadia, and the talents of Herbaliser to create such an unique beat. The song is about using music and her words to reach out to her audience and evoke change. Bahamdadia begins the song with the words, "Your not dealin with the typical/ I am Queen Order in the physical." These words give her power and makes her audience recognize, not only her femininity, but her creativity in this genre. The song goes on to tell how despite all that is going wrong in the world, she and her audience can "try to leave a mark" to better society. I enjoy listening to rap that has a message to send, and is not all about having parties, drinking and objectifying women. I find this song creative, empowering, and provoking.

"Party In The Rain" Eve, 2002

Instrumentation: Trumpet, piano, drum syth pad, more beat mixer-claps, beat boxing. breathing, Eve's vocals, and female and male chorus. The beat mixer adds the running beat that defines the songs rhythm. The chorus parts sung by females adds a new vocal range that eve does not hit in her alto speech. The back up singers hit the high notes that rap songs do not usually cover, and that eve herself does not hit. The men and women choral singers add embellishment with their ohhs and ahhs. As a rapper, Eve has real control and speed in this song. eve has agency in this song since she composed it, and as a woman she has greater power because women were so often limited in this musical genre. Male voices only enter the song at 3:10 when men begin giving orders to the audience-get on the floor, clap. The multiple voices are overlapped and muted a little and add a harsher tone to the song.

Texture: I felt like this song has a more polyphonic feel. With the beat mixer that ran with and without the vocals there was a whole new line of music. This song was fairly thick with all the differing instruments and embellishments.

Lyrics and Performance: I definitely admire Eve for her success as a female rap artist in a male dominated field. The lyrics in this song are very powerful. Eve has this attitude that resembles, "I will do what I want, and if you dont like it, Screw you" She is not scared of critique and believes in the power of her music.

"Back In Your Head" Tegan and Sara 2007

Instrumentation: Electric Guitar, Electric piano, drums, synth pad, bass, and vocals are edited to sound very electronic. The song is very much defined by the interplay between vocals and piano on the chorus. Besides the piano's part in contributing to the chorus, the rest of the instruments and sounds made by the synth pad are kept in the background of the song, and emerge at 2:20 for the section sung, "RUN RUN RUN." Right after this part, the song loses a lot of the instruments and almost becomes A Capella. This added to the novelty of that verse and gave the finale excitement. The ending was very punctual because when they stopped singing, everything stopped and slowly faded out. The volume of the vocals and the instruments mainly remains low, and then builds leading up to the chorus and the finale when the volume greatly increases adding to the songs urgency and catchiness.

Lyrics and Performance: This is a song about getting back into a relationship. I feel that the lyrics and the instrumentation seem fitting, because like their troubled relationship, the songs tone is edgy and fits the message. The song has a lot of repetition. For example the last ten seconds of the song are filled with Tegan and Sara repeating, "I'm not unfaithful but i'll stray" The acknowledgement by the audience of their message is clearly important to this band, and thus they repeat it and enforce its message.

Texture: While the singers demand the focus of this song, the instruments clearly add support and emphasis to the song. Especially the instrument that provided the beat of the song played a consistent part in this song and added texture to the song single movement together.

"When You Were Mine" Cyndi Lauper 1986

Instrumentation: Voice, Choral female singers, electric guitar, bass, drums. All these instruments were played and edited to sound very electronic, synthesized and edgy. The guitar slides a lot and is very synthesized and muted. In the background there is this running beat on the drums and is very contrasting to Lauper's high and loud voice. Lauper's voice has good range moving from mid Soprano to Soprano. Lauper tended to scream the very high notes to add to the tone of the song. The volume of the song is consistently loud and only quiets at the end when Lauper whispers to her ex-boyfriend.

Tempo is very upbeat and fast. 4:4 time and is steady throughout the song.

Texture: The song is homophonic. The beat mixer is constant, and doesn’t add much texture. Slight thickening of the song comes from the chorus girls who sing at a different pitch.

Lyrics and Performance: Despite the songs upbeat attitude and structure, the lyrics clearly illustrate a break up song. Lauper is singing about her ex boyfriend who is with another girl yet she is still in deep love with him. I found this disempowering to women since she played the attached ex girlfriend. Only during the whisper section towards the end did I find any trace of sadness in her voice. The beat is so overwhelmingly upbeat that it drowns out the message of her losing the love of her life, and her inability to get him back cause he is with someone else.

"Hallelujah" k.d. lang 2004

Instrumentation: Piano, Violins, Guitar, and K.D. Lang's Alto Voice.

The piano introduction and contribution throughout is very beautiful, and I fell it compliments the K.D. Langs voice very well. At the songs climax around 1: 45 Violins enter and add a beautiful intensity to the pain that K.D. Lang is expressing. When all the instruments play together, it is really quite powerful. When the instruments fall and rise together I felt this wave motion between the tormented storm and the calm and gentle waves. this feeling is given justification by the wide range in volume and notes.

Texture: The song has a thick sound, yet if you think about the way the instruments move with the vocals it is clear that they all move together. When K.D. Lang's voice diminishes, so does the instruments. Thus the song seems homophonic in this regard.

Tempo: Slow and full. Most likely duple meter, because the song is steady throughout.

Lyrics and Performance: The lyrics in this song are very empowering to women. It is about a woman taking a man's power. "She tied you To a kitchen chair /She broke your throne, and she cut your hair /And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah" I think K.D. Lang's performance is very inspiring. Compared to the Counting Crows version of this song I much prefer a woman's voice. K.D. Lang sang with such emotion and control that it was moving.

Bette Midler, "Beast of Burden" 1983

Instrumentation: Two electric guitars, a bass guitar, drums, Bette Midler's voice. The guitars get solos towards the middle part of song, and gives credit to the talent of the players. This adds to the electric guitar excitement that was part of this Rock N Roll genre. Midler's voice is sung with power to elicit a harsh and more manly tone. Additionally she sings loudly and almost like she is yelling to add to this illusion. The songs range is limited, as it was originally sung by the Rolling Stones. Her femininity comes out when she screeches high notes to the lyrics, "Aint I hot enough, Rich enough."

Vocal Range: For the majority of the song, Midler sticks to the original notation by the Rolling Stones, thus resulting in the songs alto sound, and repetitive vocal patterns. She adds high notes in the song, but they are typically yelled out.

Originality: During the parts of the song, Midler adds novelty to the famous song. By coming in before and after the beat, and adding slides to the song she makes it her own.

Tempo: Compared to the original, Midler's version is much more upbeat, and fast. Most likely duple meter.

Texture: The song is homophonic, because the instruments move with Midler's voice, and do not add any straying musical sequences. The song, thus, has a thin texture. The only force that has any influence over the texture of the song, is Midler's voice, and he screaming and attempts at giving off a harsher voice, does not add much to the song.

Lyrics, and her performance: I liked when she stated to her audience, "NOW write this down." I felt like this was Midler's way of grabbing the audiences attention and specifically men's attention and recognition. As a woman singing this song about attraction, desire and sex, she adds a new sexiness with her voice and grunts. I thought the section about her sister being used by men was interesting because Midler herself is questioning why she is not good enough for a man.

Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea, "Selena Medley" 2009

The "Selena Medley" is a combination of four of Selena's greatest songs. 2 ballads, and 2 more upbeat typical mariachi songs. Each song has unique aspects but when blended together share a pleasing sound and original composition.

1st song:"Como la flor" is a love song with a medium tempo, with minimal vocal range, yet with great volume range-loudness used to translate Selena's pain caused by her love finding a new woman and leaving her. Her voice is of a higher pitch that associates with her innocence. A quality that this young star had a lot of and used to further her career. Transition is very smooth and you hardly notice the change in tempo and change in key.

2nd song: "No me quede mas" is a little slower than "Como la flor" with more vocal range, and less volume range. Similar in that both the first two songs are love songs, "No me quede mas" is much more passionate than "Como la flor." I felt more of a connection between Selena and this song because of the slower tempo and heavenly sounds the violins added. This song used the same instruments but the different tones and the addition of female chorus adds a new texture that is polyphonic rather than the earlier homophonic song, "Como la flor."

3rd song: The transition between the second and third song makes a shift between ballades to upbeat dancing songs. "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" begins with an outburst of "hey ya's" as if Selena is stirring life in her audience and energizing them to dance to her music. This song also adds a shaker to assist the guitar in creating the beat. Selena covers a wide range of notes and volumes in this song. This song is also a love song, but unlike the first two does not discuss losing love, but finding love and having her heart be excited by him. "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" refers to the sound of her heart when she thinks about her lover. This song is one of a few we have studied that looked at relationships in a happy way. Texture is thickening from the ballades, yet has settled into a homophonic texture line.

4th song, "Baile esta cumbia" is introduced at 5:22 with instrument introduction. Different tone to her voice. Still upbeat. Her voice is higher in this song, and carries a different inflection. Song ends with a burst of all the instruments and Selena's voice. This song is not about love but just about dancing and enjoying life. This song seems to be a strong example of the persuasive and energizing influence Selena had over her audience. The instruments play a greater role in this song, adding to a thicker texture yet the song remains homophonic.

While each song is very different, each reflects aspect about the Singer. I sensed innocence and youth in her ballads- a loss of love is a common theme for young singers because they are going through the changes personally. In the upbeat songs I recognized Selena's ability to use her music to inspire her audience to be lively and happy. Selena was a strong performer with great adversity and there is no doubt as to why she was so popular.

Linda Ronstandt, "Los Laureles"

Instrumentation: mariachi band, guitar, male singer, violins, trumpets, and Ronstandt's vocals, much different style and sound than the previous song I listened to by her.

Structure: 15 second intro of only instruments then loud and pronounced introduction by Ronstandt. The tempo slows when Ronstandt begins singing. There is a lot of interplay with trumpet and violins while the guitar just sets a beat to the background. Violins play between each verse, serving to bridge one chorus to the next. Additionally the trumpets and violins and accents to almost every lyrical line. Each verse has a similar structure, so the different playing by the instruments between each section adds novelty to the song and diminished redundancy. Song begins with festive tone, but takes on a slower tempo to add to the meaning of the love song. The song is strophic in that each verse uses the same rhythm and sound. Ronstandt's vocal range is very broad, singing low and high throughout the song. The volume stays fairly loud, approaching the level of yelling when Ronstandt accentuates a notes. It is clear that Ronstandt and Ranchera music focuses on getting the message out to the audience.

Texture: The common terms of texture, in my mind, do not compliment the style of Mariachi. However if I had to group it I would say the song mostly moves homophonically, since the instruments are moving along with the singer and main melody. Yet occasionally they offer their own melodies and the song takes on polyphonic traits.

Lyrics/ Response: While doing research about the song I learned that this song is a typical Ranchera song and dates back to the 1920's. I learned that it was traditionally sung by men, as with all Mariachi, and in the original version refers to women as, "cursed women." However in Ronstandt's version she alters the lyrics to refer to women as the "blessed women." Yet the meaning of the song still retains its story about a man losing a woman to another lover. It seems that Ronstandt acknowledges how woman "ruin...men" and that it is their duty to fulfill this social order, and continue to be viewed through the eyes of men who do not appreciate them and "curse" them. I find Ronstandt's performance to be meaningful yet the lyrics to paint a whole other picture of subordination and objectification.

Linda Ronstandt "When Will I be Loved" 1974

In this Country Rock and Role song Linda Ronstandt signs of a women hoping to have her fair chance at love.

Instrumentation: Vocals of Ronstandt, vocals of another male singer, drums, electric guitar, and bass guitar. In the beginning of the song, the vocalists and the guitar play of one another then join together to compliment one another for the rest of the song.

Form: "When Will I be loved" is a repetitive song. As with classic blues it follows a pattern. A-original first verse, A1-same rhythm of first verse with different lyrics, B-entirely new verse with different structure and lyrics, A2-original rhythm with new lyrics, B-exact repetition of B verse from earlier in the song, A-repetition of first verse. The repetition adds to the songs ability to catch in the listener, and make the song stuck in their head for DAYS!

Range: Rondstandt is an alto singer that, despite of the songs repetition, can occasionally push out higher notes with greater volume.

Texture: Although their are many instruments, they all follow the same progression. The texture is thus homophonic and relatively thin.

Lyrics: The song focuses a lot on being catchy and rhyming the lyrics. Yet when you read the lyrics you realize the message is not as upbeat and swift as the song plays it. The major sound key makes the audience feel happiness yet the lyrics are all about this woman who has been objectified and physically abused by the loves of her life. She is questioning whether she will ever "be loved" yet the upbeat and peppy of the song overshadow the message, and make me want to stereotypically put on some cowboy boots and dance.

Lola Beltrán, "Cucurrucucu Paloma" 1965

In this romantic Ranchera style song, Lola Beltrán's powerful and deep voice expresses the urgency of the songs message to the audience.

Instruments: The vocals of Lola Beltrán, male chorus, violins, flute, trumpets, guitar-Standard Mariachi band. The guitar plays a standard chord that sets the rhythm of the song. During a 20 second solo in the middle of the song, all the band instruments explode in rapid playing and excitement. Yet for the most part, the instruments add to further express the message. During the verse about the sad, crying and lonely man who misses his girlfriend, the soft playing instruments add to the gentle and sad feelings that the lyrics try to express. Yet when Beltrán is crying out, "Cucurrucucu Paloma" the instruments play with ferocity and strength, mirroring the lyrics message for the Paloma not to cry.

Range and Volume: Beltrán scales a wide range of notes and volume. Beltrán's singing at the beginning and repetition of the opening verse in quiet tone with loud outbursts of excitement and urgency result in the songs wide volume and vocal range.

Form: The song sings and repeats one verse, with the Chorus being Beltrán's powerful projection of "Cucurrucucu, Paloma" The repeated verse begins softly then increasingly leads up to the loud and strong chorus.

Texture: With the multiple instruments and unique singing style that does not really follow a standard form, the texture is thick and polyphonic.

Response: As we learned from Dr. Jacquez's presentation, Ranchera style was dominated by men, and the presence and prominence of the woman in this song was original and uncommon at the time of the 1960's. Beltrán sings with such raw power that she really demands her audiences attention and admiration. What I liked the most about this song, was that I really felt that Beltrán connected with the message of the song and had a personal need to sing them out.

Joan Baez, "We Shall Overcome" 1960's

As this recording begins, Baez is telling a story of one man's resistance to the draft and the war. She makes an instant connection with her audience and you can hear the audience singing along with her. With her instructions and prompting, Baez truly inspires her listeners.

Using only her voice and her acoustic guitar, the song is very simple. The lyrics follow the same pattern with slight alterations to pitch and different lyrics. Verse one begins, "We shall overcome," then "We shall be alright," followed by "We shall live in peace," then "We are not afraid today ha ha" concluding with the first verse, "We shall overcome" to wrap the song up. In the fourth and final verse, Baez hits a very high pitched note and holds it a couple beats, then rejoins her audience to conclude each verse. As the song progressed and the audiences voice grew stronger, Baez would lower the volume of her voice and let their voice carry the song for a few beats. Then she would lead her audience with her strong projecting alto voice, and calming guitar chords.

Tempo: the tempo is moderate. The repetition slows the song down and does not seem to demand much from the artist or the audience.

Texture: The song has two distinct actions happening during this performance. As a listener it is clear that Baez's voice and guitar accompaniment form a thin homophonic texture, with a single melody. Yet when the audiences voices grow stronger, the texture becomes much thicker and polyphonic due to the thousands of other voices accompanying.

Lyrics/ Message/ and Influence: The song expresses a wish for peace and power of the people. Each verse, in a calming tone and rhythm, encourages the listeners to find peace in their lives despite the Vietnam war and other political problems of the time. The massive eruption of applause at the end illustrates how well this message resonated with the audience. It also shows a support for a female performer to sing a powerful song of instruction.

Odetta, "Glory Glory" 1956

Odetta makes this recording of "Glory Glory" unique by using only her vocals to evoke feeling and reaction from her audience.

Instrumentation: Using her deep and soothing voice, Odetta performs, "Glory Glory" in ballad form. Odetta sings the majority of the song at a low volume and alto manner, yet hits higher and louder notes on the emphasis of the word "hallelujah," which is sung in the commonly repeated line, "Glory, Glory Hallelujah, When I lay my burden down."

Texture: Due to the recording being done only by Odetta's voice, the texture is very thin and monophonic. The lack of instrumentation add to the ballad's influence to relax and subdue the audience.

Meter: The pace of this piece is very slow. There exists a slow rhythm that naturally comes from the songs repetition. The slow rhythm makes the song move slowly and prolongs the repeated chorus, adding to a lack of movement in the song.

Lyrics/ Style of the song: The song stresses the line, "Glory Glory Hallelujah, When I lay my burden down." Out of the four verses, three of them are the repetition of this line. When the audience thinks about the meaning of the phrase they can only agree that it is always a relief to let go of the stress and burden's of life. Odetta was greatly involved in the Civil Rights Movement, and in this context we can imagine Odetta dreaming of one day when she no longer has to fight for her rights, and can put to rest the "burden" of protest and inequality.

Importance: By only using her voice to convey her message, Odetta assures her audience of her independence and prominence. Her voice and programmatic music ignited African Americans to continue to fight for civil rights.

The Marvelettes, "Please Mr. Postman" 1961.

The Marvelettes reached great fame and recognition with this 1961 US Billboard Hot 100 hit that reached #1 for the year. The catchy, upbeat song with a agreeable message to the social/political time, sung by the perfect girl group was loved by US citizens.

Instrumentation: The song is lead by the low and scratchy voice of Gladys Horton, with the three other women singing backup. The backup singers stress some of Horton's words and their clapping in the recording suggests that, in a live performance, they would offer choreography to the performance. To add a rhythm to the song I heard drums and a piano being played with lively energy to match the song's upbeat rhythm. The speed of the song is quick and lively. It allows for the teens it was targeted to, to dance and be social. It also helps express the singers desperation to get a letter from her boyfriend who is away at war. With the opening verse, Horton sets up the standard for the majority of the song. There is no large range in volume or notes, yet Horton uses melismatic singing to stress the crucial nature of the mailman to "wait."

Texture: The texture seems to be homophonic because the lead singer and chorus work together throughout the song and move at the same speed, and compliment one another. The drums and piano are defiantly in the background yet they set the beat and adds some tones to the piece. Horton and the band are working together to produce a well orchestrated, Please Mr. Postman.

The Marvelettes targeted the youth with their iconic girl group appearance, friendship, and assimilation to the socio-political era. While they experienced success with "Please Mr. Postman" it was also a hit that landed them into an industry focused on uniformity and image, and less on talent.

Joni Mitchell, "Woodstock" 1969.

"Woodstock" by Joni Mitchell has a distinct sound. With electric piano and Mitchell's unique voice, the combination adds to the songs message.

Instrumentation, Range: Electric piano, Mitchell's voice, and a small chorus of women are the instruments used in "Woodstock." Throughout the piece the piano plays continuously throughout the whole song, acting as an assistant to Mitchell's tone while Mitchell sings, and as a solo entity during the beginning and ending of the song. Mitchell's voice covers a broad range in notes and volumes. Mitchell rapidly swings from low notes to high to surprise her audience and simultaneously make the song very hard to sing along with. She sings in a mostly syllabic structure but prolongs the notes at the end of each phrase to add emphasis to the rhythm and "theme and variation" style of the song. The chorus singers only sing at the end of the chorus, "and we got to get ourselves back to the garden." The chorus women offer chant like, "hey hey" to add a very aboriginal chant sound to the song. This idea is emphasised in the last minute of the song when Mitchell begins to just sing a variation of odd and almost unappealing sounding notes.

Texture: The style of this song is homophonic. Mitchell's voice and the piano are moving rhythmically together throughout the song while also maintaining a distinct melody and accompanying harmony. The correlating movement and few instruments produces a thin texture to this piece.

Mitchell's "Woodstock" is clearly a programmatic song. She is expressing her idea for peace and "getting back to the garden" a place of growth, nature and purity. She references the Woodstock festival with its "song and celebration" and with "500000 strong" to connect directly with her immediate audience and also to connect with an audience in the future. Listeners now can use Mitchell's song to learn about the festival and about the political and social attitudes of the late 1960's. Mitchell performs a song that is relevant and powerful enough to continue to affect all generations.

Eartha Kitt, "C'est Si Bon" 1952

"C'est Si Bon" translated to mean, "It's so good" sings/talks about the pleasures of love, and makes a distinct separation of passionate love and materialistic love. The song is sung entirely in French, with the exception of a few expensive goods which are said in English. Kitt became fluent in French while traveling and performing in Europe, and often demonstrated her ability in her cabaret performances. The sound of this piece, along with a translation of the lyrics offers a clear image of a woman attempting and succeeding at forming a "sex appeal" about herself.

Instrumentation: Eartha Kitt's mezzo alto voice, a one toned male chorus group, trumpets, drums, saxophone and a bass. The majority of the song is highlighted by Kitt's slowly moving singing, with injections by loud trumpets, and the rhythmic repetition of the male chorus group singing, "Si Bon, Si Bon." The instruments have a wide variation in notes and volume. Kitt's voice also has a wide volume range, but less variation with notes due to the repetition.

Texture, Rhythm: The texture carries a homophonic set up, with a "dominant melodic voice accompanied by chorus."( Wikipedia) The male singers and the trumpets add to the chorus and repetition of the songs verses. "C'est Si Bon" has a steady rhythm, most likely 4 beats per measure.

My reaction to the lyrics: The first part of the song stresses that love does not have a price, with the line that says how times with the person you love, "are worth more than a million." Yet as the song progresses, Kitt introduces the idea of a lover "who can give me plenty of loot." Additionally she lists expensive material goods, a Cadillac, mink coats, and large jewels to add to her idea of her dream man. While talking about these items she adds these moans of pleasure to indicate how "good" it is. Over the course of the song I feel that Kitt transformed from a independent lover to was dependent on a man to make her feel beautiful. Additionally the song stuck me as a stereotypical and almost corny love song because of it is sung in French, a knowingly romantic language. I feel this song demonstrates an image of a woman that is admired not for her voice-Kitt talks throughout a lot of the song- but for her body and her possessions.

Marian Anderson, "Deep River"

A deeply soulful song, "Deep River" sung by Marian Anderson demonstrates how to invoke feeling within the hearts of the audience. The technical aspects, the lyrics, and the instrumentation add to Anderson's power as the face of this song.

Instrumentation, Volume:

The song is sung with the rich almost operatic voice of Marian Anderson, with piano accompaniment. Together the two voices work well to compliment one another, while also add to the flow of the song. The song is very strophic and the anchor verse is, "Deep river, my home is over Jordan, Deep river, Lord, I want to cross over into camp ground." The pianist and Anderson use the first verse to coordinate completely with one another while on the second and third verse the piano strays from directly playing the notes and adds embleshishment to the chorus, thus changing the reptition slightly.

Together Anderson and the pianist create the climax to the song by increasing in volume, speed and a new line of lyrics. Yet for the majority of the piece, Anderson sings slowly and softly. The piano follows the accentuates the pattern in her voice, and plays lightly and quietly. Additionally the song shares both melismatic and syllabic parts.

Texture, Rhythm, Repetition: Since the two instruments attempt to compliment the tone of the other so well in this song, the texture reflects monophony. While each holds slight variation between the other, Anderson and the pianist work to create one line of music. The rhythm is slow and steady since it follows the path of Anderson's voice. The beat speeds up for the new section at 1:35 into the song, but then settles after around thirty seconds. "Deep River" is an example of "Theme and Variations" in a song. The first verse, A, when repeated with piano embellishment becomes, A'- a variation, and then we hear a completely new verse, B. This adds to the idea of repetition and adds elements to the texture of the song.

Importance of the song: This song is very programmatic in that it evokes a story of a women away from her home, Africa, and the pain she suffers being in a place without peace. This song, when sung by Anderson once moved a musical instructor to tears. Known as “A true mezzo-soprano, she encompassed both ranges with full power, expressive feeling, dynamic contrast, and utmost delicacy.”"(Marian Anderson Biography) Although she faced prejudice, Anderson was a talented black female with a powerful voice and ability.

Research Paper Proposal For "Women in Music" class, Scripps College

Hannah Rapp

Women in Music 119

Preliminary Research Paper Proposal:

Classical blues women performers made their voice known during the rise of the blues genre. Before their talent was recognized by the masses, these women were limited to live audience performances and tours, since African American musicians had yet to be recorded. Yet when large record companies such as Black Swan records, Okeh records and Columbia Records realized that a financially successful business lay in the African American community African American blues singers, particularly women, made it into the studio to record. In my essay I plan to discover how Black Swan, Okeh and Columbia Records marketed classical blues women. First I will need to look into the history of the African American political movement. Additionally I will learn how the movement led to the record companies interest and desire to sign many female artists. I will discover how the musicians were portrayed and treated by the companies and the financial effect the black community experienced after race records were produced. The following questions will be answered in my essay:

I. Harlem Renaissance

1. What was it? Who did it affect/inspire? Who did it produce?

2. Music from Harlem Renaissance

II. Structure of the Companies

1) What were Black Swan, Okeh, and Columbia Records like?

2) Who was Fletcher Henderson?

3) What role did race play in recording companies, all white, all black, white men in control of black singers?

III. Role of the Companies

1) How did they represent Classical blues women, Ma Rainey, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, etc.

2) How did they make their clients famous

3) How and why were records produced?

4) Race Record. Its purpose, and public reaction.

5) What were the profits?

IV: Conclusion

1. Was their gender discrimination in the portrayal of women?

2. Or were the recording of the blues a real attempt to break down social barriers?

Sources

Internet:

Boyer, Paul. "Blues". The Oxford Companion to United States History. 10/12/2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-Blues.html>

Calliope Film Resources. "The Classic Blues and the Women Who Sang Them."Copyright 2000, 10/08/2009<>.

Weusi, Jitu. "The Rise and Fall of Black Swan Records". 10/12/2009 .

Video

Billie Holiday: The Ultimate Collection: Universal Music Company, 2005.

Books:

Anderson, Paul. Deep River: Music and Memory in the Harlem Renaissance Thought. London: Duke University Press, 2001.

Baraka, Imamu. Blues People: Negor music in White America. New York, 1967.

Dixon, R.M.W., Godrich, J. Recording the Blues. New York: Stein and Day Publishers, 1970.

Ed. Kelley, Norman. Rhythm and Business: The political economy of Black Music. New York: Akashic Books, 2002.

O’Brien, Lucy. She Bob II. London, New York: Continuum, 2002.

Oliver, Paul. Songsters and Saints; Vocal traditions on Race records. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984.

Spencer, Jon. The New Negroes and Their Music: The success of the Harlem Renaissance. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press, 1997.

Stewart, Earl. African American Music: An Introduction. New York: Schirmer Books, 1998.

Sutro, Dirk. Jazz for Dummies. New Jersey, 2006.

Tracy, Steven. Write me a few of your lines; a Blues reader. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1999

Weissman, Dick. Blues; the Basics. New York and London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2005.

"God Bless the Child," by Billie Holiday, 1941

Instrumentation: Vocals (Alto), piano, saxophone, trumpet, and drums.

Texture: The texture between all the instruments is thick. No one instrument follows or assists the other. The piano embellishes throughout the song, and the drums offer a constant beat, while the saxophone provides a deep tone, and the trumpet gives power and a unique tone.

Range: Very limited vocal range. However the piano covers a large part of the piano, with many scales.

Tempo: Relaxed, and slow but with a movable speed.

Meter: The meter is duple, and allows for one to envision couples slowly dancing at the venue in which this song was performed.

Volume: The song has a medium range. She has a few bursts of louder volume, yet for the most part Holiday remains in a soft projection to encourage a relaxed audience.

Repetition: The song follows the 12 bar blues style. With frequent repetition. The first two verses are both, A, A'(A with different lyrics), B (new notes and lyrics), C(A) (new lyrics to same beat as A), and D. C(A) and D are repeated four times throughout the song. "mama may have, papa may have, But God bless the child that got his own, thats got his own."

Meaning: Holiday is singing about how money will not buy happiness, and friends. Yet she realizes that money is crucial for survival, and so she blesses, "the child that got his own." Holiday was an extremely successful female blues singer and clearly has first hand experience in the troubles that money can bring.

Prove It on Me, Ma Rainey 1928

Instruments: Ma Rainey's vocals, piano, trumpet, sax possibly. The combination of instruments work together as a sort of conversation. Rainey's soothing and swooping voice works together with the other instruments to tell her story.

Volume: Ma Rainey has a very full, loud voice, and the message of her song which carries controversial issues, definitely should be sung in the loud volume presented. The recording is very poor, due to society's lack of support, but one can imagine the large woman dancing around the stage blasting her message.

Tempo: While Rainey sings the tempo is slow and even, while during the instruments section, around 1:30, the speed increases and becomes less predictable adding new elements of style.

Meter: The meter is a duple meter, and could slowly be marched/danced to.

Range: Due to the repetition of the song, Rainey's voice covers a limited number of notes. However, Rainey has the ability to blend notes and slide to the next one which creates a very different sound. The other instruments follow her, adding embellishment during their 30 second solo.

Texture: The song follows a very repetitive style. A, A'-with little variation, B-new line with different lyrics, C (A) new lyrics with the same rhythm of line A, and D-the chorus line, "Sure got to prove it on me." The instruments follow the same changes, since the song is written with two lines of music, the vocals, and the instruments. The thin texture line emphasis's the simplicity into performing the song, and does not require effort from the audience.

Meaning: This song defies many social practices. By openly singing about her bisexuality, "I went out last night with a crowd of my friends, It must’ve been women, ‘cause I don’t like no men," Rainey is being honest about who she is, and not trying to please everyone in her audience. The rise of feminity was only beginning, yet for Rainey, she already knew who she was.

May Frances Aufderheide- "The Thriller Rag" 1909

This light and energetic rag was one of Aufderheide's most notable rags, and said to be her most famous composition, and it is easy to see how the stylistic elements of the piece made it so. A lot can be credited to the thick texture, created by a lot of strength and difference between the treble and bass notes. Additionally, the constantly fast tempo, which spikes and drawls at certain times, only adds to the intensity of the song and technical skill of the performer. The song is played loudly with emphasis on the bass clef octaves and chords. However, the song tends to return to a medium level volume when it is not at an area of crescendo. The tempo is very lively, and as a listener I could imagine the performer's hands jumping off the keys to reach the next chord. Another image that entered while I was listening, was that of a large group of people dancing quickly and vivaciously to the duple meter. Aufderheide, despite training in various types of music style, used her passion for the style to create a composition with an upbeat theme and fitting "ragged" sound.

Aufderheide was the daughter of a wealthy German pawnbroker who encouraged and fostered his daughters talent as a pianist and composer. Aufderheide was known to be a fan of the rag style, and so it makes sense that a large number of her compositions were rags. Her fame and acknowledgment resulted not only from her talent, but also from her fathers desire to spread her music. He formed his own publishing company exclusively for her works. Thanks to a financially and emotionally supportive family, Aufderheide was able to compose many pieces and exceed her great potential.

Amy Beach, "Scherzo" Published in 1900.

Amy Beach's composition, "Scherzo" stays very true to its name. Scherzo in Italian means joke, and it is clear through the light notes, uncontrollable volume, and overall style that this song embodies laughter and fun. The song includes a "lively, indeed overwhelming piano accompaniment"( Briscoe 119) along with a large string section-Violins and cellos, and some unidentifiable wind instruments. With all of these different instruments, the song takes on a very polyphonic texture. In keeping form with what the song stands for--levity-- Beach has the instruments play many of the notes as staccatos. The song also flows from overwhelming to simple with the deduction then introduction of instruments in changing passages. Additionally the many crescendos and wide range add to the lightness of the song. The meter of the song, while the song does change from fast to slow many times, consistently carries a duple beat.

I loved the complexity of this song, and the almost joking attitude that the notes played on the audience. The trills at the end, and the chords played as staccatos almost seem to physically wink at the listeners.

Hildegard von Bingen, Clara Schumann Youtube video review

MUS 119 Women in Music

Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)

Video 1: Benedictus es Domine Hildegard von Bingen

This video consists of a solo soprano female voice singing “Benedictus es Domine.” The song is performed in a church since the listener can clearly hear the echoing and reverberations that the music makes of the high ceiling. The song is around four minutes in length and during the duration of the video a series of photos are displayed. The video begins and ends with a picture of a woman, who I can only assume is the singer of this recording. Throughout the middle section, a range of photos, paintings and stained glass depictions are used to describe Bingen’s life and work. The photos of her consist of a simple woman dressed in nun clothing, typically holding either an instrument or paper. The rest of the images are of large churches and many church embellishments. This illustrates Bingen’s relationship with the church, and the direct influence that God had in her compositions. This visual representation provides a face to Bingen, and a place where her music was typically created and performed. One can envision Bingen’s choir singing in unison under the large arches of Europe’s Benedictine chapels. The images help create a context in which the listener can better understand how unique Bingen’s music was to the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9261SIYOBRS

Video 2: Hildegard of Bingen

This video is a narration of the life and recent rise to popularity that constituted Hildegard von Bingen. The video begins showing a picture of Hildegard von Bingen playing some sort of harp to another person in a church courtyard. The image then is placed to the side and while her life is briefly described an odd image appears. While the narrator is detailing how Bingen was the only known female figure of the time, and had other successes in her publication of scientific findings, the creator of the video places and image of a nun crouched to the ground with a man standing over her. The video’s verbal cues and visual depictions completely contrasted one another. While one highlighted her specialties, the other subjected her to the gender inequalities she faced centuries ago.

Length: 1:50

www.youtube.com/watchv=ntakmv2PMcY

Video 3: Hildegard von Bingen-*- O Ecclesia

The video combined Bingen’s song, “O Ecclesia” with an image of a women sitting on a large chair, with a stream of light shinning directly on her face. The picture included what appeared to be the universe in her lap and people kneeling at her feet praying. The image directly transfers to the biographies of Hildegard von Bingen. It enforced the idea that she received musical inspiration through God, and that she was the center of female music. The song is stylistically similar to all of Bingen’s chants in that it is melismatic has a wide range, and a low volume. What made this version different was the introduction of an instrument. Although I could not identify what kind of instrument it was, it provided a humming sound in the background of the soprano choir.

Length: 6:04

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqvoB4uN1Qs

Clara Schumann (1819-1896)

Video 1: Clara Schumann-Der Wanderer

This video has deep connections with the composer. Pianist Lauretta Bloomer is playing “Der Wanderer” on the composer’s old piano, while Elisabeth Goell sings the soprano lyrics. The images accompanying the video are of a large river, which I assume is from her home in Europe. The images and video clips show glistening water, trees and various nature clips, along with images of religious crosses. The video attempts to illustrate a sense of where Schumann is from, and what her surroundings were when she was composing and what some of her inspirations could have been.

Length: 1:21

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8lZQWSSQQ8&feature=related

Video 2: Daria van den Bercken plays the Clara Schumann Concerto

What was great to watch in this video was the presence and power of women in the performance. The conductor JoAnn Falletta and pianist Daria vanden Bercken were the center of attention in this version of one of Clara Schumann’s concertos. The song was strong and embellished with long scales and arpeggios. The song was performed on January 19^th 2007 with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. The large scale of the performance highlights Schumann’s popularity both during the 17^th century and now in the 21 century.

Length: 2:48

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5mkYofWbXc

Video 3: “Träumerei” by Robert Schumann (K. Hepburn ‘Song of Love’)

This movie clip from the 1947 movie “Song of Love” has Clara Schumann, played by Katherine Hepburn, performing her husband’s composition, “Träumerei” in front of a large audience, and most notably, royalty. She is playing a slow, graceful love song, and at one point has the Kings son captivated by the tranquility of the song. Although Clara is not to be performing one of her own compositions, the honor of such a crowd still demonstrates her popularity and promise. At the end of the scene when she stops playing, and the crowd claps vivaciously, the film’s audience knows that Clara has become an accepted pianist of her age. The clip comes from a Hollywood depiction of what the 1800’s demanded. The concert hall has detailed decorating, and the clothing is of high quality. These two observations illustrate that the occasion is very special, and that as a woman, Clara has a rare opportunity to show off her abilities. This video agrees with Clara’s life, her partnership with her husband, and the great occasions she had to perform, and influence women in music.

Length:2:05

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

"Variations on a Theme" by Robert Schumann; Clara Schumann 1853

Already by listening to the works of Hildegarde von Bingen, Barbara Strozzi and Clara Schumann one can clearly see how music changed and transgressed. The tones, instruments and style are complete stylistic opposites. In "Variations on a Theme," Schumann uses a single piano as her instrumental medium. She also divides the song into multiple sections that each typically last a minute. I noticed that for the first three sections there was a growing intensity in each section. This feeling of intensity was created by using a wider range and volume than the preceding section. The style of each section also changed. With the first, it is mainly played in chords and with a slow and smooth texture. Yet with the next section, more arpeggios and scales are introduced. This continues until we come to the third section where Schumann has the pianist covering the piano with two independent sounding treble and bass clefs. This flow of going from soft and demure to loud and bold sounds continue throughout the piece and set up a tidal feeling to the song, as if the music is the subsiding and rising tide.

Clara Schumann was a provocative woman for the time. Author's Jane Bowers and Judith Tick wrote, "Clara Schumann was unique among the women of her time. She thought of herself as an artist first and as a woman and mother second." (Women Making Music 257) While Schumann composed her own masterpieces it is a fact that her father was the central reason for how she became the great musician that she was. He devoted extensive training and money into her career- taking her traveling, buying her gifts and supporting her years of training and performing. Yet even with the male influence, Schumann gave women's music a face and empowered all women to break societal normality's by living her own life and performing whilst very pregnant. The way she composed her music and her life lead to her musical success then and now.

"Hor Che Apollo" by Barbara Strozzi

"Hor Che Apollo" by Barbara Strozzi 1664

In "Hor Che Apollo" Strozzi utilizes multiple instruments; the harpsichord, two violins, a cello, and a Soprano female opera singer. The song, in its length, takes on multiple sections. Each part alternates between instrumental playing only, and the singer with harpsichord accompaniment. The instrumental sections are played at an increased tempo than those of the singing sections. The lyrics seem to have a common chorus within each singing section. After around 7:30 of the song, the singing changes by including 15 second bursts of rapid singing. While this adds some novelty to the song, the range of the vocals continue to be very broad, the volume more on the subtle and quiet side, and to be mainly syllabic. Another observation I made about "Hor Che Apollo" was that with the ending of every instrumental section, the last chord was played in ascending intervals, which really slowed down the song and signified that the phrase had ended.

While doing my research about Strozzi I learned that while, "Singing was a fairly common activity for a woman during this period, composition, certainly published composition, was not." (New Historical Anthology of Music by Women) Additionally, author James Briscoe cited that Strozzi's fame and ability to be such a strong female composer was "clearly thanks to her father." (New Historical anthology of Music by Women) By learning this it brought a new element to the song. At the time of composition, a woman still needed a man to support her in order to have her music accepted and recorded.

Hildegard von Bingen, "O Rubor Sanguinis"

Hannah Rapp, 09/07/2009, MUS 119 Women in Music

"O Rubor Sanguinis" by Hildegard von Bingen C.1170

The instruments entirely used in this piece are the multiple voices of women. It is hard to hear the multiple vocals because the women sing in such strong unison that the song gives off the allusion of a single voice. Yet when it comes to the ending of a phrase, the echoing of the song reveals multiple voices.

This piece was memorable to me due to a few features. Firstly the strength, power and control behind the women's voices. Their angelic tone and ability to produce such a range in their voices while never blending notes demonstrates real talent. Additionally the singers of the a Capella choir sing with a wide in volume. The pieces slow tempo allows for the singers to gently build intensity in their volume without it sounding harsh or angry. While it is the recording of the singers that the listeners are focused upon, one must remember that Hildegard von Bingen was the actual voice behind the song, since it is her composition that created the graceful and proudly alternative sound of music within medieval Christian religious chants.

As said in James Briscoe's compilation, New Historical Anthology of Music by Women, Bingen's "compositions do not conform to the linguistic and musical designs of her time." Such an example of her contrasting style is her use of multiple notes for each syllable. This willingness to be the frontier in developing new musical style illustrates how women have been changing music for centuries.

Blogging

Hello, I am blogging. hey ya