12 | Introduction
11
2. A chorus is a section in music that repeats the same music but with different lyrics in each
presentation.
3. In simple verse form, all verses are based on the same music, followed by a chorus.
4. Reverb and echo are the exact same effect.
5. By the late 1960s, stereo was the preferred format for recording albums.
6. A bass player’s job is to “lock in” with the vocalist rhythmically and to provide bass notes to chord
progressions played by the guitar.
7. AABA form is one of the most commonly used formal patterns in Tin Pan Alley songs.
8. Horn sections often consist of saxophones, trumpets, and trombones.
9. In music, meter refers to the ways in which musical sounds are organized in time.
10. The 12-measure structure of the 12-bar blues is distinctive because its measures fall into four groups
of three.
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CHAPTER 1 Roots–1955, The World before Rock
andRoll
Roots–1955, The World before Rock andRoll | 15
1
CHAPTER 1: The World before Rock and Roll
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. All of the following are true about Tin Pan Alley EXCEPT that it
a. was developed as a regional style of music.
b. was located in New York City.
c. included a high concentration of songwriters and song publishers.
d. was a term that denoted a specific way of doing business in popular music.
2. The role of the Tin Pan Alley publisher was to
a. perform songs on the Broadway stage to new audiences.
b. compose the form of the song.
c. write lyrics for Tin Pan Alley songs.
d. pitch songs to artists who might consider performing them.
3. Regional boundaries in popular culture began to diminish in the 1920s as a result of
a. the invention of the phonograph.
b. NBC radio broadcasting coast-to-coast with a national radio network.
c. the migration of southerners to northern cities.
d. regional radio stations being bought out by national radio stations.
4. Amos ’n’ Andy is an example of
a. a Broadway musical featuring Tin Pan Alley songs.
b. an early television program featuring country and western performers.
c. a popular comedy program broadcast on network radio.
d. a Hollywood musical.
5. Ralph Peer made early recordings of which type of music?
a. rhythm and blues c. western swing
b. rural blues d. hillbilly music
Roots–1955, The World before Rock andRoll | 23
9
MATCHING
Match the item to the description below.
a. nickname for Jimmie Rodgers
b. standard format for Tin Pan Alley songs
c. example of doo-wop
d. Robert Johnson
e. paved the way for future pop singers
f. an inoffensive example of early 1950s pop
g. geographic center for country and western music
h. instrumentalist during the big band era
i. songwriters of “Hound Dog”
j.
singer of “Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean”
1. 32-bar sectional chorus
2. The Singing Brakeman
3. rural blues musician
4. Glenn Miller
5. Frank Sinatra
6. “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?”
7. Nashville
8. “Sh-Boom”
9. Ruth Brown
10. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
24 | Chapter 1
10
ESSAY
1. Discuss how the technological development of radio and television in the early part of the twentieth
century helped increase audiences for different styles of music. How did audiences consume music,
and how did this change with technological developments? What types of music were available on
radio and television? Be sure to give specific examples of individuals and programs that provided
musical performances in these mediums.
ANS:
answers vary
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficult
2. Explain the role of singers in the following genres: Tin Pan Alley, big band, country and western, and
rhythm and blues. Choose a singer from each of the different genres and discuss the singer’s role with
regard to the music genre, musical format, performance, and the song itself.
ANS:
answers vary
PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
3. How did the migration and movement of people affect musical styles in the United States? Discuss the
popularity of musical styles or the development of different musical genres as a result of people
migrating to new areas. Be sure to provide specific examples of musical styles and genres that
developed during this time period.
ANS:
answers vary
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficult
4. Discuss stereotypes associated with both country and western music and rhythm and blues. Why did
these stereotypes develop in the cultural atmosphere of the United States? How were these stereotypes
used or perceived in a positive or negative manner? Why? Cite specific examples from country and
western and rhythm and blues that address people’s perception of these different styles of music as
cultural stereotypes.
ANS:
answers vary
PTS: 1 DIF: Difficult