Works Cited

Works Cited
"Boston | More Than A Feeling lyrics." LyricsFreak ( A-Z Song Lyrics ). 17 Apr. 2009 .
"Glenn Miller – Moonlight Serenade – Listen free and discover music at Last.fm." Last.fm - Listen to free music with internet radio and the largest music catalogue online. 17 Apr. 2009 .
"Jazz -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 17 Apr. 2009 .
"Rock music -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 17 Apr. 2009 .

An Intro to Jazz

The word “Jazz” in itself is a word of unknown origin, but it began to be commonly used in 1915. It began on the West Coast of the U.S. as a term to describe a new style of music that began in Chicago. There is no definitive style of Jazz, but the more commonly accepted definition is that Jazz allows for musical freedom and the expression of the individual artist, combining many different styles of music into one distinct genre. Jazz is a style of music that is primarily American, but gathers its roots from many different styles around the world. There are many different subgenres of Jazz, such as classical Jazz, the earliest Jazz known in America, which rose to greatness during the Great Depression. Others include Big Band Jazz, swing, and the more recent smooth Jazz.

Influences of Rock

The first distinct style of Jazz began in the West African communities. They were a fusion of African and European musical styles, combining to form a new, distinctly original style. The most obvious evidence of these elements is the use of the “blue” note, improvisation, polyrhythm, syncopation, and the swung note. Many early field songs, many of which Jazz took inspiration from, relied heavily on improvisation and the same holds true for both modern and classic Jazz, allowing the soloist to improvise as he or she sees fit. Jazz has progressed through the ages, and has begun to incorporate other different styles of music, such as rock and folk, as well as Pop and Funk.

The Instrumentation of Jazz Music

Due to the broad spectrum of Jazz styles, there have been many different instruments associated with the “Jazz sound”.
• Saxophone, generally Alto and Tenor
• Bass, primarily upright
• Guitar
• Trumpet
• Clarinet
• Piano
• Organ
• Trombone
• Flute
• Tuba
• Vocals
• Drums, usually a full set

An Intro to Rock

Rock music, though loosely defined, encompasses many different subgenres, similar to Jazz. The term itself is credited to Ohio DJ Alan Freed, who was the first to use the term “rock and roll” to describe what it felt to listen to the music. The style of rock gathered its roots from early 1940’s and 50’s musical styles, such as rhythm and blues, country, folk, Jazz and classical music. Rock music was seen as a “multi-racial” music, emphasizing the loose and free feel of the music. Rock began to have a mainstream appeal during the 1950’s and the rising popularity of the electric guitar and with it a developing style of play that characterized the Rock feel. Rock music became a social icon as well, influencing many cultural aspects, such as lifestyles, fashion, and language.

Influences and Intrumentation of Rock

The Influences of Rock

Some of the primary influences of Rock, similar to Jazz, are the styles of rhythm and blues and country. Jazz also was a major contributor to the Rock sound, in combination with folk and classical music, and has seen influence from soul, funk, and Latin. It originated in both the U.K. and the U.S. around the same time period, and many British artists had a major influence on American rock, such as the Liverpool group “The Beatles.”

The Instrumentation of Rock

Rock utilizes a combination of drums, electric or sometimes acoustic guitar, a base guitar, and a vocalist. Occasionally, the group in question will decide to utilize a keyboard or wind instrument as a solo voice.

An Example of Jazz

Glenn Miller’s “Moonlight Serenade”

http://www.last.fm/music/Glenn+Miller/_/Moonlight+Serenade

I stand at your gate and the song that I sing is of moonlight.
I stand and I wait for the touch of your hand in the June night.
The roses are sighing a Moonlight Serenade.

The stars are aglow and tonight how their light sets me dreaming.
My love, do you know that your eyes are like stars brightly beaming?
I bring you and sing you a Moonlight Serenade.

Let us stray till break of day
in love's valley of dreams.
Just you and I, a summer sky,
a heavenly breeze kissing the trees.

So don't let me wait, come to me tenderly in the June night.
I stand at your gate and I sing you a song in the moonlight,
a love song, my darling, a Moonlight Serenade.

This song, a staple of the “Big Band” style of Jazz, was first recorded in 1939 by the Glenn Miller Orchestra. It was written in the form ABAB and the key of C-Minor. This song was not originally written with lyrics, but Miller saw fit to add lyrics after the original recording was made. The song features the woodwind section throughout the piece, using the brass section to provide a counter-melody. The song does not include a section devoted to solos or improvisation, due the fact that it is more of a Jazz ballad than a conventional Jazz piece.