Musical Web

Annie Howell
Jul 27, 2017 · 6 min read
Music Map

Reviewing the songs I have written listening logs for was extremely interesting. I got to see how my knowledge of music has expanded, and reviewed parts of the course that I view different now that I have completed the lessons. I think the culture of the music is really what stood out to me overall. I decided to pick at least one song from each of the three big ‘streams’ discussed.

“Para Los Rumberos” is the first song I decided to look back on. This latin dance song is one that I really loved writing about, because it was such a culturally specific sound. I think that the melody of the song really stood out to me now more than anything. There are small intervals between the notes, and the beat is extremely repetitive. I enjoyed this part of the song, because this melody is what brought out the Latin dance. This type of music embodies an entire culture, and that is what I found most interesting about studying the Ethnic songs. I looked back and noticed that this was from the New York area, and I find it interesting to think about the different types of music that were also born there. When I look at the five songs I have picked, I see a lot of connections not just based on the location. The pitch and the quick tempo of this song can be compared to “The Murder” that is featured in the film music/classical section of our course. Those are two songs that have very different purposes, but the strong rhythms of each bring about emotion in a similar way.

Musical scores are something that are fascinating to me. I am a film major so getting to study such an important aspect of film was very useful to me. I thought that the song during the shower scene from Psycho was a perfect song to sample for this class. The song has been an iconic part of the horror genre for years. The biggest thing that stands out to me when I listen to it is the cultural impact. This one song made such an impcat on so many viewers. The song connects to the classical ‘stream’ that is discussed in our reading, and honestly that surprised me. That is definitely what stood out to me while going back over the reading. I think at first I did not really grasp what the definition of classical music really was. I think the idea that you would not hear this type of music in a concert hall really helped me grasp the concept. This music is popular; you wouldn’t hear this song on the radio.

This song does relate a lot to other songs I have written about through the emotions it evokes. When you think about gospel music for example, you think about the emotional connection it creates. I think this type of music is similar, just different in the type of emotion. Spiritual music brings about feelings of faith and hope, while this song really puts you in a place of fear and anxiety. The difference in the notes and pitches really stands out. For example, “Amazing Grace” is soothing with a light Timbre and a smooth melody, while “The Murder” is choppy and uses screeching notes.

“Amazing Grace” is probably one of the most commonly known songs that we reviewed in this course. I think every time I listen to this song something else stands out. Something unique about this song is that there are also many different covers of the song. Each cover shows a different style, and I think that adds to the diversity of the song. This song is a gospel song, and that ‘stream’ can be connected to a lot of other genres. Gospel music originated with spiritual songs that also sparked the creation of the Blues and Jazz. The core of gospel music is similar to that of folk music. The culture of the music influences how people perceive it. This song embraced many types of harmonies that create a sense of union that I really noticed while listening to different versions of the song. I think gospel music is a very interesting part of the ‘musical web’, because there is never an exact sound that you would peg as gospel. There are certain aspect that come with spiritual songs, but the music itself can be connected to many other genres as well. There are similarities to country, jazz, blues, and even some classical songs. The culture of the music is really what sets it apart.

Blues is another category that can be connected to many different streams of the music specturm. My listening log on “Prison Cell Blues” touched a lot on the emotion that was expressed, but now listening to it again, the message really stood out to me more. I think blues is one of the forms that really tells a story better than anything else. The story is expressed in a way that really brings the listening in, and gets them invested in the song. I think for this song specifically the dark timbre Blind Lemon Jefferson’s voice really creates the solemn mood that is felt throughout. This culture of music expresses a history of struggle. I think that this is a unique characteristic, but you can also compare it to the dark history behind spiritual and jazz music. I think the history behind these genres is something that really stood out to me throughout the entire course. The emotion expressed in Blues music can be compared to black gospel music, and the two genres have a lot of the same structures. I think the use of a slow melody and deep voices evokes emotion across the board.

Although a lot of these streams have very unique cultures, I think that film music is special because the culture of the song is directly related to the culture of the music. “Imperial March” from the Star Wars series is a song that absolutely reflects the culture of the film. Like “The Murder”, this song definitely creates suspense. Part of this song is a leitmotiv that is repeated throughout to represent the arrival of the villian. Although it brings suspense, the mood is more anticipation and intimidation instead of just fear like “The Murder.” These songs fully embody the emotions behind the film, and create doors for nostalgia in the future. Hearing songs like “Imperial March”, and the Harry Potter theme song creates a specific response for each listener.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars

No matter the ‘stream’ or genre a song comes from, it will always evoke some sort of reaction from the listener. I think this is one of the biggest connections you can make. “Prison Cell Blues” might bring upon feelings of loss and sadness, while the same slow melody and deep voice in “Amazing Grace” makes you feel hopeful and uplifted. Film music creates a classic feel that might not be pleasing to listen to for pleasure, but it still resembles powerful mix of songs we get from gospel artists. The different pieces of the songs are thrown together to tell a story. Each type of music has specific aspects, but all of the genres are meant to tell a story and evoke emotion.

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