1. Chapter 8
Musical Creators

2. What you will learn
Identify five modern American composers and songwriters
Describe how these musical artists use music to communicate
Identify the characteristics that make their works American
Identify the creative processes and the source of musical ideas that these composers and arrangers use in developing their music

3. Vocabulary
Composition
Hook
Modulation
Fanfare
Synthesizer

4. Musician Profiles
George Gershwin
Moses Hogan

5. Composers and Songwriters
The art of composition:
The craft of putting together sounds to create a musical work
Exteriorizing inner feelings
Most use musical notation – some create with electronics
Composers must be able to convey feelings and meanings to the audience

6. The creative process
The process can be a struggle (Beethoven) or spontaneous (Chopin and Mozart)
Inspiration
A creative force that awakens the creative voice within the artist
Where do composers begin?
Some composers work randomly
Some start with the form

7. Songwriter Diane Warren
Writes music for films, TV and singers
First hit was “Rhythm of the Night” from the movie The Last Dragon in 1984
Songs have been in dozens of TV shows and movies
Recorded by Aerosmith, Toni Braxton, Gloria Estefan, Celine Dion, and Rod Stewart
Interview p. 171

8. Activity 1, p. 174 CD 5:19-20 Identify the hook:
The motive or “grabber phrase in a song that often accompanies the words of the song’s title
“Because you Love Me” & “Unbreak My Heart” by Diane Warren
How do the melodic and harmonic structures reinforce the lyric message of each song?
Imagine that you were to hear just the music of each song without the lyrics. What emotions does the music successfully communicate?

9. Assignment
Write a paragraph outlining the creative processes used by songwriter Diane Warren.

10. American Masters
At one time American music was considered inferior to European music
Most performances in America were of European music
WWI brought American popular music to Europe – especially jazz
European composers began using American elements in their music

11. George Gershwin ( )
Prolific American composer of popular songs, Broadway musicals, and concert music
The child of Russian-Jewish immigrants
Taught himself to play – then studies formally
Worked in Tin Pan Alley – a section of New York City where musicians could play their songs for publishers and producers

12. George Gershwin His first hit song was “Swanee”
He took American music further by fusing jazz chords and motives with classical meters and orchestration
He combined American jazz with traditional classical forms for the concert hall
Rhapsody in Blue (1924)
An American in Paris (1928)

13. Gershwin’s musicals
He wrote his first musical at age 19 – La, La Lucille
He composed over 30 musicals with lyrics written by his brother Ira
One of his most popular was Girl Crazy(1930)
Of Thee I Sing (1931) won the Pulitzer Prize

14. Activity 2 & 3, p. 176 CD 5:21 “I Got Rhythm” by George Gershwin
From the musical Girl Crazy
Lead role catapulted Ethel Merman to fame
Gershwin loved this tune so much that he used it as the theme for a theme and variations
Activity 3, p. 178 CD 6:1

15. An American Opera
Gershwin’s most ambitious work was the opera Porgy and Bess (1935)
Based on a novel by DuBose Heyward
It portrays the struggles of two African Americans living in the racially segregated South in the early 1900’s
Gershwin wrote the words in Gullah(a regional dialect of English spoken by descendants of enslaved Africans living in the coastal South) for authenticity

16. Porgy and Bess
When the show opened, backers didn’t want to use the word opera
The show wasn’t fully appreciated until after Gershwin’s death in 1937
Songs from the opera became popular
“Summertime”
“Bess You is My Woman Now” CD 6:2
Duet between Porgy and Bess
Modulation:
Change of key

17. Aaron Copland ( )
Experimented and studied for years before becoming successful
Studied in France
Explored jazz rhythm then harsh dissonant music
Had a bold, brash compositional style
Used American folk music and jazz style

18. Appalachian Spring: Copland’s “Gift for Simplicity”
One of the characteristics of his style is simplicity
Ballet Appalachian Spring (1944)
Based on the song “Tis a Gift to be Simple”
Made famous by Copland
Played at the inaugurations of President Reagan and President Clinton
Listed by the National Association for Music Education as one of the songs that every American should know

19. “Simple Gifts” Activity 5, p. 184 CD 6:3
The ballet was written for the dancer and choreographer Martha Graham
It celebrates a newly married pioneer couple’s moving into a home built for them
The last section is variations on the theme
Activity 6, p. 184 CD 6:4

20. Fanfare for the Common Man (1942)
A short, showy tune, usually written for brass, played to honor important people or announce an important event
During WWII, Eugene Goossens, then conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, commissioned several American composers to write fanfares
Copland’s was one of the most successful
Activity 7, p. 185 CD 6:5

21. New Directions How much technology is acceptable for a band to use?
Electronic Music
The development of the integrated circuit or chip opened up technology for musicians
Synthesizer
An electronic device, usually with a keyboard, capable of producing sounds in almost any range, tone quality, and volume
Invented by Robert Moog

22. Libby Larsen (b. 1950) Incorporates synthesized sound into her music
Writes for many genres
Makes use of video images and other multimedia effects
The Settling Years

23. The Settling Years
Expresses life in the untamed West in the 19th century
3 movements
“Comin’ to Town” – details the experience of a Western town overrun by cowboys
“Beneath These Alien Stars” describes the great western expanse
“A Hoopla” celebrates good times with country fiddling
Activity 8, p. 188 CD 6:6
“Comin’ to Town” from The Settling Years

24. Marimba Concert: After Hampton
Marimba is an idiophone made of wooden bars and resonating tubes
Its roots are in Africa and South and Central America
Made famous by jazz musician Lionel Hampton ( )
Activity 9, p. 189 CD 6:7
Marimba Concerto: After Hampton by Libby Larsen

25. The Source of Musical Ideas
Activity 10, p video

26. Moses Hogan (1957-2003) Late 20th century composer and arranger
Focused on promoting and preserving the African American spiritual
Activity 11, p. 191 CD 6:8
“I am Gonna Sing ‘Til the Spirit Moves in My Heart” by Moses Hogan
How does the composer create a sense of growing intensity toward the end of the composition
Describe Hogan’s use of a contrasting style of rhythm to end the composition
What is the emotional effect of this contrasting style
Do you think this composition would be difficult to sing? Why?

27. From the Top CD 1:15-16 Sojourner Hodges
Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano

28. Review - Terms Modulation Fanfare Synthesizer Composition Hook
A change of key
Fanfare
A short, showy tune, usually written for brass, played to honor important people or announce and important event
Synthesizer
An electronic device capable of producing sounds in almost any range, tone quality, and volume
Composition
The craft of putting together sounds to create a musical work
Hook
The motive or “grabber’ phrase in a song that often accompanies the words of the song’s title.

29. Who composed what? “Because You Loved Me” “Bess, You Is My Woman Now”
Diane Warren
“Bess, You Is My Woman Now”
George Gershwin
“Unbreak My Heart”
“Comin’ to Town”
Libby Larsen
“Rhythm of the Night”

30. Who composed what? “I Got Rhythm” Marimba Concerto: After Hampton
George Gershwin
Marimba Concerto: After Hampton
Libby Larsen
Rhapsody in Blue
Fanfare for the Common Man
Aaron Copland
Appalachian Spring

31. In Beethoven’s time, what instrument was widely used for composing?
piano
What is a marimba?
An idiophone that is larger than a xylophone with tuned resonating tubes under the tone bars
What song catapulted Ethel Merman to fame in 1930?
“I Got Rhythm”
From what musical, by George Gershwin, was “I Got Rhythm”
Girl Crazy

32. What was Aaron Copland’s compositional style?
He used American folk traditions and themes
Which musical of Gershwin’s won the Pulitzer Prize?
Of Thee I Sing
Who popularized spirituals in the 2nd half of the 20th century?
Moses Hogan
What does Diane Warren usually build her song around?
A hook

33. Who was a late 20th century composer and arranger of gospel music?
Moses Hogan
Which composers compositions for the concert hall combined American jazz with traditional classical forms?
George Gershwin
The hymn “Tis a Gift to be Simple,” was used by which composer in what piece?
Aaron Copland in Appalachian Spring
What word was avoided when advertising Porgy and Bess?
opera

34. Essay How do composers make their musical works sound “American”?
Using religious tunes
Folk songs
Popular melodies
Jazz
Other themes associated with American culture

35. Discuss different approaches to creating music. Cite examples.
Some composers(Andrew Lloyd Webber or Starving Goliath) rely on inspiration and improvisation
Others (Libby Larsen) hear the music in their head first
Diane Warren writes every day, completing one song before going on to the next