If you read music, you can follow this simplified version of "Soldier's Joy" while I play a sound file in class. If you have the 2nd (old) edition of our textbook, you'll find similar music with the analysis on pages 14 and 15. Look at the music, and you'll be able to see the structure of the tune. It won't be exactly note-for-note the same as what you hear, but it'll be close enough. That's the way oral tradition works. It isn't exact, but it's close enough:
Notice how the low part (or "strain") is repeated. Old-time fiddlers also call this the "A Part." Notice also how there's a lot of repetition within the low part. That first phrase (the first two and a half measures) is played three time, and the low part is completed with a phrase that leads into the second part.
After the low part is played twice, it's time for the high part or "B Part," also played two times. Notice the way the first phrase in the high part (the first two measures) is also repeated, with some variations, and the whole thing resolves into something that sounds like the end of the low part, or Part A. An old-time string band could keep sawing away on a fiddle tune by repeating Part A twice, Part B twice, Part A twice, Part B twice ... and so on, all night long if they had to. It's repetitious, but repetitious is something you want if you're playing for a square dance or something.
Now, if you don't read music and skipped over what I just wrote above, go back and read it anyway. You'll be able to hear the structure of the tune, the repeated phrases, too. In fact, old-time fiddle players didn't read music. They played by ear.
If you don't get it on first hearing, you can follow the link that says "Click here to hear 'Soldier's Joy,'" and you'll open a MIDI file (one of those annoying sound files that beep out the bare bones of a tune) that you can listen to while you look at the music.
This is an important point. The AABB structure (so called because each part, or strain, repeats twice) of "Soldier's Joy" is basic to fiddle tunes, ballads, band music, church hymns and popular songs until well into the 20th century.
22 comments:
I think this song stands out because of the lyrics and how it keeps repeating itself. What really stood out to me was how good of a song it was, and it made me relax. I think this would be a good song for their generation because it seems like it would be something that they would like to dance too.
The thing that stood out to me listening to the song just once was the tempo of the song. I liked to dance and that seems like a song that their generation would have danced to. Specifically because of the repetition of the chorus throughout the song so the dancers would have an easier time.
The piece by the Johnson Boys has a fast, "twangy" beat. There is good rhythm throughout. The vocalists were in unison with the lyrics. I liked this piece. It reminded me of some of the songs I heard when I was at a play last weekend for my Theatre Arts class. The play was set in Texas, and this song definitely had a southern draw to it.
What about this piece of music and/or performance stands out in my mind?
I think the background music is fun because it is repetitive.
What in my background, values, needs and interests makes me react that way?
I'm not sure what in my background makes me react that way, But I think the fiddle made me look like a fool in class because I was slapping my knees! Dancing along!
What specific things about the work trigger that reaction?
Ummm the fiddle. I think the repetitiveness made it familiar which made it easy on the ears.
1. What stands out in my mind is the rythem and the pattern of the piece is stays the same throughout the whole song. It also sounded like it was music for a square dance.
2.I dont ever listen to this type of music and my background would show that since i dont listen to this music, my interpretation and ideas may not be accurate.
3. I think that the using of a banjo in this piece triggered me into thinking it was music for a square dance
The song is a very up beat and fast tempo song. It gave you a good country living feeling and kind of makes you hungry for some good food.
1. The things that stand out in my mind the most about that piece of music was the different voices that were singing the song. It had that sound of a group sitting on a pourch on a summer night just singing and playing music.
2. I don't listen to this type of music that much, but this was a different type of music for me to hear. It is nice to hear something different every once in awhile.
3. The tempo and the beat of the song is what made me react in the ways that I did. Just hearing that song reminded of folk music.
this tune was interesting to say the least. it did no quite satisfy my taste in music, but im sure some people enjoyed it. The tune repeated very often and to me, got a little old and annoying. This to me sounded like folk music and a little like what some of todays country music sounds like.
The song stands out to me because it sounds like a typical square dancing song because of the repetition. I can see how this would be easy to dance to because it wouldn't take long to memorize the song because it isn't very long before it repeats itself.
The song has a very good beat and stands out. Sounds like a type of song that this ethnic group probably gets excited about when it is played. Just like how our generationn or ethnic group gets excited when certain songs play. This probably made a hell of a dance song with the lyrics and the patterns staying the same throughout the entire song.
This song is telling a young lady not to be afraid at the same time they are talking about "very scary" men.
I hate wars and my little brother is in the army.
they make a comment about the yankees running away from these men.
1. It seems based around the musical instruments as opposed to the story it's trying to portray. The song sounds very upbeat, the kind of thing you can visualize being sung at some sort of outdoor gathering in the south around 150 years ago.
2. Although I've never been to the south and studied its history in depth, the music is reminiscient of the types of songs sung in the south after the revolutionary war (atleast according to history movies I've seen).
3. The upbeat tempo seems fit for the fast-paced dancing of the time period, and the music seems squashed and cut into a complimentary shape for the music as though it's there simply to justify the song.
There was a lot of repeating in the song it seemed that they kept playing the same notes at the same tempo. It definitely would have been a good song for people back then to dance to. The constant ryhthm of the song is what really stood out to me.
The song stood out to me because it seemed more modern with the lyrics repeating themselves. There was only one beat throughout the whole song so it made it easier for dancing.
1.The song has a beat to it. The banjo makes the song unique. And the lyrics are also great.
2.The fiddle makes me want to dance and makes me think of country really not sure what in my background why it makes me feel this way.
3.The fiddle makes the song have the beat and the banjo also.
The upbeat tempo of the song stood out in my mind because I mainly listen to upbeat songs. The lyrics repeated themselves which stood out in my mind as well. My musical background mainly consisted of pop music and I really did not venture to far from that so folk music or jazz music is not my interest. I do like music that can be danced to and this song could be danced to. My reaction was triggered by the repeating of the lyrics and the string instruments. I really do not care for sting instruments.
1.The song has a beat to it. The banjo makes the song unique. And the lyrics are also great.
2.The fiddle makes me want to dance and makes me think of country really not sure what in my background why it makes me feel this way.
3.The fiddle makes the song have the beat and the banjo also.
I think the song has a very peppy rhythm to it. The musicical blending of the different sounds made the song very interesting to listen to as did the background singing that came along after the first verse. The music combined with the harmony of the singing was what I enjoyed the most about the song. I have a strong musical background in country music that would almost be relative to this type of musical sound. I enjoyed it, though I did not quite grasp all the meanings to the words being sang, but the peppy sounds made up for that. It did show a pattern of the AABB repeating of verses to help the dancers learn their dance steps if they were out on the dance floor.
1. The repetitiveness of the music got my attention and the use of the fiddle...Made the music sound fun and energizing!
2. I dont have much background in this type of music but nevertheless i've heard bajoes and fiddles and they mostly sound the same...
3. The fiddle I would have to say promted my energized attitutde...It's just fun and makes me slap my knee!!
1. The things that stand out to me are the different voices and the flow of the music.
2. This type of music doesn't interest me because I do not listen to this type music.
3. Nothing triggered that reaction I'm just not into that type of music.
The part about this piece that stands out to me is the beats and where it keeps repeating itself.
I don't know why that stood out to me or what about my background made me feel that way. But, it had a very folk-ish sound.
I think that the sound of the fiddle triggered that reaction.
The song stands out to me because of the rhythm and beat that goes along with the lyrics. Just listening to it makes me want to lay back and have a cigar and just relax. Now-a-days the music that people dance to is much more different and even the way they dance but there is some connection between then and now.
Post a Comment