Comments on Posts (8/28)
Greetings! This post contains my comments/notes on three posts and one news article from Black Music Scholar. Each post will be labeled by it’s title and the link will be included.
–AVERY SIMPSON
News article: How the Pipe Organ Shaped Black Music
LINK: https://thedig.howard.edu/all-stories/how-pipe-organ-shaped-black-music
NOTES:
- Dr. Mickey Thomas Terry discusses the impact of the pipe organ on Black music. He discovered this instrument in church, and this makes me reflect on the massive influence of church instruments, choirs, etc. on Black music as well as other genres. It’d be interesting to establish a list of Black church influences on music from the past and present.
- The article touches on the role of Gospel music in the civil rights movement. I think that’s something important to think about– the roles of different genres throughout important historical times. When I think about the late 80s/early 90s, I often think about Black rap used as protest in response to injustices like police brutality (i.e. Rodney King; i.e. N.W.A.)
- Dr. Terry stated ““It’s getting harder and harder for churches to be able to sustain the costs of pipe organs, so a lot of churches are moving away from organs and going into keyboards.” I wonder how that switch affects the feel and sound of the music. Does it feel authentic or does it feel like a mimic of the original sound? What does it take to revive a dying instrument?
Post 1: Black Music in the 2010s
LINK: https://blackmusicscholar.com/black-music-in-the-2010s/
NOTES:
- When I opened this post, I actually had socioeconomic effects on music on my mind. Specifically, music during and after the recession that is meant to be feel-good, distracting songs. Neyo is a Black artist who quickly comes to mind from this time period that served this purpose. I noticed the author included a heading titled “2010s Hits & Socioeconomic Effects on Black Music” and was interested in listening to the explanation of that in the included video.
- This article also highlights Black music being used for advocacy, awareness, and protest. The author mentions Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Kendrick, and more. This is definitely a common thing among what I’ve read so far.
- The author mentioned the correlation between increased drug use amongst youth and descriptions of drug use in music but also mentioned the success of Black music empowering individuals and emphasizing pro-blackness and beauty. I think the image of Black music is subjective and I’ve definitely heard discourse between people debating these negative v.s positive effects.
Post 2: Tiny Desk Concerts That Rock!
LINK: https://blackmusicscholar.com/tiny-desk-concerts-that-rock/
NOTES:
- This post was created by Dr. Johnson
- Anderson Paak has such a unique sound. He and Pharrell remind me of each other in their style of music. Anderson Paak feels a bit more soulful and funk (neosoul) and Pharrell feels more sultry and electronic. But they compliment each other well and I can imagine them admiring each other’s lyricism or production.
- Listening to Common highlights the ways people are able to tell their stories through music. “Compassion from my mother, streets from my uncle, one code of honor…” etc. Speaking on family dynamics/personalities, politics, etc.
- I love Tyler the Creator either way, but the use of the women singing acapella in the background really makes his music sound even more dynamic. I wasn’t introduced to acapella through Black people, but I’ve found that I’ve appreciated it most when it comes from them (i.e. Shai’s song-` If I Ever fall in Love)
Post 3: The Foundation of Black Music: The Negro Spiritual
LINK: https://blackmusicscholar.com/the-foundation-of-black-music-the-negro-spiritual/
NOTES:
- Negro spiritual dates back to Trans-Atlantic Slavery– a genre of music enslaved people were able to preserve as culture and identity.
- Enslaved people could use negro spirituals to tell stories and educate one another + children, use them for resistance, unite while performing labor, etc.
- While listening: a lot of harmonies, sounds unified, vibrato, call and repeat (like blues), riffs, etc.
- The SpelHouse choirs sang very beautifully.
