AU on Music Theory Print

Aubade

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

External links#

‘Aubade’ – a poem by Philip Larkin
‘Aubade’ – a poem by William Shakespeare

Audiobook

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Etymology#

The term “talking book” came into being in the 1930s with government programs designed for blind readers, while the term “audiobook” came into use during the 1970s when audiocassettes began to replace phonograph records. In 1994, the Audio Publishers Association established the term “audiobook” as the industry standard.

History#

Spoken word recordings first became possible with the invention of the phonograph by Thomas Edison in 1877. The initial words spoken into the phonograph were Edison’s recital of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, the first instance of recorded verse. In 1878, a demonstration at the Royal Institution in Britain included “Hey Diddle Diddle, the Cat and the Fiddle” and a line of Tennyson’s poetry thus establishing from the very beginning of the technology an association with spoken literature.

Australian classical music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Early settlers#

The earliest western musical influences in Australia can be traced to two distinct sources: in the first settlements, the large body of convicts, soldiers and sailors who brought the traditional folk music of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland; and the first free settlers, some of whom had been exposed to the European classical music tradition in their upbringing. An example of original music by a convict would be an 1861 tune dedicated to settler James Gordon by fiddler constable Alexander Laing. Very little music has survived from this early period, although there are samples of music originating from Sydney and Hobart that date back to the early 19th century. Musical publications from this period preserved in Australian libraries include works by Charles Edward Horsley, William Stanley, Isaac Nathan, Charles Sandys Packer, Frederick Augustus Packer, Carl Linger, Francis Hartwell Henslowe, Frederick Ellard, Raimund Pechotsch and Julius Siede.

Australian country music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Australian country stars#

Notable musicians include: Adam Brand, Adam Harvey, Amber Lawrence, Caitlyn Shadbolt, Christie Lamb, Jasmine Rae, Troy Cassar-Daley, Davidson Brothers, Slim Dusty, Steve Forde, Joy McKean (Australia’s Grand Lady Of Country Music), Jean Stafford (Australia’s Queen Of Country Music), Olivia Newton-John, Lionel Long, John Williamson, Chad Morgan, Keith Urban, O’Shea, Lee Kernaghan, Melinda Schneider, Kasey Chambers and Beccy Cole. Others influenced by the genre include Paul Kelly and Tex Perkins. Popular songs include When the Rain Tumbles Down in July (1946), Waltzing Matilda (1895), Pub With No Beer (1957), Lights on the Hill (1973), I Honestly Love You (1974), True Blue (1981), Boys From the Bush (1992), and Not Pretty Enough (2002).

Australian folk music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Bush music#

For much of its history, Australia’s bush music belonged to an oral and folkloric tradition, and was only later published in print in volumes such as Banjo Paterson’s Old Bush Songs, in the 1890s. More than 70 of Banjo Paterson’s poems have been set to music by Wallis & Matilda since 1980. The distinctive themes and origins of Australia’s “bush music” or “bush band music” can be traced to the sea shanties of 18th and 19th century Europe and other songs sung by the convicts who were sent to Australia during the early period of the British colonisation, beginning in 1788. Early Australian ballads sing of the harsh ways of life of the epoch and of such people and events as bushrangers, swagmen, drovers, stockmen and shearers. Convict and bushranger verses often railed against government tyranny. Classic bush songs on such themes include: The Wild Colonial Boy, Click Go The Shears, The Eumeralla Shore, The Drover’s Dream, The Queensland Drover, The Dying Stockman and Moreton Bay. Later themes which endure to the present include the experiences of war, of droughts and flooding rains, of Aboriginality and of the railways and trucking routes which link Australia’s distances. Isolation and loneliness of life in the Australian bush has been another theme. Waltzing Matilda, often regarded as Australia’s unofficial national anthem, is a quintessential Australian folk song, influenced by Celtic folk ballads. Country and folk artists such as Lionel Long, Gary Shearston, Marian Henderson, Margaret Roadknight, The Bushwackers and John Schumann of the band Redgum and country artists like Tex Morton, Slim Dusty and John Williamson have continued to record and popularise the old bush ballads of Australia through the 20th and into the 21st century – and contemporary country artists including Sara Storer and Lee Kernaghan draw heavily on this heritage. A number of British singers have spent periods in Australia and have included Australian material in their repertoires, e.g. A. L. Lloyd, Martyn Wyndham-Read, Eric Bogle and Notable Australian exponents of the folk revival movement included both European immigrants such as Eric Bogle, noted for his sad lament to the Gallipoli campaign “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda”, and indigenous Australians like Archie Roach and many others. In adapted forms Indigenous Australian music influenced the development of Australian country music and particularly after the folk revival, Australian folk music.

Australian hardcore

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Early history (late 1970s–early 1980s)#

Brisbane was at the forefront of the hardcore punk scene in the late 70s with bands emerging such as Young Identities, Public Execution, Razar, Mystery Of Sixes and The Leftovers. Sydney had a strong following of hardcore punk bands in the early 1980s such as Vigil Anti, Massappeal, Hard-Ons and Johnny Dole & The Scabs. Depression and Vicious Circle from Melbourne were two of the most popular hardcore bands in Australia, which formed in 1982 and 1983, respectively. Depression released 3 LP’s, 3 singles & 1 EP before disbanding in 1989. Where’s the Pope? from Adelaide was another popular hardcore band forming in 1985 and releasing their first LP “Straight Edge Holocaust” in 1987. Adelaide was also home to early hardcore punk band The Skunks who formed in 1979 and released their first EP in 1982. Rupture from Perth was another popular band forming in the mid-1980s. Canberra was home to The Vacant Lot a band who formed in 1978 and played quite a few gigs around the nations capital until they disbanded in August 1980. The Vacant Lot released one EP in 1980.

Australian hip-hop

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Early years (1980s)#

In 1982, the music video for Malcolm McLaren’s track, “Buffalo Gals”, was shown on the Australian television music show Sound Unlimited. The music show was broadcast on Network Seven. The clip was staged in a Manhattan basketball court and featured images of graffiti and break dancers. The video left an impression on Australian teenagers, who began to copy the dancers’ moves. The first Australian hip-hop record released was “16 Tons” / “Humber Mania Time” by Mighty Big Crime via Virgin Records and Criteria Productions in 1987 (Catalogue number VOZC 026). The Melbourne-based duo (Gumpy Phillips and Tricky J a.k.a. Justin Lodge) soon disbanded. In 1991, both were members of flower power group Freaked Out Flower Children. Gerry Bloustein wrote in the book Musical Visions that Blaze claimed the first “true hip hop” release was “Combined Talent” / “My Destiny” in 1988 by Just Us (consisting of Maltese DJ Case and Mentor). In 1988, the first compilation of Australian rap, Down Under by Law (Virgin), was released. It included tracks by Westside Posse, Mighty Big Crime, Swoop, Sharline and Fly Girl 3. Two Western Australian hip-hop bands, Def Threat and Gangstarr, (not related to American hip-hop duo Gang Starr) both released recordings in 1987. The Def Threat’s EP, Girls Never learn, reached No. 4 in the WA Independent music charts. Def Threat played a number of gigs over the next 12 months and then disbanded. Gangstarr survived for a few more years.

Australian indie rock

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Beginnings#

Rock and roll in Australia got started in the late 1950s and 1960s, influenced by the sounds coming from the United States and UK. Early on, the surf rock sound dominated, though in the mid-1960s, the beat genre from the UK had become established. Numerous garage bands formed in the cities and suburbs, and a vibrant musical culture began. Isolated from the diversity of genres in the Northern Hemisphere, Australian mainstream record labels tried to replicate the success of trends imported from overseas and produce radio-friendly singles by successful artists such as John Farnham and the Easybeats. In the meantime, Russell Morris enjoyed a surprise hit with singles such as “The Real Thing”. Produced by music legend Ian Molly Meldrum, and written by singing star Johnny Young, the single encompassed high production values and a psychedelic approach in its use of instruments such as a sitar, sampling of a children’s choir, and its 6-minute running time (unusually long for the time). While released by EMI, this domestic production inspired a generation of bands, singers, and songwriters that home-grown Aussie talent could produce world-beating music. The single charted well in New York, Houston and Chicago.

Australian jazz

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Jazz precursors in Australia#

White American and British ‘black face’ bards (musician/actors in make-up) brought imitations of slave plantation music (and dance) to Australia by the 1840s, featuring characteristics that later became associated with jazz, such as polyrhythmic ‘breaks’. From the 1850s, full minstrel shows with minstrel ‘orchestras’, including locally formed troupes, toured the major capital cities and smaller, boom towns like Ballarat and Bendigo. Visits by American vaudeville troupes became much more common after the introduction of regular steamship services between America and Australia in the 1870s. Some genuine African-American minstrel troupes and Jubilee Singers (black chamber choirs) toured from the 1870s. Ragtime reached Australia in the 1890s in the form of syncopated cakewalk march music and syncopated “coon-song” and many white and black ragtime artists of repute toured Australia, including the black ragtime vocalist, Ernest Hogan, and white artists Ben Harney (the self-proclaimed ‘originator’ of ragtime) and Gene Greene (the Emperor of Ragtime). Greene in particular taught many Australian artists how to ‘rag’ (improvise in ragtime style).

Australian reggae

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The first Reggae sound system in Australia was Soulmaker, established in 1972 by J.J. Roberts, a Jamaican from Saint Catherine Parish. Bob Marley & The Wailers toured Australia in 1979, playing Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. Reggae had success on the radio charts in New Zealand in the early 1980s when Toots and the Maytals, the first artist to use the term “reggae” in song, went to number one with their song “Beautiful Woman”. One of the first Australian reggae bands was Untabu. The original members of the band came from Trinidad & Tobago, Bruce Mc Clean - guitar and Errol H Renaud - steel pan, lead singer Ras Roni from Barbados, percussionist Jorge Morales from Puerto Rico and Fijians Rupeni Davui - bass, James Purmodh - drums and Joel Knight - keys. They had releases on Larrikin Records and were resident in a number of clubs in the Darlinghurst and Manly area of Sydney. They also toured the East coast regularly. They performed original music and reggae covers. The Aboriginal band No Fixed Address from Adelaide also had reggae songs in their repertoire. In 1981, the Australian band Men at work topped the Australian charts with the reggae-rock song Down Under. The same song topped the New Zealand charts in February 1982. The song topped the Canadian charts in October 1982 and, in the United States, the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1984, Australian label Corroboree Records had its first release with Dangerous Times. This 7" single was recorded at Channel One Studios with the Roots Radics, voiced and mixed at King Tubby’s with Bugs as engineer, and voiced by Dudley Green and General Justice. It Contains the song “Dangerous Dub” on the B side, which was mixed by King Tubby. It was released in Jamaica, the UK and Australia. In 1985 Larry Maluma arrived in Australia from Zambia with master tapes recorded in Zambia. He remixed a couple of tracks, Black or White and Chimutima Chako at AAV studios in Melbourne for a 45 single vinyl which was released in 1986 under his own newly formed independent (Safari Music) label. In 1987, two years after his arrival from Zambia Larry Maluma released his first album Confusion on his own Safari Music label. The video clip “Black and White” from the same album was aired on Countdown Revolution and Rock Arena on ABC. Larry Maluma went on to release his 14th album, Ndakondwa (I’m Happy), in 2014. The first notable dub release in Australia was Ten Dubs That Shook The World by Sheriff Lindo and the Hammer, issued on the artist’s own label, Endless Recordings, in 1988. The LP was reissued on the Creative Vibes label with five extra tracks in 1998, and again by EM Records of Japan in 2006, on CD (catalogue number EM1049CD) and LP (EM1049LP), limited to 500 copies. The CD version contains five extra tracks. Melbourne-based band The Red Eyes released their first live CD in 2003 Live at the Evelyn, following it with two CD EPs, two full-length albums (Rudeworld in 2006 and Red Army in 2010) and the 2011 single Circles before disbanding. Their catalog contains reggae, dub and occasional drum ’n’ bass tracks. The band’s lead singer El Witeri is Maori, and their work has been remixed by New Zealand dub producer, Deep Fried Dub. In September 2006, Astronomy Class released Exit Strategy on the record label Elefant Traks. The record fused reggae and hip hop music. In February 2007, Melbourne-based producer Mista Savona released Melbourne Meets Kingston on Elefant Traks. It is a 21-track collaboration with Jamaican singers and deejays such as Anthony B, Determine and Big Youth. In September 2008, the Sydney-based band King Tide released their debut album To our Dearly Deported on the UK label Urban Sedated. The single “No Dog War” was used worldwide by the Sony corporation for their Wag the Dog campaign. The commercial shot in Brazil featured members from the cast of the feature film City of God. In December 2009, Australian artist Matty Woods released The Ras Gong Guerrilla EP, a 10-track recording that tackles Australian and international political issues such as Indigenous sovereignty, climate change and human rights. Waves of migration to Australia in the late 20th and early 21st centuries have brought musicians from Africa and Asia to Australia, where they have continued to write, record and perform reggae music, sometimes in combination with other more directly African forms of music. In South Australia, Ras Minano is one example, and the dancehall artist Sokel is another. In Melbourne, Ras Jahknow and the Irie Band (which has Sri Lankan roots) are two more examples. Desert Reggae is a developing contemporary style possibly originating in Central Australia and featuring lyrics often sung in Australian Aboriginal languages. As of 2015, many indigenous Australian artists from the Northern Territory represented by the Aboriginal owned and operated music label CAAMA Music identify as reggae or ska artists (often in combination with rock). Artists include Tjintu Desert Band (previously known as Sunshine Reggae) and Tjupi Band. Some also identify as Desert Reggae artists, with examples including Lajamanu Teenage Band, Rising Wind, Irrunytju Band and Eastern Arrernte Band. Annual music event Bush Bands Bash in Alice Springs features many Desert Reggae bands. Reggaeton, a music genre that blends reggae, hip hop, and traditional Latin American music, is also popular in Australia. The genre first came to prominence when Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Daddy Yankee released his most notable single, “Gasolina,” to Australian radio in 2006. Already a hit worldwide, it reached a peak of No. 12 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified Platinum, making it one of the few Spanish-language songs to reach that position on the Australian charts.

Australian ska

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Beginnings#

The first Australian ska band was Adelaide-based band The Jumpers, which formed in 1979. Other early Australian ska bands included Sydney bands Allniters, The Hangovers and Itchy Feet (led by vocalist Tim Freedman, who went on to form the commercially successful band The Whitlams) and Melbourne bands Strange Tenants, No Nonsense and Loonee Tunes. The Allniters, No Nonsense and Strange Tenants were the most high-profile Australian ska bands of this era. with the Allniters and No Nonsense both gaining Australian chart success. The first ska bands in Australia included The Letters, formed in Melbourne in 1979, featuring founding member of Strange Tenants, John Holmes with Les Toft, Shane Whiteside and Mark Egerton; and Melbourne band, Noisy Neighbours. Both bands played in most main independent venues in Melbourne, often together. Melbourne band No Nonsense emerged from an early ska band called Dicky Moron and the Rude Boys, which had a name change from Dicky Moron and the Four Skins. Both bands were fronted by lead singer Richard Bruce. Using band members’s recollections, a Premier Artists running sheet, newspaper gig guide advertising, it can be stated with confidence that No Nonsense’s first gig was supporting Melbourne band Alice and the Alligators at the Turf Club Hotel, Ararat on Saturday 17 October 1981. Strange Tenants first gig was on the 7th November 1981 at Lygon street Festa, Carlton. Loonee Tunes formed soon after in 1982. In 1987, the Newcastle-based band The Pork Hunts appeared on the scene, soon changing their name to The Porkers. They spent more than 20 years touring and recording many albums, the most recent of which, This is The Porkers, was released in 2007. More recent notable bands include Mad Not Madness, Area 7, The Kittyhawks, the Bedlam Beggars, Backy Skank, Los Capitanes, General Pants and the Privates, Sounds Like Chicken, The Seen, Loin Groin, Yeah Yeah, Just Kidding, Skamen, Trojan Horns, Blowhard, Dr. Raju, Addiction 64, Suspect 7, The Lyrical Madmen, Steel City Allstars, Bagster, The Mad Dash, Foghorn Leghorn, The Resignators, Rubix Cuba, Dr. Octopus, Son of Dad, CatchCry, Rad Rockets Are GO!, The Prophets of Impending Doom, The Accelerators, NR&D (Nuts, Racoons & Dragons), The My Tys and The Mouldy Lovers. Bands such as the Cat Empire have mixed ska with other genres such as jazz and calypso. There are regular ska and radio shows on the independent Brisbane radio station 4ZzZ.

Australian thrash metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

1980s#

It is uncertain where or when the thrash metal scene in Australia began, but one of the earliest records of a band playing the style of music would be the Melbourne group Heresy in 1982, who would later change their name to Nothing Sacred. While the members of Nothing Sacred did not consider themselves a thrash metal group, the influences from the style were apparent, also blending influences from NWOBHM and, on their full-length album Let Us Prey hardcore punk, with a cover of an SOD song. Peter Hobbs, front-man from the Melbourne band Tyrus, would later collaborate with the members of Nothing Sacred to record the early demos of what would later become Hobbs’ Angel of Death. 1985 through to 1992 was the “peak” period of the Australian thrash metal scene, as local audiences with interest in the genre began to increase, and more bands would begin playing the style of music. Sydney’s Mortal Sin were founded in 1985 by vocalist Mat Maurer and drummer Wayne Campbell, from the remnants of a traditional metal band called Wizzard. In 1986 the band recorded the demo Mayhemic Destruction. So impressed were the band with the recording’s turnout, Mortal Sin decided to release Mayhemic Destruction as an album the following year to praising reviews, and helped them establish a healthy fanbase locally and overseas, eventuating in a national tour with Metallica in 1989 and an overseas tour with Testament and Faith No More in 1990. Sydney band Slaughter Lord were also impressing fans across the seas, but after only a release of one demo tape (titled Taste of Blood), the band disintegrated in 1987 after only one year of activity. Swedish band At the Gates would record a Slaughter Lord cover song (Legion) on their 1995 Slaughter of the Soul album. Another band, Addictive were also well known in the Sydney scene, releasing two albums and headlining a metal festival with Motörhead before ending in 1996. Melbourne’s thrash scene was also on the rise in the 1980s, with bands like Renegade and Rampage recording albums. Hobbs’ Angel of Death released their self-titled album in 1988 through German label Steamhammer/SPV Records. Possibly one of the heaviest Australian recordings of its time, Hobbs’ Angel of Death showcased a very distinct, heavily Satanic, Slayer-influenced sound. While initially intended as a studio project, Hobbs’ Angel of Death would play a few shows before ending at the turn of the decade, but would reform several times over the next few years. In other cities, interest in thrash metal was also on the rise, with Canberra band Armoured Angel and Alchemist’s early demos showcasing distinct thrash metal sounds. Both bands would later evolve in their sounds later in their respective careers, with Armoured Angel transforming into a death metal group and Alchemist incorporating more psychedelic and progressive influences in their sound. Black Widow from Brisbane, who played an Alice Cooper and Motörhead influenced style of what they dubbed to be “black metal”, would later change their line-up and reform under the name Iron Lightning, which showcased a melodic thrash sound similar to Megadeth.

Austrian hip-hop

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History and acts#

Falco is often seen as the first successful Austrian rapper, but in fact Falco didn’t want to be seen as rapper, but as a pop/rock musician. Nevertheless, the first songs from Austria to be known of featuring rap verses were sung by Falco. The first “official” Austrian hip hop album to be released was Sound Vibes by The Moreaus in 1990. Then again, The Moreaus were not very defining for hip hop in Austria. The most well-known acts in the 1990s were Schönheitsfehler, Fünfhaus Posse and Texta. From the beginning, the hip hop culture in Austria was being dominated by East Austrian acts. There have been only a few acts from the west of Austria who got wider attention. In 2000, Schönheitsfehler had their first commercial success. Their album SexDrugsAndHipHop reached rank 20 of the Austrian Longplay Charts, with the single Fuck You charting in Germany. With the rise of Gangsta rap in Germany in the middle of the 2000s, more and more Gangsta rappers in Austria appeared. Most notable are Chakuza, Nazar and RAF Camora who also had commercial success. Chakuza and Raf later moved on to changing their sound, leaving Gangsta rap behind. In 2008, the Viennese rap group Die Vamummtn got famous over YouTube. Their amateur video Krocha Hymne in which they are referring to the youth culture “Krocha” currently has over 1 million views. The song was released by Universal Music Austria only a few months after the hype and was the first hip hop single to reach the Charts since over five years. Only two years later, other YouTube hypes lead to a success – the song Kabinenparty by Skero, a member of Texta, reached rank 4 of the Austrian Single Charts after having become a viral video on the internet. The hip hop duo Trackshittaz succeeded in reaching rank 1 of the Single Charts with their song Oida Taunz, also shortly after having a video going viral. This was the first time that an Austrian hip hop act reached rank one of the Charts. The probably most successful female hip hop artist is Mieze Medusa, who also organizes the monthly poetry slam textstrom. A Carinthian crew called The Icon made waves in the Austrian Hip hop scene in 2021 by reaching 200.000 international streams on the music streaming service Apple Music.

AU on Music Theory Print

Aubade

See also#

External links#

Audiobook

Etymology#

History#

Australian classical music

Early settlers#

Australian country music

Australian country stars#

Australian folk music

Bush music#

Australian hardcore

Early history (late 1970s–early 1980s)#

Australian hip-hop

Early years (1980s)#

Australian indie rock

Beginnings#

Australian jazz

Jazz precursors in Australia#

Australian reggae

History#

Australian ska

Beginnings#

Australian thrash metal

1980s#

Austrian hip-hop

History and acts#