GE on Music Theory Print

Gebrauchsmusik

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

Paul Nettl’s view of dance music#

Perhaps the first such musicologist to use the word Gebrauchsmusik was , who employed it in reference to half of his perceived binarism between that 17th-century dance music which was in fact danced to, and that which was written in dance forms but was actually abstract music intended only for listening (by extension, this duality applied to the dichotomy between any music for a specific purpose, Gebrauchsmusik, and that for none but the pleasure or edification of listening, Vortragsmusik). Nettl arrived at this dual-development view of dance music through his observation that such pieces began, as the century progressed, to use stylistic and formal devices that were farther from the province of simple utility and more aligned with some anticipation of a listening audience paying full attention. The period’s emerging binary dance form featured such characteristics as an increasing tonicization of foreign keys, an increasingly explicit and emphasized dominant-tonic tonal axis, and a refined delicacy of ornamentation, all of which would seem superfluous in application to a music intended only as the rhythmic accompaniment to physical activity. In addition to these developments in the individual movements, they were organized into ever more extended and stylized suites, which greatly resembled other instrumental forms of the day. Indeed, the mature sonata da camera is virtually indistinguishable from the dance suite of the time. Nettl saw in this situation a clear distinction between music that was intended mainly to be in the service of dancers, and that which was mainly intended to service the ideals of art. In articulating this distinction, however, Nettl did not imply that utility music was unimportant artistically. Instead, he pointed out the importance of social need or desire as a catalyst for artistic development.

Geek rock

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

Characteristics#

Geek rock is characterised by strong use of both electronic instruments and more atypical musical instruments, such as accordions or ukuleles. Lyrically, the genre is generally characterised by subject matter that covers topics such as geek media pop culture (including science fiction, comic books and video games), academia, technology and related topics. Kyle Stevens, co-founder of Kirby Krackle (along with Jim Demonakos), expands this to include any passionate interest, saying in a 2013 interview: “To us now, what we consider or genre of ’nerd’ or ‘geek’ rock means anything we are really passionate about, whether that be traditionally geeky subject matter or a song about how we’re really into tacos. In essence, they’re love songs directed to whatever we’re really passionate about.” Irony, self-deprecation and humour are major elements.

Geet (song)

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

Context#

In Urdu poetry its roots are found in Dakhani Shairi whose most important feature is its Indian ethos with the strain being feminine, and the tone, delicate and elegant; Urdu Geets mainly speak about feminine anguish. Dakhini or Hindavi forms part of what is known as proto-Hindi Literature whose origin can be traced to a far earlier period that produced the great historical lyric Prithviraj Raso written by Chand Bardai. In Hindi poetry that has its roots in the Avadhi and the Brij Bhasha the Bhakti movement amalgamating the more ancient forms of Sanskrit and Persian poetry brought to the fore the wide range of rasas from love to heroism that later on in the Ritikal introduced erotism in a big way. Urdu geets are basically found written in the Hindustani language that took shape after the colonization of India by the British and had subsequently become the court language in Delhi and Avadh whereas Hindi geets have retained the flavour drawn from earlier compositions in Rajasthani dialect, Brij Bhasha and Maithali.

Geisslerlieder

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

First outbreak, 13th century#

The first period of Geisslerlied began in 1258 in response to the breakdown of civil order in northern Italy. Permanent warfare, famine, and an apparent demise of the moral order in contemporary life gave rise to a movement of public flagellation accompanied by singing; the penitents implored the help of God to ameliorate their sufferings, but never formed a specific sect, and neither did they attempt a social revolution. Initially, the flagellants were members of the mercantile and noble classes, but as the movement spread outside of Italy, lower social classes took part. Of the first period of activity, only a single song has survived, although many of the words they sang have been recorded. Typically the texts were imploring, penitential, and apocalyptic.

Gelineau psalmody

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

Text#

Gelineau was himself part of the working group of the French La Bible de Jérusalem and he developed a revised version of that psalter which respected the rhythms of the Hebrew original. This was later translated into English as the Grail Psalms translation of the Psalter.

Verse#

The psalm verse uses a “pulsed tone” technique, with a variable number of syllables between the main pulses (barlines). Each line has a prescribed number of accented syllables, even though the total number of syllables varies from line to line. In that sense, it may be regarded as similar to the song Three Blind Mice: each line contains the same number of bars (pulses), but the number of syllables varies from three (“Three blind mice”) to eleven “Did ever you see such a thing in your life”. It is thus a form of sprung rhythm.

Genealogy of musical genres

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

External links#

Musicalized - The Genealogy and History of Popular Music Genres
Map of Metal
Algorithmically-generated musical genre-space, for more than 4000 genres on Spotify

Género chico

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

Historical context#

Zarzuela was developed during the reign of Philip IV (1605–1665, reigned from 1621), who during the 1640s began to commission musico-theatrical entertainments on mythological themes mixed with popular peasant song and dance, from the writer Calderón de la Barca working with composers such as Juan de Hidalgo. These were performed at the Royal hunting lodge, the Palacio de la Zarzuela. During the next two hundred years, zarzuela, as these mixed entertainments swiftly became known, became the native-language alternative to the Italian operatic form nurtured by successive monarchs. In the 19th century, the country’s tense political circumstances affected zarzuela. Isabella II fell from power during the liberal revolution of 1868, and the country found itself submerged in a crisis at all levels: economic, political, and ideological (with various strands of socialism coming to prominence). Instability increased with the 1870 assassination of Juan Prim, President of the regency council and Marshal of Spain. For economic and other reasons, there was a sharp drop in theatre box-office sales, as most people could not afford the average fourteen reales for non-necessities. Such high prices, plus the national uncertainty, brought most Madrid theatres into crisis, and many - including the Teatro de la Zarzuela itself - came close to ruin.

Genge

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

Origins and characteristics#

As Kenyan urban music became more popular, Kenyan artists and music fans were missing a common name for their music, and many names were suggested. Among them were Boomba music, kapuka, and gemba. Around this time, Kenyan rapper Nonini started a campaign to popularize the term “genge” to refer to Kenyan urban music and also specifically to music by artists on Calif Records. Calif-style genge was founded by Clement “Clemo” Rapudo of Calif Records and originated in California Estate, Nairobi. It was popularized by rappers Nonini, with his song Manzi wa Nairobi, and Jua Cali, with the songs Ngeli ya Genge, Nipe Asali, and Ruka. Due to a disagreement on the definition of Kenyan urban music, the name genge is now more commonly used to describe music from Calif Records. However, genge is easily identified by its rapping style and conversational rhythm format that make a song sound like a casual discussion in Sheng. The most notable genge artists are Nonini, P-Unit, Jua Cali, Influx Swagga, Flexx, Jimw@t, Rat-a-Tat, Alpha Msanii, Lady S (deceased), Kleptomaniax, and Pili Pili, among others. Nonini was continuously the most popular artist on Calif Records between the years 2002 and 2004; Nonini is the self-titled Godfather of Genge. Genge has given rise to other subgenres, such as the Ghipuka, popularized by Kenrazy and Gengetone. The main line has also developed, for instance with America-based producer Keggah adapting genge into a form that has proved popular among Kenyans. In June 2018, an Umoja-based boy band called Ethic Entertainment came out with their debut song “Lamba Lolo,” garnering over 4 million views on YouTube. Other boy bands like Boondocks Gang, Ochungulo Family, Sailors Gang, Wakali Wao, Angry Panda, Wakadinali, Vintage Clan, and Rico Gang produced songs that created the subgenre Gengetone. Genge songs generally talk about struggles in the ghetto, with most songs taking on a storytelling format where the main singer is reliving or sharing an event they witnessed with their friends and the lesson the event has taught them. These events often, but not always, revolve around sex, drugs, women, or interactions with people in positions of power over them. Some of the most popular genge tracks include:

Geonjeongayo

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

Colonial origins#

The origins of the genre can be traced back to the days when Korea was occupied by Japan. The genre was then called Gukmingayo (國民歌謠) or Gajeonggayo (家庭歌謠, songs that can be safely sung in their homes with families). After the onset of the Sino Japanese war in 1937, the Japanese empire considered Korea as a great rear area to provide supplies to the Japanese soldiers, and to promote the spirit of Korean people supplying for the Japanese military, the colonial government founded the Joseon Munyehoe (朝鮮文藝會, Korean literature association) and the group led movements to “purify” songs to fit with the propaganda. In the 1940s, under the leadership of the Gukminchongryokchosunyeonmaeng, the national song revising movement proceeded, with the songs produced as a result of this movement being called Gukmingayo. These movements were all led by the colonial government.

German electronic music

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

Musical elements#

Electronic music is itself a broad term, characterised only by the specific use of electronic or digital musical instruments. German electronic music hence lacks distinctive musical characteristics other than varying usage of circuitry-based technology. Generally, polyphonic synthesisers, electronic drums, turntables and drum machines were frequent. The musical elements of German electronic music are very specific to the style and artist. Krautrock, a genre of electronic rock, involved experimental mixes of psychedelic and progressive rock with ambient music, electronic sounds, minimalist avant-garde musique concrete and jazz. Kraftwerk, a famous German electronic band, utilised metronomic melodies, while Faust, another musical group, maintained minimalism by using one or two chords or riffs played at high volumes. In contrast, electroclash fused musical elements of electro, techno, new wave, punk, synth-pop and performance art to form their sounds.

German hip-hop

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

1980–1990#

Early underground artists included Cora E. and Advanced Chemistry. It was not until the early 1990s that German hip-hop entered the mainstream as groups like Die Fantastischen Vier and the Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt gained popularity. German hip-hop was heavily influenced by films, leading to a strong emphasis on visual and cultural elements such as graffiti and breakdancing beyond the music itself. In addition to films such as Wild Style and Beat Street, American expats and soldiers stationed in West Germany facilitated the introduction of hip-hop music and culture into German pop culture. GLS United released the first German-language hip-hop song, “Rapper’s Deutsch” (“Rapper’s German”), in 1980. While the group (consisting of three radio DJs including the later comedian and TV host Thomas Gottschalk) was formed explicitly for the one song, and the song was intended primarily as a parody of “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang, it was nonetheless the first German hip-hop group and first German-language hip-hop track. Also, the punk rock band Die Toten Hosen released one of the first German hip-hop songs, “Hip Hop Bommi Bop “, in 1983, which was also one of the first rap rock crossovers ever. The song, created in collaboration with Fab 5 Freddy, is a parody hip-hop version of their song “Eisgekühlter Bommerlunder”. Nina Hagen also raps in her 1983 single “New York / N.Y.” New York New York, the English version of New York / N.Y., was successful in American dance charts, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs. These hip-hop movies -Wild Style and Beat Street- led the younger audiences in Germany to realize that hip-hop was much more than just rap music, but was very much a cultural movement in and of itself. Though at the time of the release of the movies, they did not have a great overall impact, once German reunification began in 1990, the hip-hop scene began to flourish. As one German remembers on a visit to the US in 1986, things were much different. MTV did not exist in Europe at the time, and the scene was still very much underground. Moreover, there was a lack of European hip-hop clubs. After this initial wave of popularity, hip-hop fans were few and far between. However, the fans that did remain would play a role in the revival of hip-hop culture in the country. “The hardcore hip-hop fans that remained after the breakdance craze faded from the media were central to the further development of hip-hop in Germany-they supplied much of the personnel for the important rap groups that began to develop in the late 1980s and early ’90s.” “Graffiti and breakdancing came out big but it only lasted for a short period of time. But hip-hop survived in the underground.” American hip-hop continued to influence the German scene, influencing emergent acts such as Rock Da Most. Originally most German rappers relied on English language lyrics, a fact which has led some academics and groups of the German public to interpret the emergence of hip-hop in German pop culture as “cultural imperialism”: that is to say, as a movement that emulated the culture of the United States at the expense of their native German cultural traditions. Many German hip-hop artists are of Turkish-German or Arab-German descent, often second- and third-generation German citizens who grew up in comparatively poor or “tough” neighborhoods, which has become an influential hip-hop narrative. Identification with their roots in neighborhoods remains an important aspect of the identity of individual rappers and their “crews”. When not rapping in English, many German rappers employ a dialect of German developed in these communities and which is therefore associated with immigrants and the German “ghetto”. Using this language in their music, some academics have argued, enables them to levy criticism and protest aspects of society and politics that they perceive as having disadvantaged them and their communities. Die Fantastischen Vier (the Fantastic Four) are another important German hip-hop group, who also began to rap in German around the same time as Advanced Chemistry. Die Fantastischen Vier saw English-language rap in Germany as meaningless loyalty to “surface elements” of U.S. rap, and devoid of any German political or social context. They sought to appropriate hip-hop from its foreign framework and use it to bring a voice to historical and contemporary problems in Germany. The Group Advanced Chemistry originated from Heidelberg, Germany. As they were one of the few early hip-hop groups to rap in English, they were extremely influential in promoting the hip-hop scene in Germany. More importantly, however, Advanced Chemistry was a prominent hip-hop group because of the ethnic diversity of the members. Torch, the leader of the group, is, for instance, both of a Haitian and German ethnic background. Advanced Chemistry exploded onto the German hip-hop scene in November 1992 with their first mixed single entitled “Fremd im eigenen Land” (“Foreign in Your Own Country”). This song was immensely popular because it directly addressed the issue of immigrants in Germany: “In the video of the song, a band member brandishes a German passport in a symbolic challenge to traditional assumptions about what it means to be German. If the passport is not enough, the video implies, then what is required? German Blood?”. this became a major theme of German hip-hop. During the 1980s, Germany first saw a wave of second generation immigrants coming into the country. Immigration became a big issue in hip-hop albums at this point. The German synonym for an immigrant is Gastarbeiter, which means guest worker, and these guest workers were rapped about often. Immigrant teenagers commonly use rap and hip-hop as a way to defend themselves in their new countries. “Since honour cannot be gained, but only lost, a permanent readiness to fight is required. Thus, social approval is acquired by actually defending one’s honour or by exhibiting abilities such as the willingness to face physical encounter, talkativeness, and humour… According to the rules of the game, the first one to whom nothing clever comes to the mind is the loser. This concept is quite similar to ‘dissing’ in rap.”

German jazz

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

The 1920s#

One of the first books with the word “jazz” in the title originates from Germany. In his book Jazz – Eine Musikalische Zeitfrage (Jazz – A Musical Issue) of 1927, Paul Bernhard relates the term Jazz to a specific dance. When dancer Josephine Baker visited Berlin in 1925, she found it dazzling. “The city had a jewel-like sparkle,” she said, “the vast cafés reminded me of ocean liners powered by the rhythms of their orchestras. There was music everywhere.” Eager to look ahead after the crushing defeat of World War I, Weimar Germany embraced the modernism that swept through Europe and was crazy about jazz. In the dancing mania of the post-war period, there were not only modern dances such as the tango and foxtrot, but in 1920 also the Shimmy and in 1922 the Two-step. In 1925 the Charleston dominated the dance halls. Even when under great criticism Bernhard Sekles initiated the first academic jazz studies anywhere at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt in 1928 – the first courses in the United States were started in the mid-1940s. The director of the jazz department was Mátyás Seiber. The jazz studies were closed by The Nazis in 1933. The first mass-produced jazz records came out in the United States in 1917. By January 1920, “Tiger Rag” had already been marketed by a German record company. In the early 1920s, the clarinetist and saxophonist Eric Borchard was making recordings in Germany. Borchard’s first recordings show a heavy influence of Alcide Nunez; he soon developed his own style. By 1924 his band was comparable to good American bands such as the Original Memphis Five. Borchard’s band included New Orleans trombonist Emile Christian. From 1920 to 1923, due to both economic turmoil and inflation, larger German jazz orchestras that played the new jazz dances were a rarity. Initially, a trio with a pianist, a drummer and a “Stehgeiger” (standing violinist), who also played the saxophone, was most common. Only after 1924 an economic stability was achieved, and an economic basis for larger dance orchestras was possible, like those founded by Bernard Etté, Dajos Béla, Marek Weber, Efim Schachmeister, and Stefan Weintraub. It was the predominant element of improvisation that was met with a lack of understanding in Germany, where people had always played concrete written notes; Marek Weber, for example, demonstratively left the podium if its nightly band played jazz interludes. In 1920–23, there was a period of economic turbulence and inflation in Germany, until 1924 when the market stabilized and money was invested in entertainment. Consequently, the mid-1920s brought forth a growth of larger bands who agreed to play jazz music. The two most popular German bands that showed the influence of American jazz were Eric Borchard’s small combo, and Stefan Weintraub’s Syncopators. Radio also had a role in jazz. In 1926, the radio began to regularly play jazz music, and as time progressed, by 1930, artists such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Paul Godwin’s band, Red Nichols, and Peter Kreuder became popular with German audiences. The listeners were particularly partial to American black musicians such as Armstrong and Ellington, instead of their own German jazz musicians. Jazz was found as an uncommon link between the blacks and Jews. Jews at that time were recognized in jazz, not just as musicians and composers, but also as commercial managers, serving as the middlemen of the music. After the Great War in Germany, Negrophobia coalesced with the preexisting anti-Semitism and flourished, especially since Jews were often depicted as having a racial affinity with blacks, possessing similar objectionable qualities. Jews were prevalent figures in new art forms such as jazz, cabaret, and film. Often, a great number of jazz band leaders were Jews, many from Eastern Europe, including Bela, Weber, Efim Schachmeister, Paul Godwin, and Ben Berlin.

German punk

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

1976 to 1981 (Origins of punk in Germany)#

The first punk bands in Germany were strongly influenced by U.K. and U.S. bands like the Sex Pistols, The Damned, The Clash, The Stooges, and the Ramones. Among the first wave of German bands were Big Balls and the Great White Idiot (from Hamburg, founded in 1975), Male (from Düsseldorf, founded in 1976), Tollwut (from Munich, founded in 1976), PVC (from West Berlin, founded in 1977), Fred Banana Combo (from Düsseldorf, founded in 1978), Clox (from Dortmund, founded in 1977), and Pack (from Munich, founded in 1978). Early German punk groups were heavily influenced by UK bands, often writing their lyrics in English. For example, Big Balls, PVC, Clox, Pack, and the Fred Banana Combo wrote lyrics in English. Male is generally considered to be the first punk band to write lyrics in German. “The significance of the shift cannot be understated: as Male vocalist Jürgen Engler pointed out even at the time, ‘German lyrics led to the development of a new genre.’ " This first wave of German punk bands tended to be made up of people who were musicians before they encountered punk, rather than people motivated by political activism to form bands and learn to play instruments. Notable early Germany punk bands also include Charley’s Girls, S.Y.P.H., Mittagspause, Din-A-Testbild, Strassenjungs, Stuka Pilots, Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft (DAF), Weltaufstandsplan (der Plan), Hans-a-plast, Kriminalitaetsfoerderungsclub (KFC), the Buttocks, ZK, Materialschlacht, and Minus Delta t. Although they played music in the punk style, Big Balls and the Great White Idiot (Hamburg) and Strassenjungs (Frankfurt), were strongly promoted by the music industry as the first German new wave groups, and were not generally accepted as part of the punk scene. This was associated with the LP compilation S.O.36 Sampler - Live 13.8.78. The SO36 became a well-known fixture of the punk music scene in Germany. One of the first scandals in the German punk scene happened in 1979, when singer Nina Hagen discussed masturbation techniques during an appearance on the discussion program Club 2, produced by the radio broadcaster ORF. This controversial appearance quickly made her famous. Her debut album Nina Hagen Band (1978), which had just been released, achieved international recognition. This album included a German version of the classic song from The Tubes “White Punks on Dope” (published under the title: “TV-Glotzer”). At this point in history, at least in Germany, there were not many ways to release records outside of the standard music business. This included a business-run music press, and limited possibilities for performances. The only nationally distributed music journals that were inclusive of the new punk scene were Sounds (largely to the credit of music journalist Alfred Hilsberg), the magazine Spex (founded in 1980) which consisted most of photos, and Musikexpress. These labels included Rock-O-Rama, ZickZack Records, as well as a number of short-lived record labels. Der Ostrich from Düsseldorf is generally considered to be the first punk fanzine from Germany; its first issue was released in March 1977, and its last issue was released in 1979. The people running Ostrich also founded the band Charley’s Girls. Other early German punk zines from West Germany included: Heimatblatt, Der Arsch, Preiserhöhung, KZ-Rundschau, and Der Aktuelle Mülleimer. Around 1980, several different sounds diverged in the German punk scene. Centered in Düsseldorf there was a larger movement toward electronic music. These bands originally performed alongside punk bands but became the precursors of Techno music. This included bands like DAF and Weltaufstandsplan (der Plan). Other bands began experimenting with sound using synthesizers and computers, developing a sound that was a precursor of the Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW). This included bands like Fehlfarben, Ideal, The Nina Hagen Band, Östro 430, Abwärts, and Trio. This sound was influenced by punk but oriented toward the commercial pop-music scene. NDW would develop further and reach the highpoint of its commercial success in the 1980s. Around 1979, people began to differentiate between the early punk sound, music that was evolving into NDW, and a sound developed by younger punk bands that had a harder, more aggressive style. Bands like S.Y.P.H., der KFC, and Mittagspause were also viewed as a different genre from more commercial bands like Hubert Kah and Nena. At the same time a new set of bands were being founded, for example ZK and Soilent Grün, that developed a sound and marketability which would lead to commercially oriented punk bands like Die Toten Hosen and Die Ärzte.

GE on Music Theory Print

Gebrauchsmusik

Paul Nettl’s view of dance music#

Geek rock

Characteristics#

Geet (song)

Context#

Geisslerlieder

First outbreak, 13th century#

Gelineau psalmody

Text#

Verse#

Genealogy of musical genres

See also#

External links#

Género chico

Historical context#

Genge

Origins and characteristics#

Geonjeongayo

Colonial origins#

German electronic music

Musical elements#

German hip-hop

1980–1990#

German jazz

The 1920s#

German punk

1976 to 1981 (Origins of punk in Germany)#