HI on Music Theory Print

Hi-NRG

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

Characteristics#

Whether hi-NRG is more rock-oriented than standard disco music is a matter of opinion. Hi-NRG can be heavily synthesized but it is not a prerequisite, and whether it is devoid of “funkiness” differs among the opinions of listeners. Many artists perform their vocals in R&B and soul styles on hi-NRG tracks. Lyrics tend to be overtly camp, kitschy, tongue-in-cheek, sexually suggestive with double entendres but also occasionally sentimental or maudlin. The sound of high energy dance tracks, particularly electronic dance or disco, is immediately identifiable by its iconic basslines, pioneered by producer Giorgio Moroder, often programmed in repeating bass sequences, particularly 16th notes, which is characteristic of the hi-NRG electronic dance sound as in “I Feel Love” performed by Donna Summer and produced by Moroder. The rhythm is characterized by an energetic, staccato, sequenced synthesizer sound of octave basslines or/and where the bass often takes the place of the hi-hat, alternating a more resonant note with a dampened note to signify the tempo of the record. There is also often heavy use of the clap sound found on drum machines. One form of hi-NRG, as performed by Megatone Records artists and Ian Levine, is any uptempo disco and dance music, whether containing octave basslines or not, that often features covers of “classic” Motown hits (Boys Town Gang) and torch songs, and is often “theatrical” in performance, featuring female (and male) musicians with facetious diva personas and male musicians sometimes in “drag” (Sylvester, Divine), cabarets/musical theater (Vicki Sue Robinson, Sharon Redd). This style, that Stock Aitken Waterman were influenced by, had a large cult following among gay club-goers in the 1980s, especially San Franciscan black and white gay men. and early Chicago house, primarily focuses on its characteristic sequenced “octave-jumping basslines” above anything else and in this form hi-NRG managed to surge into the mainstream with Stacey Q, Kim Wilde, and Laura Branigan. The octave basslines are also found in electroclash and in both cases may be traced to synth-pop and even further back to Giorgio Moroder (“I Feel Love”).

Highlife

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

History#

The following arpeggiated highlife guitar part is modeled after an Afro-Cuban guajeo. The pattern of attack-points is nearly identical to the 3-2 clave motif guajeo as shown below. The bell pattern known in Cuba as clave is indigenous to Ghana, and is used in highlife. The origins of Highlife stem from colonialism and trading in West Africa through regional styles of music.

Palm wine music#

Palm-wine music, also known as maringa in Sierra Leone, was one style that originated on coastal locations when local musicians began using portable instruments brought by traders and fused it with local string and percussion instruments. It was usually played in a syncopated 4/4 metre. This music was played in low class palm-wine bars at ports where sailors, dock workers, and working class locals would drink and listen to the music. Palm-wine music eventually worked its way inland and a more Africanized version came containing 12/8 polyrhythms; this subgenre would be known as the “Native Blues”. This style would gain popularity up until World War II when production of the records was stopped.

Hill country blues

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

Origins#

Musical scholars have traced the style’s affinity for percussion to influences from West Africa, brought to the American colonies by African slaves. Before the American Civil War, planters restricted slaves’ access to drums and other percussion instruments, fearing the use of drums in arousing rebellion. The music writer Robert Palmer believed that after the Civil War, African Americans quickly renewed their long-suppressed percussion traditions: “the passage of the Black Codes, which in most states actually predated the Revolutionary War, did not automatically stamp out all slave drumming”. Palmer also noted: The style could not have developed in the first place if there hadn’t been a reservoir of polyrhythmic sophistication in the culture that nurtured it. David Evans, an anthropologist who has done extensive fieldwork in the hill country of northern Mississippi, recorded black families there who play polyrhythmic music in their homes on chairs, tin cans, and empty bottles. He reports that among the area’s older black fife and drum musicians, making the drums “talk it”—that is, playing rhythm patterns that conform to proverbial phrases or the words of popular fife and drum tunes—“is considered the sign of a good drummer.” This enduring tradition of folk polyrhythm played an important part in the development of Mississippi blues.

Hindi dance music

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

Recognition#

While Hindi dance music forms part of the music of Hindi cinema, the wide-based genre songs became popular by the early-to-mid-2000s after the worldwide success of the Punjabi song “Mundian To Bach Ke” which charted in various international music charts, and other famous dance songs such as “Kajra Re”. By the late 2000s, Hindi dance music attained worldwide recognition following the success of the Oscar-winning song “Jai Ho”. By the 2010s, due to the growing fan base of EDM, Hindi dance music began incorporating EDM, prompting the recognition of songs such as “Baby Doll”. The style of music was also an influence for British singer M.I.A. and her album Matangi. Not to mention; Hindi songs are often sampled in some of today’s hits and even songs from over the years; songs like “Whoopty” by CJ came from the Bollywood title song “Sanam Re”, even Britney Spears’ song “Toxic” came from an old school Hindi film song.

Hindi film music

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

History#

Hindi film songs are present in Hindi cinema right from the first sound film Alam Ara (1931) by Ardeshir Irani which featured seven songs. This was closely followed by Shirheen Farhad (1931) by Jamshedji Framji Madan, also by Madan, which had as many as 42 song sequences strung together in the manner of an opera, and later by Indra Sabha which had as many as 69 song sequences. However, the practice subsided and subsequent films usually featured between six and ten songs in each production. In 1934 Hindi film songs began to be recorded on gramophones and later, played on radio channels, giving rise to a new form of mass entertainment in India which was responsive to popular demand. Bollywood music has drawn its inspiration from numerous traditional sources such as Ramleela, nautanki, tamasha and Parsi theatre, as well as from the West, Pakistan, and other Indic musical subcultures. For over five decades, these songs formed the staple of popular music in South Asia and along with Hindi films, was an important cultural export to most countries around Asia and wherever the Indian diaspora had spread. The spread was galvanised by the advent of cheap plastic tape cassettes which were produced in the millions until the industry crashed in 2000. Even today Hindi film songs are available on radio, on television, as live music by performers, and on media, both old and new such as cassette tapes, compact disks and DVDs and are easily available, both legally and illegally, on the internet.

Hindu spiritual music

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

Bhajan#

A bhajan is a Hindu devotional song, often of ancient origin. Bhajans are often simple songs in lyrical language expressing emotions of love for the Divine, whether for a single God and Goddess, or any number of divinities. Many bhajans feature several names and aspects of the chosen deity, especially in the case of Hindu sahasranamas, which list a divinity’s 1008 names. Great importance is attributed to the singing of bhajans with Bhakti, i.e. loving devotion. “Rasanam Lakshanam Bhajanam” means the act by which we feel more closer to our inner self or God, is a bhajan. Acts which are done for the God is called bhajan. Traditionally, the music has been Indian classical music, which is based on ragas and tala (rhythmic beat patterns) played on the Veena (or Been), Sarangi Venu (flute), Mridanga(or Tabla) (traditional Indian instruments). The Sikh Scripture contains 31 ragas and 17 talas which form the basis for kirtan music compositions. Hindus are even said to have achieved Moksha through devoting music to God. For example, in the Rig Veda Gargi, the wife of Yajnavalkya, through her excellence in veena playing, an incident that caused Sage Yagnavalkya to write the famous verse: ::“Veena Vadama Tatvagnaha ::Sruthi Jathi Visharada ::Talagnanacha Aprayasena ::Mokshamargam Gachachathi” (“Yagnavalkya Siksha”) There have also been several music-saints (e.g. Sant Tyagaraja) and poet-saints (e.g. Sant Ravidas).

Hindustani classical music

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

History#

Around the 12th-century, Hindustani classical music diverged from what eventually came to be identified as Carnatic classical music. The central notion in both systems is that of a melodic musical mode or raga, sung to a rhythmic cycle or tala. It is melodic music, with no concept of harmony. These principles were refined in the musical treatises Natya Shastra, by Bharata (2nd–3rd century CE), and Dattilam (probably 3rd–4th century CE). In medieval times, the melodic systems were fused with ideas from Persian music, particularly through the influence of Sufi composers like Amir Khusro, and later in the Mughal courts, noted composers such as Tansen flourished, along with religious groups like the Vaishnavites. Artists such as Dalptaram, Mirabai, Brahmanand Swami and Premanand Swami revitalized classical Hindustani music in the 16-18th century. After the 16th century, the singing styles diversified into different gharanas patronized in different princely courts. Around 1900, Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande consolidated the musical structures of Hindustani classical music, called ragas, into a few thaats based on their notes. This is a very flawed system but is somewhat useful as a heuristic. Distinguished musicians who are Hindu may be addressed as Pandit and those who are Muslim as Ustad. An aspect of Hindustani music going back to Sufi times is the tradition of religious neutrality: Muslim ustads may sing compositions in praise of Hindu deities, and Hindu pandits may sing similar Islamic compositions. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar in 1901 founded the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, a school to impart formal training in Hindustani classical music with some historical Indian Music. This was a school open to all and one of the first in India to run on public support and donations, rather than royal patronage. Many students from the School’s early batches became respected musicians and teachers in North India. This brought respect to musicians, who were treated with disdain earlier. This also helped spread of Hindustani classical music to the masses from royal courts.

Hindutva pop

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

Roots#

In the 1980s and 1990s, the Ram janmabhoomi movement distributed audio-cassette tapes that included Hindutva speeches intermixed with music. One was entitled “Mandir ka nirman karo” (“Build the temple”). Despite some of the tapes being banned by the authorities, many copies were sold. The tapes have been credited with contributing to anti-Muslim violence. Kavi Singh credits the attack with inspiring her Hindutva pop music career. She recorded a song, “Pulwama mein veeron ne jo jaan desh pe vaari hai” (“The Sacrifices by Our Martyrs in Pulwama”), which blamed Kashmiri Muslims for the attack and called to “finish off that traitor”. After the song quickly went viral on WhatsApp, Singh recorded a music video which also went viral.

Hip house

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

History#

A British collaboration between the electronic group Beatmasters and the rap duo Cookie Crew entitled “Rok da House” is cited as one of the first hip house tracks. Minor controversy ensued in 1988 when a U.S. record called “Turn Up the Bass” by Tyree Cooper featuring Kool Rock Steady claimed it was the “first hip house record on vinyl”. The Beatmasters disputed this, pointing out that “Rok da House” had originally been written and pressed to vinyl in 1986. The outfit then released “Who’s in the House?” featuring British emcee Merlin, containing the lines “Beatmasters stand to attention, hip house is your invention” and “Watch out Tyree, we come faster”. More claims to the hip-house crown were subsequently laid down by Fast Eddie in “Yo Yo Get Funky!”, Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock with “It Takes Two”, and Tony Scott’s “That’s How I’m Living”. After successful releases by the Beatmasters, Deskee, Tyree, KC Flightt, Doug Lazy and Mr. Lee, hip-house became popular in the acid house warehouse scene and nightclubs. Hip house also garnered substantial chart success. The style complemented sample-based records of the period, produced by British artists such as S-Express, Bomb the Bass and MARRS. Hip house tracks featured on popular dance compilations including Telstar’s Deep Heat compilation series and was championed by DJs such as Chad Jackson. As house music emerged as a worldwide industry by the late 1980s, U.S. acts such as C+C Music Factory would use the hip house formula in hits such as “Gonna Make You Sweat”, as well as the Eurodance particularly with hits by the Belgian group Technotronic and the German groups Snap! and Real McCoy.

Hip-hop

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

Etymology#

“Hip-hop” has been in use since the 17th century to mean a succession of hops. In George Villiers’s 1671 play The Rehearsal, Prince Volscius exits a scene awkwardly with one boot on and the other off. The director of the scene exclaims, “to go off hip hop, hip hop, upon this occasion, is a thousand times better than any conclusion in the world”. A common variation on “hip hop” is “hippity hop”, which was in wide usage by the 19th century. It appears in works like a poem from 1882 where four children sing, " h ippity hop to the candy shop!" It was a common refrain in skipping games. Many dance steps include a hop. By the 18th century, “hop” began to be used interchangeably with “dance” as both a noun and a verb.

Hip-hop and social injustice

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

Social Injustice in American History starts from the very beginning from when America was first discovered in 1492 the year Columbus set sail. Once they discovered America they discovered something else, a new idea called “race”. Colonialism was the first social injustice to happen in American History. Colonialism was a geographical project that consisted of conquering other people, settling in foreign lands and extracting natural resources. Slavery mainly consisted of labor in the fields while a select few did domestic work around the owners home. It wasn’t until 1863 that Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation that would put an end to slavery. These men, women and children were discriminated against and treated very poorly. Discrimination is defined as “treatment on the basis of inadequately justified factors other than race that disadvantages a racial group”. After Slavery though things didn’t get much better for Black people. Almost immediately they were segregated from the whites while not having a lot of say in the government because of literacy tests and taxes and the grandfather clause which stated that if your grandfather could vote than you don’t have to take the literacy tests or pay the tax. After many years of hard fought political battles for black people in 1964 the civil rights act of 1964 was passed which made it illegal to discriminate against a person because of their color and it also ended segregation. Now modern era social injustices include employment discrimination amongst women, police brutality amongst minorities and educational inequality with poor areas of the United States.

Hip-hop production

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

Music production#

Hip-hop producers may be credited as the record producer or songwriter; they may also supervise recording sessions. Hip-hop instrumentals are colloquially referred to as beats or musical compositions, while the composer is called either a programmer, songwriter, or beat maker. In the studio, the hip-hop producer often functions as both the composer and as a traditional record producer. They are sometimes called Orchestrators. P. Diddy is an example of one, but they are ultimately responsible for the final sound of a recording and providing guidance to the artists and performers, as well as advising the audio engineer on the selection of everything from microphones and effects processors to how to mix vocal and instrumental levels.

Hip-hop soul

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

Description#

Hip-hop soul evolved directly from new jack swing, a form of contemporary R&B popularized by artists and producers such as Teddy Riley and his group Guy, Keith Sweat, and Bobby Brown. Hip-hop soul shifted from new jack swing’s reliance on synth-heavy production and took the hip-hop/R&B synthesis further by having R&B singers sing directly over the types of sample-heavy backing tracks typically found in contemporary hip-hop recordings like boom bap. It also increased the popularity of hip-hop music and culture with older audiences and corporations looking to market urban music.

Hip-hop tuga

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

History Of Hip Hop Tuga Concert 2019#

On March 8, 2019, a large concert took place called “A História Do Hip-Hop Tuga” (The History of Portuguese Hip Hop) at the Altice Arena, part of the Parque das Nações complex, in Lisbon. The show, produced by Música no Coração, featured many of the founding fathers of hip hop in Portugal, many with their roots directly from Africa. Performers included General D, Boss AC, Black Company, Chullage, NBC e Sir Scratch.

Hipco

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

History#

Rap and pop music are also performed in indigenous languages across the country, with a generation of artists creating their own style of uniquely Liberian rap music called Hipco (or “‘Co”). Hipco is usually performed in Liberian English or the local vernacular, using the style of communication with which Liberians speak and relate to each other. Hipco evolved in the 1980s and has always had a social and political bent. In the 1990s, it continued to develop through multiple civil conflicts, and today stands as a definitive mark of Liberian culture. Hipco music became popular in 2000. As of 2017, it was the popular music genre of Liberia, “serving as the medium through which rappers speak against societal ills, including injustice and corruption.” The “‘co” in the genre is short of the Liberian dialect Kolokwa, which according to the Washington Post, “the Liberian underclass has been improvising since the early 19th century, blending the English brought by 19,000 ex-slaves with words from about 15 native tongues to attain a soft-sounding patois. Kolokwa is 99 percent an oral language — as yet, there is not a single full book in the dialect — and it is all but incomprehensible to the American ear. In Liberia, the cultural elite has long shunned it as lowbrow. Which means that when Hipco artists inject a few choice snatches of Kolokwa into otherwise English lyrics, their words have political zing.” According to the Washington Post, “HipCo is to Liberia as jazz is to the United States.” In 2017, Liberian historian C. Patrick Burrows stated “we’re on the verge of a renaissance. HipCo is at the leading edge of it.”

Hipdut

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

History#

The combination of hip-hop and dangdut developed before the popular use of the term hipdut. The style is connected to earlier experiments in dangdut that incorporated rap, disco, electronic beats, and regional performance styles. The term gained wider attention in late 2024 and early 2025 through “Garam & Madu (Sakit Dadaku)”, released on 20 December 2024 by Tenxi, Jemsii, and Naykilla. The song blends dangdut, hip hop, and koplo, and became popular among younger listeners on social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. Other songs were part of the same trend, including “Aku Dah Lupa” by Mikky and Zia. In 2025, “Garam & Madu” received further media attention after winning the Best Production Work category at the Anugerah Musik Indonesia awards. The award coverage again linked the song to the growing public use of the term hip-dut.

Hiplife

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

History#

Reginald Osei, known in music circles as Reggie Rockstone, is touted by some as the originator of hiplife; others disagree. Nonetheless, the origins of Ghanaian hip hop go back to the 1980s, with performers such as K.K. Kabobo and Gyedu Blay Ambolley. As early as 1973, Ambolley released his first record, “Simigwado” – a semi-rap in Fante-style highlife – to a small audience, which showed him performing highlife variations with fast-spoken, poetic lyrics. Ambolley would go on to be hailed the father of rap, not only in Ghana but in the world. Over time, Ghanaians became influenced by American hip hop, reggae, dance hall. There was an emerging underground hip hop collective in the capital Accra. Hiplife’s history dates back to the early 1990s. Jeff Tennyson Quaye, better known around the world as Jay Q, one of the pioneers of hiplife (in the mid-1990s), is considered the backbone of Ghana music as a whole; in recognition of his own variation and introduction of Jama/kpanlogo to hiplife, he has been called the King of Jama. Reginald “Reggie Rockstone” Ossei also began to craft this art form with producers Mike Cooke, Rab Bakari, Zapp Mallet and Coal house. Chief G and the Tribe was one of the first rap groups in Ghana consisting of Chief G (now known as Jay Ghartey), Abeeku and Kwaku T performing rap as far back as 1989. After they broke up before Reggie’s foray into what is now termed hiplife, Talking Drums, consisting of Kwaku-T and Bayku, experimented with choruses and hooks in local languages. In Twi, Reggie would flow over hip-hop beats, a style that had been used previously in Mahoney P’s debut album Kofi Babone. In that same era, the group Native Funk Lords (NFL) came out with Pidgin rap; the originators of the genre were from the Kay’s Frequency camp: Tinniequaye, Cil, Jake & Eddy Blay. This group also took inspiration from bands such as Osibisa and Ghanaba of Ghana. Rapper and producer Cavell was also part of the original NFL collective and is now known to many as The Mantis. Reggie Rockstone has been described as the “Godfather of Hiplife” since he spawned a new music genre in the country. After his debut album Makaa Maka, with the hit single “Choo boi”, several hiplife acts followed. Although in several radio interviews in 2004, Reggie Rockstone stated that he does not perform hiplife, this could be mainly attributed to the fact that he now prefers to rap in English. A new era was born in late 1998 when a young producer known as Hammer of The Last Two emerged with original beats plus precision rap artistes. Hammer, born Edward Nana Poku Osei, managed to fuse hip-hop grooves with local tempo and sweet melody, which caught the attention of both the elite and masses instantly. Known for his heavy drums and lead trumpets, Hammer had an originality that elevated hiplife to greater heights, inspiring and influencing a whole generation of producers including Richie, Ball J, Kill Beats, Jayso, EL, and others. In addition, some of the biggest artistes in hiplife today were in Hammer of The Last Two’s line-up, among them Kwaw Kesse, Ayigbe Edem, odeshi, Obrafour, Tinny, Sarkodie, Koo Wiase. Other Ghanaian rappers – Lord Kenya, Obour, V.I.P, The Native Funk Lords (rapping mainly in Pidgin English), Castro and MzBel – continued the trend and hiplife is now one of the most popular forms of music in West Africa. The most popular hiplife musicians are Tic Tac, Sarkodie, Vision in Progress (VIP), Asem, Obrafour, Buk Bak, Castro and Samini, who won a MOBO award for his contribution to hiplife in 2006. Since the rise of these popular musicians, hiplife has grown in popularity abroad, through such artists such as Kwaw Kesse, Koo Wiase, D-Black, Richie, ASEM, Sarkodie, Yaa pono. The first recorded rap beef in the history of Ghana was birthed in the HipLife era when Ex doe released his controversial hit single “Maba”, which was responded to by chicago with “wo bɛ kɔ”. These turn of events ended up heightening tensions amongst the two rappers. Beyond that, Ex doe’s maba also ended up rubbing the godfather of hiplife Reggie Rockstone the wrong way with a line in his flow that appeared to take shots at his credibility being the oseikrom president. In 2009, Ghanaian filmmaker Mantse Aryeequaye released a documentary entitled Rhythm Rising that focused on the political history of the hiplife movement in Ghana, as well as hip-hop music amidst various political climates in the nation. In his film, Aryeequaye also examines many famed Ghanaian artists, among whom are Kwaw Kese, Kwaku Tutu and Obrafour, through their experiences within the hiplife or hip-hop movement. The film explores the culture of hiplife against the backdrop of Ghana’s political environment. Hiplife in Ghana is sticking to a new trend of rhythm and this is mainly being influenced by music engineers such as Kill Beatz, Dj Dijoe, Pie-Sie, Jay So looney, Richie, Kaywa and Hammer of The Last Two. There is some confusion about the classification of hip pop made in Ghana and Hiplife, but overall they bear the same qualities and share common rhythms.

Hipster hop

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

Characteristics#

Hipster hop is generally characterized as having a lighthearted mood. Miles Raymer of the Chicago Reader stated that “hipster rap embodies the same sort of utopian, big-tent ideal that old-school hip-hop did, treating the music as a force for bringing people together”. Hipster hop artists have also been described as having lyrical content ranging from the “emotionally vulnerable” to the “ironic or comedic”. Musically, the “hipster hop” label has been used to describe a wide variety of styles, ranging from “a sonic explorer like Kanye… to retro revivalists like the Cool Kids”.

Hiragasy

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

Origins and history#

The tradition in its contemporary form began in the late 18th century when Merina prince Andrianampoinimerina first used musicians to draw a crowd for his political speeches (kabary); these troupes became independent, and began to incorporate political commentary and critique in their performances. The audience plays an active role at hiragasy events, expressing their satisfaction with the talent of the troupe members and the message they proclaim through applause, cheers or sounds of disapproval. Hiragasy troupes were used during the French colonial administration to communicate decrees and other information to the rural population in the Highlands, and as such troupe members were exempt from the forced labor requirements imposed on all other Malagasy. After independence from France in 1960, the hiragasy troupe was held up as an icon of traditional Malagasy culture, and began to find greater popularity along the coasts, although performances remain largely concentrated in the Highlands. Aspiring politicians routinely hire hiragasy troupes to attract a crowd for their political speeches while campaigning. While most troupes remain apolitical, some have opted to throw their support behind particular candidates to spectacular effect, as when former hiragasy member-cum-popstar Rossy authored his 1995 song “Lera.” The song was critical of the Zafy regime and was picked up by hiragasy troupes, who performed it across the island; the popularity of this song played a key role in mobilizing popular support for Zafy’s impeachment. The most famous troupe is Ramilison Fenoarivo, Rossy’s former troupe and staunch supporter of ex-President Didier Ratsiraka.

History of Cajun music

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

Early years#

The first form of traditional cajun music began before the 20th century in south Louisiana. When the Acadians came from New Brunswick & Nova Scotia to Louisiana in 1764, they brought with them many beautiful ballads that told stories of bygone years. Many of these songs can be traced back to France and many songs from France drifted to the bayou and the prairie region via Nova Scotia and New Orleans. These ballads are not widely performed today, but were the basis of what is now accepted as cajun music. In the late 19th century, affordable accordions were introduced into Louisiana and were adopted by both Cajun and Creole musicians. Cajun and Creole musical styles at this time grew in parallel: mostly two-steps and waltzes meant for dancing, played by accordion and fiddle. Some of the first accordions imported in America were “Lester”, “Pine Tree” and “Bruno” brands, but they were bulky, cheaply made and hard to play. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that Buegeleisen & Jacobson of New York City brought in from Rudolph Kalbes of Berlin, Germany, the “Monarch”, then the “Sterling”, in the key of C and D. These were assembled in Klingenthal, Saxony, Germany, by several different families. They were “les ’tit noirs”, meaning “the little black ones”. They were a bit smaller than some of the older brands and were all black with pewter trim. They were the best ever at that time. The Sterling family bought the factory in about the 1920s, and then the Eagle family operated the factory, but both instruments were virtually the same as the Monarch, except for the name. During World War II, the Nazi government focused on building its war machine and closed down the accordion factories. Eventually, the factories were bombed by the allies, effectively ending the production of these accordions. Today, they are collectables.

History of disco

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

1940s–1960s: First discotheques#

Disco was mostly developed from music that was popular on the dance floor in clubs that started playing records instead of having a live band. The first discotheques mostly played swing music. Later on, uptempo rhythm and blues became popular in American clubs and northern soul and glam rock records in the UK. In the early 1940s, nightclubs in Paris resorted to playing jazz records during the Nazi occupation. Régine Zylberberg claimed to have started the first discotheque and to have been the first club DJ in 1953 in the “Whisky à Go-Go” in Paris. She installed a dance floor with colored lights and two turntables so she could play records without having a gap in the music. In October 1959, the owner of the Scotch Club in Aachen, West Germany chose to install a record player for the opening night instead of hiring a live band. The patrons were unimpressed until a young reporter, who happened to be covering the opening of the club, impulsively took control of the record player and introduced the records that he chose to play. Klaus Quirini later claimed to thus have been the world’s first nightclub DJ.

HI on Music Theory Print

Hi-NRG

Characteristics#

Highlife

History#

Palm wine music#

Hill country blues

Origins#

Hindi dance music

Recognition#

Hindi film music

History#

Hindu spiritual music

Bhajan#

Hindustani classical music

History#

Hindutva pop

Roots#

Hip house

History#

Hip-hop

Etymology#

Hip-hop and social injustice

Social injustice in American history#

Hip-hop production

Music production#

Hip-hop soul

Description#

Hip-hop tuga

History Of Hip Hop Tuga Concert 2019#

Hipco

History#

Hipdut

History#

Hiplife

History#

Hipster hop

Characteristics#

Hiragasy

Origins and history#

History of Cajun music

Early years#

History of disco

1940s–1960s: First discotheques#