Explain the cultural/historical context for the performance.
The world of music is now quite diverse, with jazz takes not the last place in it. If we immerse yourself in the history of the origins of jazz, we note that the music of this style has a large number of types and areas, which to some extent may be quite different from each other. It would seem that jazz means some one particular trend in music, but it is so much more. For example, among particularities we have the blues, swing, bebop, fusion, postbol, cool, mainstream, hard -bop, stride But this list does not end there.
Throughout the history of jazz music was not so popular. It was considered to be a jazz folk music to the First World War. However, time passed, came a year for this type of music to thrive. During the Second World War, jazz music style became world famous among the nations. In the history of this musical direction, there is important milestone: the 60s of the 20th century, when jazz was approved as a separate music genre and a completely new kind of a separate direction in art.
For years, the history of the music of this style has not acquired such a high popularity. This culture is admired only by those who really feel the music of showers and heart, those who feel that their heart burns with fire while listening to tunes of data, sounds, motives One has to feel jazz - feel those extraordinary choreographic techniques, unique rhythms and sounds, dance moves
Yet we note these days we are witnessing a large number of the world's cultures mixing that brings us to what is becoming a worldwide jazz folk music!
Great American Songbook, GAS is a portable collective name for a number of top American songs written from the 1920s to the 1960s for Broadway musicals, Hollywood films, and recording studios Tin Pan Alley, - a sort of "classic" of the twentieth century. In addition to the popularity, they deserve among their contemporaries, these songs to this day remain a key element in the repertoire of jazz musicians (so called jazz standard). It is believed that these works are distinguished by anyone up to now not surpassed high quality music, texts and their harmonious combination. The era of domination of the musical style that created these works, ended in 1960 with the beginning of the period of rock-and-roll. There is no canonical list of «Great American Songbook» as well as composers and poets who have made a contribution to it.
2. Explain the performance.
Many people know that in the 20-ies of XX century jazz and its variants was the most popular trend in music. It sounded in a cabaret, musicals and movies, and become a real culture - ranging from clothing style and ending with dancing. In the 1960s, rock 'n' roll comes to replace the jazz and the world rushes headlong into this new wave music. However, jazz has not disappeared. It now lives and develops thanks to admirers of this kind of music. Moreover, if you want to experience the same "Broadway" jazz, swing, feel the energy of big bands - then the «Great American Songbook» is perfect choice. The songs included in this collection are classic jazz, which remains a key for the repertoire of modern big bands.
The intended audience for this performance is quite large. Range started from those who grew up on the jazz to those who just enjoy the sound of jazz orchestra.
The fundamental for the history of music of Alec Wilder's book «Songbook, American Popular Song: The Great Innovators, 1900-1950» critic Wilder formed a list of artists included in the canon of classic American and outlined a rough hierarchy works. The focus Wilder makes the study of the composer.
Six composers have received six separate chapters - Kern, Berlin, Gershwin, Rodgers, Porter and Arlen. Steps below in the hierarchy are Vincent Youmans and Arthur Schwartz (one chapter for two) and Burton Lane, Hugh Martin and Vernon Duke (one chapter for three) (Wider).
One chapter is dedicated to composers Wilder, he gives the definition of "great craftsman": Hoagy Carmichael, Walter Donaldson, Harry Warren, Isham Jones, Jimmy McHugh, Duke Ellington, Fred Ehlert, Richard A. Whiting, Ray Noble, John Green, Rub Bloom, and Jimmy van Hughes (Wider).
The book ends with an extensive chapter entitled "Outstanding Individual composition: 1920 to 1950", which includes an individual works written by composers of "one song", but nonetheless relevant, according to critics, the canon (Wider). List Wilder is rather subjective and focused more on composers than a songwriter. Nevertheless, his work has been extremely influential and largely corresponds to the majority of the concept of the standard of the great American song.
It is this book, which is taken as inspiration for the musical performance. It was the first and foremost origin of the concert and the songs in it.
3. Describe the music and musicians.
Most of these songs are written in a "verse-chorus" manner. Verse is a kind of a musical introduction, which usually has a loose structure, conversational rhythms and tempo rubato. Thanks to the verse, the listener moves from the surrounding realistic, sometimes heavy vital context to a more exciting, composed by the world of the song. At present, it is often typical, iconic lines that are related to the plot of the musical, which belongs to the song.
The central element of the song is the chorus. It usually has a structure AABA rhyme or ABAC; chorus theme usually more vague than the verses, they usually talk about any kind of vicissitudes of love. Because of this these songs easily withdrawn from musicals and performed as an independent work, or inserted into other musicals. Furthermore, only some of the songs are always executed in the original, full version, with all the verses - so many of these verses can be understood by the audience only in the general context of the play or film. In addition, the integrity of the song is often dependent on the will of the performers - such as Frank Sinatra never sang «In Other Words» with couplets and Tony Bennett performed.
Despite the narrow range of topics and moods, which operated the creators of this style of the songs, they were able to achieve the perfect union of words and music; they are still the benchmark of good songwriting. The best poets of this period specialized in witty, refined verses, with unexpected surprises and rhymes; composers compose catchy melodies in the greatest harmony.
Musical and stage technologies are being used: CDs being sold, music videos shown, radio station promotions and podcasts.
4. Evaluate the performance.
This unique concert of the best musicians.
At the concert, a complete musical program consisting of the greatest works of world jazz was waiting for me. I enjoyed unique activities created thanks to the creative unity of the orchestra, choir and jazz band. This was an opportunity to touch the hits that entered the golden fund of music and give myself unforgettable hours of live communication with virtuoso musicians, choir members, who have made my evening a truly unique and striking. Jazz is definitely a type of music which greatly stands out from others and which is very different from the popular music now on the radio. I will be more than glad to visit another live concert like this again and plunge into a world of a new musical genre.
Works Cited
Wider, Alec. American Popular Song: The Great Innovators, 1900-1950 Hardcover – April 27, 1990. Web. 05 May 2016.
