Music Theory

Music in Philadelphia: A University of Pennsylvania Freshman Seminar


14 min read

Music in Philadelphia

Prof. Goodman | Fall 2016

Overview

Philadelphia has always been a noisy, musical place. This seminar welcomes freshmen to the University of Pennsylvania, and to Philadelphia, by taking a journey through the area’s musical past. From music of Native Americans to the Philadelphia Orchestra to hip hop, we will learn about how the city has grown and changed over the centuries. Regular field trips bring students into direct contact with Philadelphia’s vibrant and historical music scenes, where we will learn how to describe and understand what we hear, while also experiencing the thrill of uncovering hidden gems of the musical past.

Vital info

  • Class meets Tuesday and Thursday, 10:30-11:50, in Fisher-Bennett 406
  • My office hours are Thursday 12-2 (Lerner Center 329). Can’t make office hours? Email me: ggoo@sas.upenn.edu

Objectives

  1. Foster knowledge about the diverse music cultures in Philadelphia, both historically and today.
  2. Help students develop skills to interpret multiple genres of music through in- and out-of-class listening assignments.
  3. Learn and compare several methods for situating musical traditions in their cultural and historical contexts.
  4. Offer students opportunity to work on expressing their ideas in writing and spoken presentations.

Expectations

This course does not assume any preexisting musical knowledge or expertise. To learn and succeed in this class students are expected to follow these guidelines:

Come to class. Attendance is mandatory. Not only is it difficult to learn anything if you are not present, but the class will suffer without your contributions. Students are permitted one absence for any reason, after which their participation grade will be negatively affected. Repeated tardiness will also count against your final grade.

If you can’t avoid an absence, report it through the Penn InTouch Course Absence Report system. If the absence is more than five days, you should contact your home school advising office for assistance and to discuss the academic implications of a longer absence.

Do the assignments (on time). The reading and listening materials are available on Canvas, under “files.” There is a folder for each class on which we have assignments. A few readings are on reserve in the Marian Anderson Study Center on the 4th floor of Van Pelt Library. Complete all reading and listening assignments before class. Listen actively and keep a listening/viewing journal (i.e., take notes and resist only doing the listening as background to other activities); read critically and jot down questions for class.

There are several writing assignments for this course, which you will submit online through Canvas. These assignments have firm but not inflexible deadlines. You are guaranteed one 24-hour automatic extension, no questions asked, during the semester. If you find yourself repeatedly struggling to meet deadlines, come talk with me.

Participate. Everyone is expected to contribute, actively and thoughtfully, to class discussions and activities. Some students love speaking up in class; others don’t. If you are shy or unaccustomed to speaking up frequently, think of this class as a chance to exercise a skill that will serve you well the rest of your time at Penn and beyond. There are many ways you can contribute to class discussion. You might like to think on your feet as discussion unfolds, or come up with thoughtful comments and questions before class. You will get the most out of this class (and give the most) if you find a balance between discovering the ways in which you can comfortably contribute as well as finding ways in which you can expand your skills.

Notes on Etiquette

Class meets for 80 minutes twice a week, which does not give us much time to cover a lot of ground. Being punctual and staying the entire time is both the polite thing to do and the best way to learn in this class.

Classroom Electronics

This is a laptop/tablet-free classroom. Studies show that students learn better when they take notes by hand, which forces you to summarize and think about what you’re writing—aka you’re learning! Many of us type very fast and write slowly by hand, which can make this policy frustrating at first. Bear with it; since this is a discussion-based class, note taking is intended to help you remember main points that you might want to refer back to when working on assignments, or for your future use in other music history courses.

Phones: learning how to resist our phones is a challenge. Everyone should silence and stow their phones for the duration of class. When you surreptitiously use your phone on your lap, flat on the desk, or furtively in your bag, both I and your classmates can see what you’re doing—it distracts all of us and will result in gentle (and if necessarily, repeatedly stern) admonishment.

Failure to abide by the electronics guidelines will lower your participation grade.

Students with Disabilities

Penn provides reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities who have self-identified and been approved by the office of Student Disabilities Services (SDS). Please make an appointment to meet with me as soon as possible in order to discuss your accommodations and your needs.

If you have not yet contacted SDS, and would like to request accommodations or have questions, you can make an appointment by calling SDS 215.573.9235. The office is located in the Weingarten Learning Resources Center at Stouffer Commons 3702 Spruce Street, Suite 300. All services are confidential.

Academic Integrity

Intellectual development requires honesty, responsibility, and doing your own work. Taking ideas or words from others—plagiarizing—is dishonest and will result in a failing grade on the paper and possibly other disciplinary actions. If you are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism, ask me or consult Academic Integrity at the University of Pennsylvania: A Guide for Students.

Office Hours & Emailing

My office is Lerner Center 329. I hope very much that you take advantage of office hours to ask questions or just chat about music—you don’t have to have an academic issue to come to office hours, and I enjoy getting to know my students better. I recommend that you plan to come to office hours at least once during the semester.

You are also welcome to email me with questions (ggoo@sas.upenn.edu) or use Canvas to send me messages. Two things to consider before emailing: is it possible the answer to your question is on this syllabus or on Canvas? If it is a question about a deadline, details of an assignment, etc. the chances are high that you will find your answer in one of these places. Second, a good rule of thumb is: use email for short questions where it will take roughly as long for me to write a reply as it did for you to compose the message. Please try to avoid emailing questions that require long replies such as “What did I miss on Tuesday?” or “What are your favorite kinds of food?” These questions are better asked in office hours. Please give me 24 hours to respond to emails.

Assignments

Throughout the semester we will attend shows and concerts, exploring the city with our ears. I will email you about concerts, and encourage you to let the class about events as well. Canvas lists several venues and organizations for you to experience.

Not all of Philadelphia’s music can still be heard, however, so we will also explore the city through primary sources. You will think critically about your experiences in written assignments and in-class presentations.

The first assignment is a reflection on the soundwalk we will take as a class. The second assignment asks you to consider different kinds of evidence about Philadelphia’s music history. The final written assignment is a research project that introduces you to the fun of sleuthing—I mean, archival research—using Penn’s collection on Philadelphia-native and world-renowned singer Marian Anderson.

The in-class presentations include a report comparing two concerts and a summary of your final project.

I will circulate guidelines for writing, the principles of which also apply to presentations.

Required texts:

  • House on Fire: The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Soul (ISBN 9780195149722)

This book will be available at Penn Book Center. You will be asked to make modest co-pays for the cost of concerts.

Evaluation

  • 30% Class Participation
  • 10% Writing assignment 1 (due 9am Sept. 20)
  • 20% Writing assignment 2 (due 9am Oct. 18)
  • 5% Presentation (due in class Nov. 17)
  • 10% Presentation (due in class Dec. 8)
  • 25% Final paper (due 9am Dec. 15)

Schedule

UNIT 1: Philadelphia Sounds, Then and Now

8/30: Hometown music

9/1: Philadelphia songs

  • Listen to the list of songs (available on Canvas under “files”). How do they depict Philadelphia? How does the style of the music affect the message of the lyrics (if there are lyrics).
  • Choose two songs. How are they similar and different? What images of Philadelphia do they conjure? NOTE: If the song has a music video, try listening both with and without watching. How do the experiences compare?
  1. The Orlons, “South Street” (1963)
  2. MFSB, “TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)” (1973)
  3. The Dead Milkmen, “Punk Rock Girl” (1988)
  4. Boyz II Men, “Motown Philly” (1991)
  5. DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, “Summertime” (1991)
  6. Daryl Hall, “I’m in a Philly Mood” (1993)
  7. Bruce Springsteen, “Streets of Philadelphia” (1995)

9/6: Locating Delaware music

  • Brice Obermeyer, “Salvaging the Delaware Big House Ceremony: The History and Legacy of Frank Speck’s Collaboration with the Oklahoma Delaware,” Histories of Anthropology Annual, vol. 3 (2007), 184-198.
  • Frank Speck, A Study of the Delaware Indian Big House Ceremony in Native Text Dictated by Witapanóxwe (Harrisburg: PA Historical Commission, 1931). On reserve in Marian Anderson Music Study Center. NOTE: you do not have to read this entire book. Skim the introduction then familiarize yourself with how the book is organized. What kind of information does Speck include and where does he get his material? Is this book a primary or secondary source? Could it be both? If so, why? How does Obermeyer’s article help us understand Speck’s book? Come prepared to discuss.

9/8: Visit Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology — Meet at the Kress Entrance at 10:30. Note: no food or pens allowed. Bring pencils.

9/13: Recording sound before recorded sound

  • Thomas Kelly, Capturing Music, Introduction, pp. 1-23 (on reserve in Marian Anderson Study Center)

9/15: West Philadelphia Soundwalk

  • Hildegard Westerkamp, “Soundwalking” (link on Canvas)

Writing assignment 1 (3 pages) due 9am 9/20 — This assignment is a reflection on the soundwalk. Pick an aspect of the soundwalk to focus on and write an essay about it. You may choose to focus on any aspect of it, but avoid simply recounting where we went. Make a point, clearly, and substantiate it with examples from the soundwalk.

UNIT 2: Profit and Pleasure: The Business of Making Music in a Diverse Early American City

9/20: Music as a Business in the Antebellum Period — Meet in the Bodek Room, in the Marian Anderson Study Center, 4th floor VPL.

  • Dorothy Potter, Food for Apollo: Cultivated Music in Antebellum Philadelphia, ch. 4, pp. 102-132

9/22: Visit Kislak Center for Special Collections — Meet in the Lea Library Room, 6th floor of VPL.

9/23 Concert: Bowerbird, Rotunda, 8pm — (free)

9/27: Visit the Library Company of Philadelphia — Meet at the Library Company, 1314 Locust St, Philadelphia, PA 19107. You can take public transit (the Market-Frankford line at 34th and Market will get you there in about 15 minutes). If you have class immediately before, you might want to take a taxi or ride service.

9/29: Early National Musical Style

  • Benjamin Carr, Federal Overture (1794) — This is a 10-minute classical piece. Listen all the way through without multitasking. Do you recognize any parts of the music? What instruments do you hear, and do you notice if the instrumentation changes? If you were to make a score or roadmap to this piece, how would

you organize it? What are the important dividing points? How many sections would you break the piece into?

Evening concert: the Gathering — This is a monthly hip hop show at the Rotunda (40th and Walnut). Everyone is expected to go to the show in October, but you might like to check it out this month too.

10/4: African American Music and Musicians at the Turn of the 19th Century — Use the music library website’s list of “music reference resources” to research Francis Johnson and Richard Allen. Find out (1) when each man lived and where, (2) what his significant accomplishments were, (3) what kind of music he was associated with, (4) what his importance is for Philadelphia music history, and if possible, (5) what kinds of artifacts still exist pertaining to his life. Bring your notes to class.

10/6: No class — fall break

10/11: Spotlight on Moravian Music

  • Nola Reed Knouse, “The Moravians and their Music,” in Music of the Moravian Church in America, pp. 1-28.

10/13: No class — work on writing assignment 2

Writing assignment 2 (4 pages) due 9am Oct. 18 — Consider the different kinds of evidence about Philadelphia’s music history available to us—material artifacts, print, archival, sounds, recorded music, and people. You can pick different types of sources and compare them or look at a range of examples of one type of source. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the sources, what we can learn from them, and what kinds of questions they prompt us to ask. Avoid describing sources; instead, use them to make a specific, original point that carries through the essay.

UNIT 3: Philadelphia Soul and Hip Hop

10/18: Early Hip Hop

  • Schoolly D, “Saturday Night” (1986) – listen to both the album and radio versions. Both versions contain inflammatory lyrics, but the radio version cuts out entire verses. What image of Philadelphia comes across in each version?
  • Ed Piskor, Hip Hop Family Tree, tbd (on reserve in Marian Anderson Study Center)
  • Optional reading: Ken Tucker, “‘RapCIty’ Puts Beat in Focus,” Philadelphia Inquirer, Nov. 2, 1988.

10/20: The Roots and Performances

  • The Roots, Illadelphia Halflife (CD on reserve at Ormandy Center, 4th floor VPL)
  • Thomas Turino, Music as Social Life, ch. 2, 23-65
  • Optional reading: Bobbie Booker, “Back Home: The Roots take a break from TV to host Picnic,” Philadelphia Tribune, June 5, 2009

10/25: Ib4ver visit — Assignment: Research The Gathering, come with questions for Ibrahim Carter (aka Ib4ever). Questions can be about the history of the show, about his experiences as an MC, about Philadelphia’s hip hop scenes and sounds, about the techniques of rapping, etc.

10/27: Hip hop scenes and authenticity

  • Tricia Rose, “Just Keeping It Real” in The Hip Hop Wars (133-148) (on reserve; ebook available through UPenn library catalog)
  • PM: the Gathering

11/1: Soul: The Sound of Philadelphia — Listening assignments:

  • Barbara Mason, “Yes, I’m Ready” (1965)
  • Delfonics, “Didn’t I Blow Your Mind This Time” (1970)
  • House on Fire, preface and chapter 1 (ix-22)

11/3: NO CLASS — Take advantage of the break to read

11/8: Philadelphia Soul — House on Fire, entire. Pick out a song or artist mentioned in the book; do research using music library website and come prepared to share and discuss.

Unit 4: Philadelphia gets Fancy

11/10: Institutions and Venues

11/15: Philadelphia Orchestra

  • Christopher Small, Musicking: The Meanings of Performing and Listening, prelude, pp. 1-18

8pm Philadelphia Orchestra concert

11/17: Concert Reports and Local Composers — In-class presentations: Present a 5-minute report comparing two concerts you’ve attended this semester. One can be a concert we went to together as a class, but the other should be one you went to on your own or with friends. Compare the venue, repertoire, genre, vibe, loudness—anything that you think helps illuminate what is significant culturally about each event.

11/22: Introduction to final project on Marian Anderson — Use the music library research resources to learn about Marian Anderson’s life.

  • “My Country Tis of Thee,” performed by Marian Anderson at Lincoln Memorial (1939)

11/29: Final project research

12/1: Final project research

12/6: Final project research

12/8: Presentations/discussions of research

Final paper, 7 pages, on Marian Anderson in Philadelphia, due 5pm Dec. 15.