Dictionary of Music - Birding America

country music 95are six possible arrangements in all. —quadruplecounterpoint Invertible counterpoint involving fourinterchangeable parts and yielding twenty-fourpossible arrangements of the parts in a four-parttexture. —quintuple counterpoint Invertiblecounterpoint involving five interchangeable partsand yielding 120 possible arrangements of the parts.—dissonant counterpoint See under CRAWFORDSEEGER, RUTH.countersubject 1 In a FUGUE, a theme thatfollows the main theme (the subject) and forms acounterpoint to it. For example, in a three-partfugue, the first voice-part presents the subject; then,while the second voice-part enters with the answer(the melody of the subject transposed to a differentkey), the first voice-part may continue with a countersubject.When the third voice-part takes up thesubject the second voice-part takes up the countersubject.Not all fugues contain a countersubject, andsome fugues include more than one. 2 In one type ofdouble fugue, the second of the two subjects (seeunder FUGUE).countertenorALTO, def. 2).fig. 74 p/u from p. 99Another term for male alto (seecountry dance A type of traditional English folkdance, danced by a group and employing a largevariety of steps and gestures. Country dances wereespecially popular during the seventeenth and eighteenthcenturies. The music for country dances,often a JIG or a REEL, featured gay, lilting tunes witha marked rhythm. (See also CONTREDANSE.)country music A type of American popular music,mostly vocal, that developed from old English andScottish ballads brought to the Appalachian mountainareas during the late eighteenth century. From thesesongs grew numerous musical forms and styles,including mountain ballads, Western (cowboy)songs, religious songs, work songs, etc. (Until WorldWar II country music was called country and Westernmusic.) Another style of country music, datingfrom the 1920s, is primarily instrumental, usuallyplayed in an ensemble of fiddles, banjos, guitars,and other stringed instruments. Also called old-timemusic, it may include lyrics but they are secondaryand usually sung in a high, nasal tone, with falsettobreaks. The music is played in a fast, lively fashionsuitable for clog or square dancing, and the fiddleand banjo may be given tunings different from thenormal (see SCORDATURA). The tunes may show oldEnglish or Celtic influences as well as those ofblues, jazz, and other ethnic styles. Old-time stringband music gave rise to BLUEGRASS.Although country music is primarily associatedwith white people, especially Southern and poor, ithas been influenced considerably by the traditionalblack music of the South, mainly blues and spirituals,and (from about 1950 on) by urban popularmusic and by jazz. Country music is generallyplayed on stringed instruments (guitar, banjo, mandolin,fiddle, autoharp) instead of the wind and percussioninstruments that predominate in jazz. Itstresses sincerity, a close rapport between audienceand performer, a relatively simple musical structure,down-to-earth subject matter, and danceablerhythms. The lyrics, often quite sentimental, upholdsuch virtues as hard work, patriotism, and selfsacrifice.They often are melancholy, but purelyinstrumental country music, with its lively dancebeat, is more cheerful. Outstanding country performersinclude Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter family,Hank Williams, Chet Atkins, and Johnny Cash.Famous Western (cowboy) performers were GeneAutry and Roy Rogers.Originating in the isolated communities of themountain areas and kept alive by community social