What’s call & response?

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Call and response is a way of communicating. It requires at least two people, with the first person introducing an idea and the second completing or repeating it. Most often, it appears in music, but can also involve regular speech or physical movements. Often improvised, this system has a number of roles, including unifying groups, maintaining order, and supporting education.

Main types

People typically perform one of two main types of call and response. In the first type, one person speaks the beginning of a phrase or musical phrase and someone else completes it. A famous short example is Shave and a Haircut, a 7-note tune used in various contexts where the leader sings “Shave and a haircut”, with a partner or group responding “Two bit!” The second category has the leader fully express the initial idea or music and the responding individual must repeat it, often embellishing the rhythm, melody or harmony in the process.

Music categories

In a very broad sense, musical call and response falls into two categories: classical and non-classical. In the classical vein, it is associated more closely with antiphon or psalmody singing, which is related primarily to the Christian tradition. Typically, this style has only one lead soloist, with the church choir or congregation handling the response, which is often the hymn choir. Some antiphonal music, however, notably English church music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, is polychoral, meaning that one choir introduces the call and another choir responds, sometimes with a slight overlap of phrasing. Masters of this style are Giovanni Gabrieli and Thomas Tallis, whose most famous work, Spem in alium, uses not two but five choruses, for a total of 40 single parts.

Non-classical call-and-response contains a diverse range of genres, many of which derive from or have strong ties to African and African-American traditions: some tribes in Africa still use it in gatherings and gatherings. It is closely related to gospel, blues and jazz in particular, but also appears in many other styles, including Latin, country, rock ‘n’ roll and even metal. Examples in this group include Frank Loesser’s Baby, It’s Cold Outside, The Who’s My Generation, Eminem and Dr. Dre’s Guilty Conscience, Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, and Oh, Happy Day, based on a hymn by Philip Doddridge and arranged by Edwin Hawkins.

Orchestration and Instrumentation

While call and response music is often linked to singers and choirs, it comes in many different voice combinations. One composition might have two singers, for example, while another might use a singer and a choir. Others might use two instrumentalists – Arthur Smith’s Dueling Banjos is a famous example – or a soloist and an ensemble, while still others may combine singers, choirs, soloists and instrumental ensembles. Regardless of the orchestration and instrumentation, the composer’s and performers’ goal is always to give the impression of conversation, by mimicking the natural way people take turns when talking to each other.

improvisation

In many cases, particularly in gospel, blues and jazz music, when the call and response involves a choir or ensemble, the leader is often able to take some improvisational liberties once the main melody has been established. The changes typically become more intense and complex as the music progresses to the climax of the composition. The answer remains fairly unchanged, providing a framework around which the soloist can do as he pleases. The person improvising still needs to fit what they are doing to the harmonic, rhythmic and phrasing structure of the piece, however, even if they can fit what they feel at the time, they need to use a basic understanding of how the song goes or music theory formal to get everything to line up and sound right.
Improvisation was extremely common in slave songs and hymns during the early colonization and development of the United States. These folks generally didn’t have the training or resources to write their pieces in ways that would put limits on their performances. They sang to communicate and give each other hope while working in the fields or in other jobs, so it was very common for them to not only perform spontaneously but also change the words and melodies to suit their needs and feelings.

Roles
One of the great elements of call and response is that it can be a powerful unifying tool. Responders learn to listen carefully to the leader and, in many cases, gain a sense of ownership by completing or repeating the call. Sometimes, people use it as a way to convey collective ideas to others. During the American civil rights movement, for example, African Americans and their supporters used the system, often using old Negro spirituals like We Will Overcome to rally and promote the concepts of liberty, perseverance, justice, and equality. Modern protesters often use it in a question format, such as “What do we want?” followed by a response to a specific request.
This technique can also be a way to maintain order or coordinate activity. The best example of this is probably the military. During physical training, for example, those in charge use calls known as cadences or jodies to encourage a rhythm, gait, or pattern of body movement. The rest of the group completes the desired action as the response is performed. These are most common when walking or running, so they often use a four-beat pattern, but the activity ultimately decides the pace and length.

Some individuals also use call and response to teach. For example, an educator might say, “Class, when you add two and two, you get…” and the class collectively respond, “Four!” She could use it to reinforce a positive answer already given, such as saying, “That’s right, (student’s name), plants produce food through photosynthesis. Class, all together now, how do plants produce food?” Especially with younger students, the response need not be verbal, as during a classic game of Simon Says, which requires the responder to physically do whatever the caller says.
Today experts recommend using this system as an effective educational strategy, because it encourages the participation of the whole group, testifying to its ability to unite. In the past, however, educators simply used it out of necessity. In the early and mid-20th century, for example, many African Americans in the United States were illiterate, so teachers turned to call-and-answer service, which didn’t require students’ ability to read, to help them learn.

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