AABA form:

One of the most common structures that Tin Pan Alley composers used to organize their melodic and harmonic material. This structure would be found in the refrain of a verse-refrain song.

arranger:

A person who adapts (or arranges) the melody and chords to a song to exploit the capabilities and instrumental resources of a particular musical ensemble.

bridge:

The B section of AABA song form found in the refrain of a Tin Pan Alley song. The bridge presents new material: a new melody, chord changes, and lyrics.

crooning:

A style of singing made possible by the invention of the microphone. It involves an intimate approach to vocal timbre.

major and minor:

The scale systems central to Western music; a series of pitches organized in a specific order of whole- and half-step intervals. The major scale can give music a feeling of openness and brightness, whereas a minor scale can give music the feeling of darkness or sadness.

refrain:

In a verse-refrain song, the refrain is the “main part” of the song, usually constructed in AABA or ABAC form.

riff:

In much African American music, a melody or rhythmic pattern that is repeated to create momentum.

standards:

American popular songs from the Tin Pan Alley style of songwriting that remain an essential part of the repertoire of today’s jazz musicians and pop singers.

verse-refrain form:

A two-part musical structure used by Tin Pan Alley composers in which the verses usually assumed an introductory character and were followed by the refrain.

verse:

Usually sets up a dramatic context or emotional tone. Although verses were the most important part of nineteenth-century popular songs, they were regarded as mere introductions by the 1920s, and today the verses of Tin Pan Alley songs are infrequently performed.