Traditional Pop

Traditional pop refers to the predominant form of Western commercial popular music in the 20th century prior to the rise of Rock & Roll, typically comprising a singer backed by an orchestra and/or piano. It is considered the precursor to Pop music, a term which came into common use from the 1960s onwards. The origins of the genre date back to the late 19th century with the birth of Tin Pan Alley in New York City. The sheet music publishers and songwriters there began to dominate the USA's popular music industry, making frequent use of the 32-bar form (or 'AABA song form') and taking influences from Ragtime, Vaudeville, Parlour Music, sentimental ballads, and early Jazz and Blues. In addition, New York City saw the emergence of Broadway musicals in the early 20th century, the need for original Show Tunes further promoting the development of a generation of dedicated professional songwriters. Composers such as Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern were highly prolific with their success, writing numerous hit songs in the 1920s and 1930s, many of which for stage and screen. The most famous and oft-performed of their work would go on to become known as Standards and part of the 'Great American Songbook'. Over the ensuing decades, greater emphasis began to be placed on the voice of the performer and, alongside the trademark lush string sections, the ever-increasing influence of jazz saw considerable overlap with Vocal Jazz and Big Band Swing, as well as the emerging Easy Listening genre. Jazz singers such as Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, and 'crooners' such as Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, all played a key role in shaping the face of popular music with their vocal phrasing and quality. Whilst heavily associated with the USA, the style was also popular in the UK, both in the chart success of American artists and with homegrown singers such as Vera Lynn and Shirley Bassey. Parallels can also be drawn with the sentimental, often orchestrated songs of various regional popular styles in the mid-20th century, including Canción melódica in Spain, Samba-canção in Brazil, Chanson in France, Romanţe in Romania, and Mood kayō in Japan. AKA: Classic Pop