It was once called “the people’s music”, and “the delight of children (Koenig).” America’s development of ragtime is no doubt a representation of the blending of different cultures and influences. Germanic instrument’s influence on ragtime was a result of the development of new instruments overtime, the availability of new musical instruments to African Americans, and America’s significant blending of diverse cultural sounds. Germanic instrumentation’s influence on ragtime was a result of the development of new instruments overtime. As Europe began to develop much wider varieties of musical instruments, the influence of the musical styles began to spread throughout the world. Germany was the home to some of the most notable instruments of ragtime, including the fiddle, banjo, snare drum, tambourine, and the accordion (Sengupta). The most common instrument brought to America from Europe was the fiddle (Moye). This instrument would become the center of American musical entertainment in the near future. In fact, European instruments became so popular in the southern states that brass and woodwind musicians were being sought out for employment (Moye). Germany was also responsible for the development of the trumpet, trombone, brass saxophone, and tuba, which would later shape ragtime into what is now known as jazz. The dulcimer was a Germanic instrument that was introduced to the south around the 1800’s, and its widespread usage and popularity caused a major shift in 19th Century popular culture (Moye). It should also be noted that the Native American reed flutes, rattles, and drums significantly influenced the blending of different beats and rhythms into a single piece of music. Native American drums greatly influenced the variety o... ... middle of paper ... ...Pg. 4. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. "The Entertainer Sheet Music." The Entertainer. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. Joplin, Scott, perf. Maple Leaf Rag Played by Scott Joplin. N.d. YouTube. 09 Oct. 2009. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. Koenig, Karl. "Something About Ragtime." Jazz in Print (1859-1929): An Anthology of Early Source Readings in Jazz History. New York: Pendragon, 2002. 97-98. Print. Koenig, Karl. "Suppression of Ragtime." Jazz in Print (1859-1929): An Anthology of Early Source Readings in Jazz History. New York: Pendragon, 2002. 63+. Print. Moye, Matthew. Westville / Early Southern Music and Its Influence. Rep. Historic Westville. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. Sengupta, Saptakee. "German Musical Instruments." Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 18 Oct. 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. "Syncopation." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. .
3. Davis, Nathan T. Writings in Jazz. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. Dubuque, IA. 1996. p. 152-153, 163, 166.
Kenton, Stan(ley Newcomb)." New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Ed. Barry Kernfeld. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1994.
When researching the history of a specific topic, the viewpoints of historians can widely differ. My findings have concluded that each critic or historian has his own way of arguing who or what made jazz a beloved genre within American pop culture. Some even contend the location of its early origins. Throughout the text, several other sources remain indifferent in summarizing jazz. Paying no regard to any of the authors’ stance, the sources mentioned within my writing have provided beneficial information that will be used within my research assignment.
The word “jazz” is significant to America, and it has many meanings. Jazz could simply be defined as a genre or style of music that originated in America, but it can also be described as a movement which “bounced into the world somewhere about the year 1911.”. This is important because jazz is constantly changing, evolving, adapting, and improvising. By analyzing the creators, critics, and consumers of jazz in the context of cultural, political, and economic issues, I will illustrate the movement from the 1930’s swing era to the birth of bebop and modern jazz. As the 1930’s began, the effects of the Great Depression still ravaged the United States, which in turn caused a dramatic change in the music industry.
The rapid development of jazz in both the United States and Europe generated a number of diverse musical expressions, including musics that most listeners today would not recognize as “jazz” music. In order to remedy this situation, jazz musicians and critics after 1930 began to codify what “real” jazz encompassed, and more importantly, what “real” jazz did not encompass. This construction of authenticity, often demarcated along racial lines, served to relegate several artists and styles (those outside a “mainstream” to the margins of historiography.
Body percussion, spoons, washboard, harp. Harmonica, a jug. Bluegrass Music - What is bluegrass music? Direct descendant of the old-time string band tradition, which developed out of Southern mountain dance music & songs. Combines old-time string band music with gospel harmonies & blues rhythms.
Teachout, Terry. "John Hammond's jazz." Commentary 122.3 (2006): 55+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
By the end of World War I, Black Americans were facing their lowest point in history since slavery. Most of the blacks migrated to the northern states such as New York and Chicago. It was in New York where the “Harlem Renaissance” was born. This movement with jazz was used to rid of the restraints held against African Americans. One of the main reasons that jazz was so popular was that it allowed the performer to create the rhythm. With This in Mind performers realized that there could no...
Ragtime, also called “ragged rhythm”, was first a piano style know for its fast paced beats. It first came into the publics eye in 1893 when he performed an instrumental ensemble at the World Exposition in Chicago. His originally developed style of rag time know as “Maple Leaf Rag” First came on the scene in a club in Sedalia, Missouri as his own form of ragtime. In 1899 He gained nationwide popularity after selling over one million copies worldwide.
Jazz music prospered in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Jazz was created by African Americans to represent pain and suffering and also represented the adversity that racial tension brought. (Scholastic) African American performers like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie “Bird” Parker came to be recognized for their ability to overcome “race relati...
Cahoon, B. (2004, January 1). Rhythm and Blues Music: Overview. . Retrieved May 28, 2014, from http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/rhythm-and-blues-music-overview.
Powell, A. (2007). The Music of African Americans and its Impact on the American Culture in the 1960’s and the 1970’s. Miller African Centered Academy, 1. Retrieved from http://www.chatham.edu/pti/curriculum/units/2007/Powell.pdf
The Anthropology of Music [Book] / auth. Merriam Alan. P. - Northwestern : Northwestern University Press, 1980.
The ragtime is one of the first truly American musical forms and a great influence in the development of jazz. Young Americans were amused, dancing to new syncopated music, popularized in the salons, brothels, and steamboats of the Mississippi River. Ragtime consisted in transferring the musicality of the black songs to an instrumental form at the piano, through melodic lines that had constant rhythm played through the bass. In the founding time of jazz music, from 1904, ragtime had its main exponent in the white pianist Jerry Roll Morton, who came to attribute himself to having been the inventor of
Burkeholder, Peter J. et al, A History of Western Music, New York, W.W. Norton & Company Ltd, 2010. 626 -632