Influence During The Harlem Renaissance: The Arts

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Harlem Renaissance: The Arts “Plunge deep through laughter, through pain, through sorrow, through hope, through disappointment, into the very depths of the souls of our people and drag forth material crude, rough, neglected. Then let 's sing it, dance it, write it, paint it.” - Aaron Douglas (Urton) The Harlem Renaissance or “New Negro Movement” as coined by Alain Locke was a time when African Americans emerged in the literary, performing and visual arts creating a “black” cultural explosion as we now know it. “Negro has been man without a history because he has been considered a man without a worthy culture (Schomburg, pg. 66) was no longer accurate as black culture was becoming more prominent each day. With slavery being abolished, African …show more content…

Although New Orleans is known as the birthplace of jazz, it was taken to the next level during the Harlem Renaissance by artists such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Bessie Smith. Being born and raised in New Orleans music, particularly jazz, is part of my heritage, my culture. In New Orleans, jazz is sort of a way to express what can’t be put into words. Growing up I remember attending jazz funerals with my grandmother. Jazz funerals, performed by brass bands, are a way of celebrating or remembering the deceased through music to release their spirits; the music starts slow and gradually becomes upbeat forming a style of jazz mostly performed at second …show more content…

According to Rogers, “jazz has absorbed the national spirit, that tremendous spirit of go, the nervousness, lack of conventionality and boisterous good-nature characteristic of the American, white or black” (Rogers, pg 54). The Harlem Renaissance improved the mainstream of black music in the entertainment business today, giving others ideas to copy as well as to add to black culture and heritage. Today I still attend jazz funerals and second lines and I must say that I enjoy the music even move now that I’m older. I would say that jazz is valuable to me as it is music that that I grew up on and get to experience it live with my family and friends not to mention it’s tradition in New Orleans. Visual Arts: The Negro

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