Music is a universal language but it is truly nationalized. For example, Europe was the birthplace to many different styles and periods of music. America first became known for their marches. Today, aside from jazz, marches are one of America’s most known genres of music. In the march genre, there have been several people who have changed it for the better. John Philip Sousa, who is well known for changing and standardizing American marches, is now aptly named the March King. Sousa has had such an impact on music that Stars and Stripes Forever, which King composed in 1896, was declared America’s national march by congress in 1987.(Congress)
Not only did Sousa vastly improve the marches of his time, he was a major factor in changing music education. Bands today award musicianship awards in his name, “The award recognizes superior musicianship, dependability, loyalty, and cooperation.” (DWS) This statement proves Sousa’s impact on
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He travelled and played with the military band until 1880, when Sousa was chosen to lead the President’s Own Marine Band. He served presidents Hayes, Garfield, Cleveland, Arthur and Harrison. From that point, he began to compose music and build his repetoire. Throughout his career Sousa wrote 136 marches, 11 operettas, and 70 songs. In addition, John Philip Sousa has written his own autobiography, Marching Along, an educational manual for trumpet and drums, and multiple ficiton works. He performed, conducted, and composed music until he died on March 6, 1932. He died after rehearsing with the Ringgold Band, conducting “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Some of his most renowned works were the Marine corps march-“Semper Fidelis”, “The Stars and Stripes Forever”, and his operetta, “ El
When John was no longer with the Marine Corps, he a pit orchestra. This is where John learned how to conduct. After that he went back to the Marine Corps as their head conductor for 12 years. He also led the “President's Own” band from Presidents Ruthord B. Hayes and Benjamin Harrison. He also re-created the sousaphone which is one thing he is very famous for. Whether or not you are sitting or standing, John wanted it to be able to be heard over the whole band. That is when the sousaphone is re-created in 1898 by C.G. Conn. the year John left the Marine Band he organized The Sousa Band. They toured for a total of 39 years and performed a total of 15,623 concerts. They played for sold-out crowds all around the world including the World Expansion in Paris, France.
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, more commonly known as Jelly Roll Morton, was born to a creole family in a poor neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. Morton lived with several family members in different areas of New Orleans, exposing him to different musical worlds including European and classical music, dance music, and the blues (Gushee, 394). Morton tried to play several different instruments including the guitar; however, unsatisfied with the teachers’ lack of training, he decided to teach himself how to play instruments without formal training (Lomax, 8). ...
Throughout history, and even today, music has shaped America’s culture, society, and even politics. One of the most outstanding and enduring musical movement has been from African American artists, ranging from bebop to jazz to hip-hop to rap. During the 1920’s , jazz artists stepped into the limelight and began their impact on American and even world history. Louis Armstrong was one of the most influential leaders during the Harlem Renaissance and his jazz legacy and impact of American history is everlasting. A master of his craft, Armstrong and his music heavily influenced America’s white and black populations from the 1920’s and up until his death.
Sousa started in the Marine Band in a rather peculiar way. Sousa, lusting for adventure, ran away from home and attempted to join a circus. Whereas Sousa was trying to have fun, his father didn’t see it as a smart thing to do. Antonio, Sousa’s father, enlisted you Sousa in to the Marine Band, where he worked as a band apprentice. For all but a six month period, Sousa stayed in the band until he was twenty years old, he started writing his more popular songs after he left the band. As an addition to his musical training, Sousa studied music theory and composition, to better his education and help teach students, with George Felix Benkert, who was a noted Washington orchestra lea...
African-American music is a vibrant art form that describes the difficult lives of African American people. This can be proven by examining slave music, which shows its listeners how the slaves felt when they were working, and gives us insight into the problems of slavery; the blues, which expresses the significant connection with American history, discusses what the American spirit looks like and teaches a great deal from the stories it tells; and hip-hop, which started on the streets and includes topics such as misogyny, sex, and black-on-black violence to reveal the reactions to the circumstances faced by modern African Americans.
" Ellington played his last three shows in 1973 before he passed away at the age of seventy-five, a month after his birthday on May 24, 1974 from lung cancer and pneumonia. In conclusion, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was of the most talented jazz composers and pianists of the 20th century and did amazing work and composed some of the most famous compositions of jazz. He has gave so many jazz composers motivation to do what they love and think outside the box, he was a genius. His compositions will live through the decades inspiring musicians and composers, his talent will live forever.
Music’s role on society has changed drastically through the course of its history as it has become ever so increasingly expansive. Many of the previous musical movements were only for the wealthy as entertainment
Musicians during the Harlem Renaissance created a style and movement that simply took Americans by storm. Musicians such as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong have inspired others all over the country. The Renaissance itself was not only an observation of life for African Americans, but it also showed Americans that they have a place in society. All of the musicians, writers, and artists shared a common purpose. This purpose was to create art that reflected the Afro American community. Through this era, African Americans provided themselves with their cultural roots and a promise for a better future. Music in this era was the beginning. It was the beginning of new life for musicians and African Americans.
Throughout our history, music has constantly been influenced by trends of its time, reflecting social, economic and political changes. On the other hand, music has defined the culture and social events or leading them to social revolution. For instance, guys like Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder greatly contributed to social events. Such leaders and musical revolutionaries have existed throughout history.
Music can be traced back into human history to prehistoric eras. To this day archeologists uncover fragments of ancient instruments as well as tablets with carved lyrics buried alongside prominent leaders and highly influential people. This serves as a testament to the importance and power of music, as well as its influence in society. Over its many years of existence, music’s powerful invocation of feelings has allowed it to evolve and serve many purposes, one being inspiring change. American journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson once said, “Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel.” This fuel is the very things that powers the influence of Rock ‘n’ Roll on American society, that author Glenn C. Altschuler writes about in his book, “All Shook Up – How Rock ‘n’ Roll Changed America.” Between 1945 and 1965 Rock ‘n’ Roll transformed American society and culture by helping to ease racial integration and launch a sexual revolution while most importantly developing an intergenerational identity.
Stars and Stripes forever may have been Sousa’s reaction to building tensions leading up to the Spanish-American War, as well as the death of death of the Sousa band’s manager, David Blakely. According to Scherer (2012), Sousa wrote the piece, after learning of Blakely’s death while on a steamship returning from Europe. He is said to have sketched notes on the ship and then written the full score once on land. While Sousa was aware of its massive popularity, he may not have suspected it would be his highest achievement, or go on to be named the National March of the United States, as he had written many other wildly popular marches including the Gladiator, King Cotton, and Semper Fidelis.
American music is relatively new considering the deep culture and music history of the east. What shaped music here in America and how did we reach our own unique sound as a country largely derived from immigrants? When immigrants first came to colonize, they were mostly from Northern and Western Europe, during this time Europe was experiencing the “Baroque Style”, a flamboyant, extravagant style of art that music mimicked and flourished from. During that time in America, wanting to be a composer or musician was thought of as alien. The idea of being a touring virtuoso as musicians did in Europe was impossible by the difficulty of traveling through America.
As the verse begins and Joe chant “and it’s 1,2,3, what are we fighting for?” (McDonald, Chorus Line 1) there is clear homage paid to marching music. In Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” we see the
In the text book America’s Musical Landscape by Jean Ferris, the book takes us through the history of the evolution of American music. The book delves into the different time periods of America’s music beginning with early North American music all the way to today’s modern music. Additionally, the book also explains how music, theater and film intertwine to provide some spectacular art. Jean Ferris finishes the book by exploring America’s concert music. Let us now take a closer look into the different time periods brought out in the book.
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