Brief History of Jazz History Essay
Brief History of Jazz History Essay
Brief History of Jazz History Essay
History 204
5/25/2017
Pepperdine University
Although I have been playing piano for as long as I can remember, I only have
had limited exposure to Jazz Music. Therefore, I have always wanted to learn more about
the art of jazz, especially its harmonies, chromaticism, and improvisation. Luckily, I am
fortunate enough to live in America, where jazz was born. In this paper, I will trace the
historical developments of Jazz, and the various effects it has had on the American
Culture. Additionally, I would like to show you my favorite jazz composers and their
pieces.
Popular music in the 20th century played an important role in the musical culture
of the United States, where waves of immigration and westward expansion created a rich
and diverse musical culture. Nearly all popular music of the United States in the 20th
century could trace its roots to elsewhere, and often to numerous different places, because
musical styles have constantly absorbed influences from different parts the world. The
resulting diversity of this country makes it difficult to summarize Jazz music in a few
technology has made transmission of music so fast that any style of music could quickly
become global in its reach. Additionally, through recordings, what had been known only
To begin, I would like to discuss Hymnody and its legacy. Most musicologist
associate Hymnody to Europeans who came to North American from the 16th century and
onward. Most of these early immigrants were searching for economic prosperity,
religious freedom, or some combination of the two. Beside the Quakers (who do not use
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music in their worship services)1, virtually all of these religious groups continued the
European tradition of sacred music. In fact, the first book printed in British North
America was the Bay Psalm Book. It was a collection of metrical Psalm texts intended to
be sung. Intriguingly, the earliest editions of the book contained no notated music,
because the congregation for whom it was intended already knew these tunes by heart.2
Later, in the 18th century, another style of hymnody emerged. This form of
singing was inspired by William Billings The New England Psalm Singer and similar
collections.3 This tradition required a leader to cue the congregation by lining out each
line of text in advance, creating a call and response texture. These Hymnody traditions
were soon adopted by the African-American Slaves. In fact, in 1867, three northern
abolitionists published Slave Song of the United States.4 This was an important document
for the preservation of African-American religious songs from the antebellum era.
Although many of these songs would come to be known as spirituals or gospels, the
terms were not exclusively limited to African-American culture. Both Caucasian and
African-American religious hymns sounded similar in nature during the height of the
1
Kenneth L. Carroll, "SINGING IN THE SPIRIT IN EARLY QUAKERISM." Quaker
History 73, no. 1 (1984): 1, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41947005 (accessed May 25, 2017).
2
Mark Bonds, A History of Music in Western culture, 4th ed, (Boston: Pearson, 2013),
603.
3
Ibid.
4
Ibid.
2
Styles that developed largely through oral traditions found new audiences in the
early 20th century via media of sound recordings, radio and printed music. Audiences that
were previously unfamiliar with styles such as Ragtime and Blues now had more
opportunities to enjoy them. One important style that influenced the development of Jazz
was Ragtime. Ragtime, which grew out of the unwritten traditions of African-American
dances, flourished near the turn of the 19th century. This style of music typically used
duple meter and was based on units of 8 or 16 measures.5 Syncopation, a device that
places melodies on off-beats, was prevalent throughout Ragtime, and it was used to
contrast the steady bassline. One master from the Ragtime Era was Scott Joplin.
Although he was not the first African-American composer, nor was he the first composer
of Ragtime, he was definitely the most famous Ragtime composer. In fact, many of us
probably recognize his tune from The Entertainer. Joplin was quite particular in how his
music should be played. In 1908, he noted the following: it is evident that, by giving
each note its proper time and by scrupulously observing the ties, you will get the effect.
So many are careless in these respects. Play slowly until you catch the swing, and never
play ragtime fast at any time.6 Like all new music, ragtime was met with considerable
resistance. Some people complained about its syncopated rhythms and the supposedly
loose morals of those who played it and listened to it. This view is similar to the common
5
Mark Bonds, A History of Music in Western culture, 4th ed, (Boston: Pearson, 2013),
604.
6
Scott Joplin, The School of Ragtime (New York: Author, 1908).
3
Another important force in American music was the broad repertory of music
known as the Blues. Although Blues can be viewed as a genre on its own, it is more
recognized for its enormous impact on the development of Jazz. By definition, the text of
Blues is a lament that bemoans poverty, social injustice, fatigue, or, most famously of all,
lost love.7 This type of song originated in the South among formerly enslaved African
Americans and their descendants. William Christopher Handy was the first to establish a
reputation as a blues composer of this kind. Born in Florence, Alabama, Handy was the
son of recently emancipated slaves. In his autobiography, Handy described a period of his
life where he was homeless in St. Louis. There, he took on a series of menial jobs and
experienced the St. Louis Blues, which was one of the earliest published Blues works
and among the most frequently recorded works of its kind. I have always imagined that
a good bit of that hardship went into the making of St. Louis Blues he noted. I like to
think that the song reflects a life filled with hard times as well as good times.8
chromaticism of the blues, were particularly important forces in the development of Jazz.
The term Jazz or jass has been used to cover an extremely diverse range of music
styles. Therefore, it is almost pointless to find a precise meaning of the word. The famous
trumpeter Louis Armstrong once answered the question What is Jazz? by saying,
Man, man, if you gotta ask, youll never know. 9 Although Armstrongs answer seemed
7
Mark Bonds, A History of Music in Western culture, 4th ed. (Boston: Pearson, 2013),
607.
8
W.C Handy, Father of the Blues: An Autobiography, ed. Arna Bontemps (New York:
Macmillan, 1941), 28.
4
vague, it provided a revealing aspect of Jazz. That is, the term Jazz should not be defined
this sense, Jazz is not seen as a what, but as a how. To clarify, Jazz is not so much a style
rhythmic freedom, and the idea that music lives in the performance, rather than in the
American dance and song. Additionally, Jazz combined with other influences such as
and flow. Although Jazz developed in many places in the early 20th century, New Orleans
is generally regards as the center for this kind of music. Furthermore, it was there that
Louis Armstrong grew up and learned to play the cornet and trumpet under Joe Oliver.
Together they developed an intricate duet style that sounded improvised but was in fact
cornets, piano, clarinet, and drums. This was typical of Dixieland jazz, which was a style
that had developed in the early years of the 20th century. Moreover, a typical Dixieland
style has the continuous succession of soloists or main theme, each of whom improvises
Ellingtons It Dont Mean a Thing (If It Aint Got That Swing). It was written in the
10
Mark Bonds, A History of Music in Western culture, 4th ed. (Boston: Pearson, 2013),
612
11
Ibid.
5
Swing Era of the 1930s and 1940s. One reason I like this song is its avoidance of
cadences and downbeats. It feels like the song is always moving and it reminds me how
lively music can be, which contrasts the dramatic and sorrowful longing of Chopins
Ironically, he was not born or raised in America; rather, he was born in Ukraine. His
compositions are a synthesis of jazz and classical music. Since the mid-1980s, Kapustin
has dedicated himself almost entirely to composing; he has composed over 150 works,
including 8 concert etudes, 12 piano sonatas, and 6 piano concertos. All of his music
reveals his love of jazz and his technical dexterity. It is interesting to note that Kapustin
has repeatedly denied that he is a jazz composer.12 For Kapustin, the center of jazz
revolves around improvisation. He has been rather explicit about the fact that he does not
improvise. Instead, he writes and revises his compositions many times. Kapustin wants
his compositions to be consistent whenever and wherever they are performed. As a result,
he believes that this violates the essence of jazz. However, this has not kept his music
from becoming popular. In fact, artists such as Marc-Andre Hamelin and Steven Osborne
have recorded and performed his music in recent years.13 Personally, I love to play
Kapustins Concert Etudes, especially etude No.6. Although No. 6, Pastoral, has the
simplest structure among Kapustins eight etudes, it is the most fun to play because it is
12
Martin Anderson. "Anderson Meets Kapustin: Compiled by Onno van Rijen."
Kapustin's Page. Fanfare. 29 Dec 2000. Accessed 28 Oct 2010.
http://home.wanadoo.nl/ovar/sovrev/kapustin/anderson.htm.
13
Steve Osborne. Liner notes. Nikolai Kapustin Piano Music. CD. (Hyperion Records,
2000).
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virtuoso, happy and alive. The melody is syncopated and simple. Yet, at times, it creates
more than a style of music. Without Jazz, I cant image that I can connect with great
musicians such as Scott Joplin, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Kapustin, as well
as experience the diverse culture in America. It has the magical ability to connect people
7
Bibliography
Anderson, Martin. "Anderson Meets Kapustin: Compiled by Onno van Rijen." Kapustin's
http://home.wanadoo.nl/ovar/sovrev/kapustin/anderson.htm.
Bonds, Mark. A History of Music in Western Culture. New Jersey: Person Education,
2006.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/41947005
Handy, W.C. Father of the Blues: An Autobiography, ed. Arna Bontemps. New York:
Macmillan, 1941.
Osborne, Steve. Liner notes. Nikolai Kapustin Piano Music. CD. Hyperion Records,
2000.