The Most Influential African American Composers Of The...

Edward Kennedy â€Å"Duke† Ellington Duke Ellington is considered to be one of the most influential African-American composers of the twentieth century. He was a composer, bandleader, songwriter, and a musician. Duke Ellington was born in Washington D.C on April 29, 1899 and died on May 24, 1974 in New York, New York. Often times, Duke’s music was called â€Å"American Music† because it was for America, later his music was placed under the category of Jazz. After his death, Duke’s musical reputation was widely spread across America gaining more popularity. Many jazz artist do not write their own music but Duke composed most of hs albums and compositions. Duke composed his songs so that every player in his orchestra would sound their best and each instrument was emphasized. He mainly focused on rhythm and how each instrument would sound together and how it would make the audience feel. Duke had many famous songs but a few are: â€Å"If it Ain’t Got That Swing,† â€Å"Sophisticated Lady,† â€Å"Take The ‘A Train.† Over his 50 year musical career he won many honors and awards for his songs. At the young age of seven, Duke’s musical career was beginning to show its head, his parents placed him into piano lessons. He did not too much care for music at the time and would have rather played sports. He later found out that he did not desire to play the piano, often missing most of his lessons, but later on he would come to realize he loved the instrument. He did not know how to read music or write itShow MoreRelatedThe New Musical Language of The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky895 Words   |  4 Pages2. Listen again to The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky. Describe elements of this piece that helped shape a new musical language for the twentieth- century. Elements of this piece that helped shape a new musical language for thee twentieth – century would consist of Stravinsky experimenting with rhythm and new combinations of instruments. The way he uses dissonance in his pieces as well polyphonic and polytonal textures. His ballets were strongly nationalistic but contained rites of RussiaRead MoreJohn Coltrane1566 Words   |  7 PagesIntro to Music Masterworks Final Paper Jazz music was originally developed by African Americans during the start of the twentieth century. Throughout the semester we have studied the timeline of musical periods including the Romantic and Classical eras of music. Becoming internationally popular in the 1920s, jazz music has been typically described as Americas Classical Music. The musical periods we have discussed in this course have influenced and show a strong relation to jazz musicRead MoreThe Civil War And The End Of Reconstruction1197 Words   |  5 PagesAfter the Civil War, following the Compromise of 1877 and the end of Reconstruction, the protection for the rights of African American ended if there was any. Southern States had moved to impose a system of segregation on nearly all areas of life. New laws that required segregation that stirred â€Å"separate but equal† doctrine that disenfranchise African Americans for almost six decades. It is hard in this days and age to be able to imagine segregation as a law, but the remnants just change form andRead MoreAmerica s Original Music Form : The Influence Of Jazz2552 Words   |  11 PagesAmechi Nwandu Mr. Fernando Gomez American Literature 1 April 2015 America’s Original Music Form: The Influence of Jazz The creation of jazz at face value is normally credited to the minorities in the United States, mainly the African Americans, but was modified and adapted to be culturally and socially acceptable to the middle and upper classes of white Americans. While the jazz movement was eventually dominated by the middle class white population in the US, the conception of this music form wasRead More Ragtime Essay examples850 Words   |  4 Pages Ragtime was a very influential part of the development of jazz. Ragtime became very popular in the late 1800’s. Ragtime’s distinct style set it apart from the other genres. Syncopation is what defines this art form. This is when the loud accents fall in between the beats. Anything that is syncopated is basically ragtime. One of the most important ragtime composers was Scott Joplin. Like all great artists, Joplin did not restrict himself to this favored art form. Both before the advent of ragtimeRead MoreMusic During The 1920 S1609 Word s   |  7 Pagesthat were played in the 1920s such as Jazz, which became the most famous type of music during this particular time. In addition, what I’m interested in learning about music in the 1920s is who were some of the most famous singers and songs, how did people dance to the music, and where would people gather to have a good time. I also would like to learn about the person who created and inspired the Jazz music. During the 1920s, African American jazz culture had an amazing influence upon popular cultureRead MoreMusic And The Second World War1666 Words   |  7 Pagesthere is any one particular person to associate with jazz, it would be Scott Joplin, who was noted as the leading rag composer. One of his first pieces, Maple Leaf Rag, was the first and most influential hit of ragtime music. Joplin’s career ended with his death in 1917. As our textbook states, â€Å"Jazz is a major African American performance style that has influenced all 20th century popular music.† Names such as Louis Armstrong, Sippie Wallace, and Duke Ellington can be credited to the huge successRead MoreThe Origins and Development of Electronic Dance Music and Contemporary Nightlife Musical Culture4166 Words   |  17 Pagesthese. The Moog Synthesizer was the most significant and influential synthesizer in the development of Electronic Music. What made this so significant as a synthesizer was the fact that it allowed artists to relate to it like an instrument, an advantage over many of its predecessors, those of which seemed more like machines. This gave new up and coming artists a spark to their creativity, new timbral qualities that could be included in their works. American inventor, Robert Moog developed the MoogRead MoreJazz Influence On America.3049 Words   |  13 PagesResearch Paper: Jazz influence on America Jazz is a genre of music that was first developed by African American within their communities around the late 19th to early 20th century in the United States. Since then, Jazz has gained a lot of respect and grown into a classic. The genre is now well known in music history and has experienced a mass musical development throughout the decades. Jazz was established and evolved alongside such musical categories as blues and popular music, but what changedRead MoreWhite And Black People s Influence On American Culture And Society2445 Words   |  10 PagesThroughout the 1920s and 1930s, a number of demographic, political, and economic changes greatly impacted American culture and society. (Patterson Carney, 2003.) White and black people in America were still segregated and African Americans were treated as inferior (â€Å"BBC - Higher Bitesize History - Race relations between the wars,† n.d.), though they began to fight against discrimination in this period. (â€Å"Jazz Exac erbates Racial Tension,† n.d.) Music both reflected and played a role in the changing