Ragtime

Following the incredible chaos of World War One, the restlessness in America shaped into a new era: the Jazz Age. “The Jazz Age is the name given to the era in American history between the end of WW1 and the start of the Great Depression in 1929 (Alchin, Linda. 1913-1928: WW1 & Prohibition).” The Nineteen Twenties were a time of many radical cultural changes in America. Young men who had returned from combat longed to make the most of the rest of their time, and began living rather reckless…

The 1920’s were an exciting time for the people of the United States of America. With technological advancements, the development and occurrence of flappers, and the number of people trying to achieve the American Dream, it is no wonder why this decade is so often referred to as “The Roaring Twenties” (History Learning Site). One of the most relevant characteristics of the twenties was the newly popular jazz music, which took everyone by storm. Through the popularity and influence of jazz,…

There is a line in the musical Spamalot where Sir Robin sings to King Arthur; “In any great adventure, if you don 't want to lose ... you won 't succeed on Broadway if you don 't have any Jews!" (PBS, Broadway Musicals). If you can look past the sweeping generalization, Sir Robin’s surprising lyric turns out to be very true about musicals. Historians have recognized that Jewish immigrant culture heavily influenced the content of musical theatre when it was popularized in America during the early…

Edward Kennedy Ellington was one of the most famous jazz composers and performers of the twentieth century. It is a well-known fact that Duke Ellington went down in history of jazz music as one of the most significant composers, as well as outstanding bandleader, who led his own musical group of about fifty years. Thus, the main aims of this project are to think about Duke Ellington, and discuss how he fits into the history of jazz, dwelling on his style and other details with more attention.…

Through improvisation and virtuosic playing, musicians were able to combine both traditional melodic phrases and new chord progressions that led to the emergence of jazz music. Bebop and cool jazz incorporated fast tempos from African American cultures with European harmonies in order to create new music, representing the existing ethnic diversity in the US. The sociocultural environment of Harlem allowed for African American musicians to gather and produce bebop music by drawing from their folk…

Anyone with access to a touch screen phone or tablet has immediate access to a free piano in today’s time. To a student in the digital age, the art of the piano reflects a technology far advanced to that of the original pianoforte. The history of the piano is broad and complex; it shows not only a change in music and style but allows one to see into the technological changes of the world in the last four centuries. From the origins of a harpsichord came the pianoforte, the original piano,…

Dance is an art form consisting of individuals or groups moving in patterns, either practiced or impromptu, to the rhythm of music. Dance and music go hand in hand, allowing the music to set a tone for the dance, creating different styles of dance. Dance is likely to have begun as a ritual to appeal to a culture’s worshipped being or included in ones “rite of passage” (Histoy of Dance, n.d.). Evidence has been found in India showing the existence of dance in the form of paintings made in caves…

The developing genre of music caught the attention of many Americans during the 1920s. It also brought Americans closer together. Jazz was born in New Orleans and began as a secular dance music that came from ragtime piano music, brass-band music, and the guitar, vocal, harmonic, barroom music called the blues (Murray). It was one of America’s first unique art forms that let African- American people express themselves and contributed to the energy that pulsed…

A particular episode of The Colbert Report comes to mind when this topic is brought up. I 'm speaking of the episode where Hugh Laurie is interviewed shortly after his blues album, Didn 't It Rain, went triple platinum. In this interview Laurie states that Jazz is Americas greatest gift to the world, to which Steven Colbert responds by asking what Britain’s greatest gift to the world was. Colbert answers his own question saying that America is Britain’s greatest gift to the world. All perfectly…

Famous People in the 1920s Douglas Fairbanks - He was an American screenwriter, producer, and actor. He starred in many silent films, such as “Robin Hood” and “The Mark of Zorro”. He was a founding member of The Motion Picture Academy and was the host of the Oscars in 1929 (the first). he was often referred to as “The King of Hollywood”, but his career declined after talking was introduced to movies. Charles Lindbergh - An American pilot who flew the first solo , non-stop flight from New York…