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Essay on music and national identity
Music, culture and identity
Music, culture and identity
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“Latin-American music, together with jazz, was developed with great influence
from popular music around the world. Its rhythm, style and pattern are a result of a rich
history which incorporates influences from different countries such as Africa and Europe.
The diversity that exists within this musical genre is also reflective of the culture and the
formation of the Latin identity. These cultural exchanges between Latin countries gave
rise to other sub-genre which led to eventual conception of Latin Jazz Music as we know
it today. Many of these countries such as the Mexico, Caribbean, Central and South
America wanted to redefine itself in a manner to form a more cohesive national
identity which has been successfully expressed
The effect can be seen in the autobiography of Dizzy Gillespie, where he writes ‘‘very early, the tunes I wrote, like ‘Pickin’ the Cabbage’ sounded Latin oriented or expressed a Latin feeling, like putting West Indian hot sauce in some black-eye peas or hot Cuban peppers in a dish of macaroni.’’ (Moreno 80) When be-bop music and Afro-Cuban music merged it form a time in jazz that was “mostly exciting, varied and constantly changing” with even the least “Cu-bop” style bands playing at least one “Latinish” song in their shows. (Roberts 91) Dizzy Gillespie’s work with Luciano ‘‘Chano’’ Pozo is considered “one of the germinal moments in the history of intercultural music making of the second half of the twentieth century” and followed “distinct lineage [in jazz] of Pan-African music making”. (Garcia 196)
Jazz is referred as “America’s classical music,” and is one of North America’s and most celebrated genres. The history of Jazz can be traced back to the early era of the 20th century of the U.S. “A History of Jazz” presents From Ragtime and Blues to Big Band and Bebop, jazz has been a part of a proud African American tradition for over 100 years. A strong rhythmic under-structure, blue notes, solos, “call-and response” patterns, and
Salsa, tango, and bachata have very different historic backgrounds, but come from the same culture. Latin music is popular for various genres in Latin America, mainly in Cuba, and is unique for the type of rhythmic structure it builds. The music is so alive that is pulls at the feet and hips of dancers, driving them to the dance floor. When dancing to the music their hips sway in time, and their feet mark the beat. If people did not grow up with this type of music, its complex rhythms can be intimidating.
To understand the genesis of Jazz one must also understand the setting of its origin, New Orleans. The city was founded by the French in 1718, then in 1763 the city ceded to Spain and remained under Spanish control until later being returned to the French in 1803, and then was immediately sold to the United States under the Louisiana Purchase. New Orleans was also heavily populated by African slaves making up 30% of the total population of the city at this time; so New Orleans was experiencing a lot of cultural diversity and was being shaped and molded by the many different fashions of people who lived in the city. These different social groups along with their culture also brought with them their deep rooted musical traditions, the fusion and combination of these traditions would give rise to what we know today as modern day Jazz. Jazz is a genre of music that could only have formed in America; it draws from many different cultures and art forms creating a cocktail of traditional European and African music, mixed with a blend of Spanish tinge, with a strong base of blues filtered through the American experience.
The term Jazz gained notoriety in 1914 as a form of music. Before it gained attention, its origin consisted of an “African rhythmic, formal, sonoric, and expressive elements and European rhythmic and harmonic practices” (4). Jazz form included a “call-and-response pattern, repeated refrain concept, and chorus format of most recreational and cult dances” (27). The fact that these elements made the transition to early jazz and survived today showed that it had a solid foundation ...
This essay, as the title suggests, will be about the origins of jazz music. Starting from the roots when African slaves arrived in North America, they helped the development and the emergence of early jazz a great deal. It is also important to not forget the significance of the Congo Square which kept the music alive in New Orleans, never letting it die out. Then, continuing on with the slavery theme, the essay will talk about why and how jazz music appeared in its widely considered birth place, New Orleans. Also, as early jazz developed into different styles, the text will mainly be focusing on its two most prominent ancestors: ragtime and blues. Additionally, jazz would not exist as it is known today without the assistance of some of the
What is Jazz? According to the dictionary, jazz is defined as, "A kind of syncopated, highly rhythmic music originated by Southern blacks in the late 19th century" ("Jazz" 232). But, everyone should at least agree that jazz is the mother of all music, and is referred to as the only art form originating in the United States ("History 101" 2). America was home to immigrants from all over Europe and beyond who wished to build a new life, or just needed to escape from the old. These people, often thought of as second-class, brought their culture with them to America, expressed it musically, and changed the music world as we know it today.
Hip-hop culture, once confined to the streets has broken into the commercial realm with force. Hip hop records top the charts week after week, rap videos have taken control of MTV, BET and the BOX, and there are dozens of hip hop magazines on the newsstands. A stroll on any city street in the United States reveals the proliferation of hip-hop styled apparel. The culture itself had much humbler beginnings, however. On the street corners and in the parks, young men and women battled through freestyle rhymes and dance moves. Whatever the time period, and whoever he MC may have been, Rap has incorporated, and included several of the "classical" musical characteristics present in most western music today. These characteristics have influenced the popularity of this genre from coast to coast; as well as, giving the music a chance to penetrate into the homes of a vast array of people (White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, etc.). When one is referring to certain musical characteristics, pitch, dynamics, timbre, rhythm, melody, harmony, key, texture, form, and various others are usually mentioned. It is fascinating to see how many of these characteristics are present in the hip-hop culture, more specifically in rap music.
The early salsa music from 1970-1980 will be the focus for this world music genre study. Salsa music includes salsa music and songs, which was developed in New York before its recognition in 1970s. Cuban as the origin of salsa, however, it was believed that the first salsa music was from New York before 1970. ‘Salsa’ has the meaning of ‘sauce’ and it was a product of the interaction between Afro-American and Latin people in New York City who tried to gather together to identify their culture and to maintain the sense of belongings among themselves. Salsa was named after salsa music was developed in New York, and the word ‘salsa’ appeared on songs or records before it became a type of music used for marketing. Salsa songs reflected the society in different time with the lyrics written in the songs, the changes in the expression or emotion through lyrics was involved with the shift of culture within societies.
The global perspective of music: we live in an increasingly smaller “global village.” With advance in worldwide transportation and communication and with increasingly mobile societies, it seems not only appropriate but also necessary to develop a global perspective of music. A global perspective of music is a sense of the lifestyles, traditions, values and the music of several nations and cultures throughout the world. An awareness of the diversity within our national boundaries that has contributed significantly and beneficially to the cultural richness of our land.
In the early 1900’s, Jazz music originated in New Orleans and spread throughout the country over a short period of time. During the great
Rhythmic music has been dated back to early 1900’s in Africa. Though, the genre of hip-hop/rap began in the 1970’s, by a man named Clive Campbell, known as DJ Kool Herc when he and his sister put on a “back to school jam” in the African American
This world is a big place. It is very diverse, in culture, beliefs, traditions, and even music. Music is an important part of this world; not just pop music and what many first world countries are used to, but music of the world as well, such as melodies in Cuba or Africa. These two countries share many characteristics in their music, despite being two very different places. From the melody, to the rhythm, and even the instruments and cultural practices, the countries of Cuba and Africa have both very similar traits in their music.
During the course of this semester, the several musical styles that have been discussed and analyzed have displayed various similarities and differences. These differences in certain musical elements have accounted for the distinctiveness and uniqueness of each style of music. The culture behind these countries’ music adds even more to their individualism. Cultural aspects such as religion play a huge role in the music of each country as well. Styles of music in Africa might be more upbeat than certain styles in India, for example. Some cultures use music in religion, while others may not. Aspects such as dance are important factors in all three types of music. Despite the differences and similarities, however, without music, these cultures would perhaps not be as fascinating and unique as they are now.
There are many different styles and forms of music, that have their own distinct sound. Each sound that is heard is the sound of a culture, each piece of music has a tie to places, ideas, thoughts and feelings based on opinions. This often results in stereotyping and portraying the music and culture with an inaccurate view, of the larger population of the cultures in which the music has originated from. Many times the way a culture advertises itself, and is portrayed, is the visual that is reflected in their music, This will be expressed through the steel pans of the Caribbean, Aboriginal music, and classical music.