Music In The 1920s Essay

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In 1915, the Great Migration began growing. Many black people were moving North, leaving their slave status in the dust. As more of them move North, music became their way of connecting to one another and relieving the stresses of everyday life. Blues music was the music of the decade. The mournful tones of the genre struck the African American population in a unique way. With the influence of the Blues and the African American background, a new music era was born. Music blossomed in the 1920s because radios were invented, the jazz age, which was the theme of the time, and musical theater. Radio, during the 1920s, was an invention that brought the means of transporting messages and music, quickly, throughout the country. The first radios were made of crystal and were complex (“Radio Technology”). …show more content…

Broadway, or musical theater, had a strong presence in the 1920s caused by hit shows which is why Broadway stuck around (“Musical Theater”). Music brought out a whole new side of the shows, and more acceptance from the audience. Musical theater expanded and the subjects portrayed became bolder and often brought up things like abuse or alcoholism while using music to numb the crowd a bit (“Show Boat”). Obviously, not every show was a hit but there were a few exceptions. Things like Show Boat and Lady, Be Good! Helped secure Broadway’s future (“Musical Theater”). Music not only impacted the theater, but the population of adoring fans sitting in their seats, anticipating the thrill of the show to come. Musical theater did, however, move the theater in three significant ways: it used music to intensify the plot, it allowed American qualities bleed through, and the music helped accentuate the themes and lessons of the stories (“Show Boat”). The impact that the 1920s had on musical theater, and other music types, is

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