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Inspired by his father to experiment, Charles Ives was an innovative composer who who anticipated many musical developments. Ives's music is utterly inspired by American culture, specifically that of New England. Ives integrated local popular tunes, though he did draw from European for its complexity and techniques. Charles Ives believed that all sound was potential music and experimented with tone clusters as well as the elements of chance in music. Ives distinguished himself from the roots of European music, finding his inspiration in American culture.
William Grant Still was a composer dedicated to realizing the American experience in music, Still was an influential African American classical composer. His concern with the discrimination towards people of color reflected into his compositions. His original inspirations were those of European descent such as classical music, however, he made use of the African American style in his compositions as well. Still distinguished himself through the struggle of African Americans during his time, however, embraced and composed with inspirations of European music.
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In this way Aaron Copland sought inspiration from european roots, rather than American. While in Paris Copland studied with Nadia Boulanger, a talented French organist, teacher and composer. Her beliefs were that the students music have emotion towards their music, saying that the type of music they produced was immaterial if they lacked such emotion. Though a French composer, teacher and player, Nadia Boulanger admired jazz, a new music in America and encouraged American composers to explore it. In this way Copland’s music was only partly nationalistic, inspired by his own country through seeking development in
This group was formed by American landscape painters who were present from 1825 to 1880. Their work constituted of interest in realistic illustration of nature and a fascination to celebrate precisely the American scenery. Until its emergence, most artists seemed more interested in making portraits than painting murals. Those who did landscapes generally always turned to Europe for guidance on subject matter and skills. Subjects similar to the other side of the Atlantic appear on their canvases mostly compared to American scenes, such as Norman castles, Greek and Roman ruins. In addition, much of the paintings done prior to the emanation of the Hudson River Schoolwereemblematic and therefore not necessarily intended to emblematize a real place. The school combines elements of romanticism and the art of Nationalism. Its Romantic nature provides an alternative framework through which to view and appreciate the nature in the world.
...s work more then anything represented a sound that was quintessentially American, and displayed a uniqueness never heard before in modern American music. Known as “The Dean of American Composers” Aaron Copland is regarded as one of the best and most well known composers of the 20th century. Despite being a confrontational modernist, Copland eventually found himself established as the ultimate American populist. His work, although unique to the time it was created in is relatable and easy enough to listen to that it still holds up today when heard by the average music fan. It’s likely his songs have inspired those in the country, jazz, blues, and folk genres if not at least served as a guide to aspiring musicians and songwriters in those fields and it is likely his work will continue to inspire those who live to create original works of music for years to come.
Charles Mingus is one of the most original and influential jazz composers of the twentieth century. He created the second-largest volume of jazz work after Duke Ellington (McDonough 20), and is the first African-American composer to have his work acquired by the Library of Congress (Harrington B1). Mingus is known for his unusual style of composing and playing, which attempted to reconcile jazz improvisation with orchestration, in order for the final composition to conform most closely to his vision. Also, Mingus liberated the bass from its mundane role of keeping time, turning it into a fully versatile instrument as capable of stating the theme as the horns. While forging a new role for his instrument, he also forged a new style of jazz, one that acknowledged the influence of bebop but did not cater solely to that genre. Instead, Mingus' music incorporated a wide range of styles, from Ellington's big band sound, to gospel music, to early New Orleans jazz bands. At the same time, he imbued modern sentiments and an avant-garde feeling into his music. In the 1950s, his music made several important aesthetic and technical advances, punctuated by the release of numerous influential albums. These productive years were crucial in shaping Mingus' sound, as he fully incorporated gospel elements into his music and developed a means of composing and working with his musicians that allowed for endless innovation.
Copland's growth as a composer followed the important trends of his time. After his return from Paris he worked with jazz rhythms in his "Piano Concerto" (1926).
Looking back in time at the great composers of the world, only one foreign composer stands out for his many contributions to classical music and in helping America to find its own music. Antonin Leopold Dvorak was born on September 8th, 1841, in a small village of Nelahozeves in Bohemia that lies on the bank of the Mauldau River. The village Dvorak was born into was in good company and surroundings however also retained much of its native luster even through the worst times of political oppression (1).
Crooked Beak of Heaven Mask is a big bird-figure mask from late nineteenth century made by Kwakwaka’wakw tribe. Black is a broad color over the entire mask. Red and white are used partially around its eyes, mouth, nose, and beak. Its beak and mouth are made to be opened, and this leads us to the important fact in both formal analysis and historical or cultural understanding: Transformation theme. Keeping that in mind, I would like to state formal analysis that I concluded from the artwork itself without connecting to cultural background. Then I would go further analysis relating artistic features to social, historical, and cultural background and figure out what this art meant to those people.
Not only did Davis serve as an architype for upcoming musicians, he exposed his audience to the realities of an oppressed American by way of his music. Growing up he had to work harder than his white peers to get the same chance, and he took note of this. According to the book, Miles Davis: the definitive biography, Davis commented on using injustice as his motivation, “It made me so mad that I made up my mind to outdo anybody white on my horn. If I hadn’t met that prejudice, I probably wouldn’t have had as much drive in my work” (Carr 6). Injustice made a profound influence on Miles. During the civil rights movement Miles Davis became a voice for the black community. Because of Davis’s initiative to deliver music that would bring strength and truth to the African American community, jazz music had become a symbol of power and strength instead of “black music.” In a book by Ingrid Monson she speaks about the relationship between the civil rights movement and jazz: “the defiance and resistance of jazz musicians has often been confused with romanticized politics of style that views music’s relationship to the civil rights struggle as mostly symbolic. Here the defiant attitude of musicians…has been viewed as the heart and soul of the relationship between music and politics” (Monson 56-57). Miles Davis was a manifestation of the
Although his career was cut short by his early death, Franz Marc had a tremendous impact on the various Expressionist movements that would evolve after World War II. After early experiments with naturalism and realism, Marc later eschewed those styles in favor of the greater symbolic potential of abstraction. Franz Marc was born in Munich, Germany on February 8, 1880. His father, Wilhelm Marc, was an amateur landscape painter. Under the influence of his artistic father, Marc's artistic talent was evident from a young age, but he did not decide to pursue a career in painting until after completing his military service.
Claude Mckay, an African-American, was a rather large influence on the Harlem Renaissance, ever since he was a young adult he has been repelled by the bigotry between colored and white people, leading to the prompting of his emotional literature. He spent a good amount of time working on poems - expressing his side of discrimination - also fighting for what was right during the Harlem Renaissance.
Musicians during the Harlem Renaissance created a style and movement that simply took Americans by storm. Musicians such as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong have inspired others all over the country. The Renaissance itself was not only an observation of life for African Americans, but it also showed Americans that they have a place in society. All of the musicians, writers, and artists shared a common purpose. This purpose was to create art that reflected the Afro American community. Through this era, African Americans provided themselves with their cultural roots and a promise for a better future. Music in this era was the beginning. It was the beginning of new life for musicians and African Americans.
2. Why do you suppose the music of Native Americans has not been more influential on the development of music in
In the early 1700s, the monarchies failures at finance, national debt, involvement in multiple wars with
Only one man could claim the title as probably the greatest composer in American history for writing so many unforgettable works: Aaron Copland. He lived a life inspired by many things as well as inspiring people all across the nation, and it really led to the opposite of being drawn into himself, as he described in the quote above. He was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 14 in 1900. He was the youngest of five children to Sarah and Harris Copland. A musical spark came out in Copland already at the age of 11 as he began piano lessons with his sister. His musical talents needed tutoring from a higher level of teaching and so he studied with a professional piano teacher, Ludwig Wolfsohn, at age 14. Copland said later, “No one ever connected music with my family. The idea was entirely original with me. And unfortunately the idea occurred to me seriously only at 13 or thereabouts—which is rather late for a musician to get started,” (Charles Moritz 190). He graduated in 1918 and was able to devote all his time to writing and composing music. Wanting to further his knowledge in music, he was taught harmony and counterpoint by Rubin Goldmark. Understandably, the two men shared different views and Goldmark completely disagreed with Copland’s styles, so to demonstrate his own stubbornness, Copland came back to Goldmark with a piece he wrote entitled “The Cat and The Mouse,” (Charles Moritz 191). Copland would then attend the newly established American Conservatory at Fontainebleau in Paris, and he was honored in being the first American student of the amazing teacher, Nadia Boulanger. After three years he returned to New York without any knowledge of how a composer got his works published or performed, nor how he planned on keeping himself financially stable. Copland ended his
He composed more than 3000 songs during his lifetime. When he was asked about his inspiration, he replied, "My men and my race are the inspiration of my work. I try to catch the character and mood and feeling of my people." (http://www.dukeellington.com/ellingtonbio.html)
Music expresses what words cannot express; music reflects the improvement of the society; music calms our hearts and inspires people. Everyone enjoys music because he or she can have good moods while listening to music. Composers express their feelings in songs. Some put in their ideas about nature, politics and life, others write songs to reflect the progression of society. Popular music in the Gilded Age and jazz music in the Roaring Twenties are examples of music which correspond to the society’s movement. The rise of popular music was the result of the anti-German movement. American composers rose to replace the German culture. Also, popular music was popular because of its affordability. Every class of people could enjoy this kind of music by simply going to music halls. On the other hand, Roaring Twenties was a period of time which marks color line upheavals. Although music in Gilded Age and Roaring Twenties are quite different about their styles, genres and lyrics; popular music and jazz music were both adaptions to the society’s movement during these two periods.