What exactly is jazz? As defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary jazz is “American music developed especially from ragtime and blues and characterized by propulsive syncopated rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, varying degrees of improvisation, and often deliberate distortions of pitch and timbre”. While this definition is true and a “cookie cutter” definition of jazz it is not completely accurate Jazz is one large genre with many sub-genres within it such as swing, bebop, free jazz, hard bop, and cool jazz. Yes jazz was derived from ragtime and blues but what is not commonly known is that Baroque music had a hand in the development of this art form. In this paper I show the correlation between Baroque music and cool jazz and how their structure and improvisatory natures are analogous.
Before jazz or its sub-genre of cool jazz came to be in existence, Baroque music had already been established in the 17th century. Transitioning from the end of the Renaissance, this was a new age of an exciting, intellectual, artistic and social atmosphere which in so many ways indicated the birth of modern Europe. Baroque music is originally derived from the word Baroque itself. The term was not only applied to music but art, drama, and literature were also included. The Baroque era started in the early 1600s in Rome, Italy, and eventually spread to most of Europe. Subsequently it ended around 1750. In regard to music, the Baroque relates to the last period of dominance of imitative counterpoint, which combined two or more melodic figures in such a way that they establish a harmonic relationship while retaining their linear individuality. The Baroque period along with Baroque music of the early 1600s initially had a negative connotation. During ...
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...asier for whomever is playing this piece.
In the first movement of Vivaldi’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A minor there is a difference between the tutti sections (ritornello) and the solo sections (episodes). In comparison to cool jazz music the episodes spin out material that focuses either on elements seen previously from the ritornellos or now new figuration. Also the motives in the first movement are treated in sequence over changing harmonies, with motion around the circle of fifths frequently used for modulations. An example of this can be seen from measures 51-55. Although So What does not modulate around the key circle using the circle of fifths it still modulates from D dorian minor to Eb dorian minor. Just like there was sequencing going on in this movement, So What sequences down as well with the main melody. This can be seen from measures 7-11.
With the rejection of complicated Baroque style of music, the classical era came about. The idea of simpler music would appeal to a broader audience, thus making the classical era more popular. The change was not sudden; rather, the Rococo style was like a transition period. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was an important character in the changing of styles. The Rococo style was known as an expressive or sensitive style. Baroque music usually remained in the same mood throughout a piece, whereas this new style would sometimes change moods abruptly with highly contrasting ideas. The use of ornaments in music gradually went out with the complicated baroque music. Simpler, more original melodies emerged with this new style. During the Baroque era, instrumental music and vocal music were equally important. This contrasts the Classical era where instrumental music was more prominent than vocal.
Throughout history, different types of music have been a distinguishing characteristic of varying cultures. One genre of music that harbors such cultural and historical significance is jazz. Jazz originated between the late 1800s and the early 1900s, right here in the United States. Jazz was known for incorporating African American forms of music with that of European music. It was seen as a cultural movement, and interestingly enough, the emergence of jazz coincided with the Harlem Renaissance.
The European Baroque period lasted from 1600-1750 A.D.. Music from this period often had identifying characteristics: expressing mood through both instrumental and vocal music, consistent rhythmic patterns, terraced dynamics that change suddenly rather than gradually, basso continuo, complex melodies, and polyphonic textures (Kamien 148). Composers like Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Bach, Purcell, and Handel were prominent during the European Baroque period and composed both sacred and secular music: operas, oratorios, cantatas, concertos, and suites (“Baroque Music”). British Rock is the blanket term for music of the alternative genre made in the United Kingdom. Much of the British Rock culture got its influence from American Rock and Roll music of the 1950’s, and had characteristics similar to that music such as strong rhythms and powerful lyrics. Popular British Rock artists such as Queen, The Rolling Stones, Coldplay, and Muse perform sub-genres such as indie rock, post-punk, post britpop, and others. Even though these two music cultures seem very different, they share three main compositional similarities: word painting, basso ostinato or “ground bass”, and polyphonic texture.
Jazz was a unique form of music, there had never been anything like it before. It was rebellious, rhythmic, and it broke the rules- musical and social. It started a musical revolution, “With its offbeat rhythms and strange melodies, jazz was blamed for everything from drunkenness and deafness to in increase in unwed mothers.” Jazz was seen as immoral and worried the older generation that their kids would lose interest in classical music. It was also seen as against society because it came about from the African- American culture, but despite all of that, jazz led to a new era of music that still prevails today.
This book by John Rupert Martin is a good introductory book in the understanding of Baroque artists and their tremendous variety. Martin defines the Baroque characteristics, but only very broadly leaving a significant amount of room for the reader to make his own deductions. In general, Martin believes that the typical definitions of the Baroque are "too restrictive and hence likely to create more problems of classification and interpretation than it solves." Even the time of the Baroque is left open to the reader when Martin says the Baroque is roughly comprehended by the seventeenth century. It is important to note at the outset that this is only a convenient approximation; for epoch as a whole can certainly not be fitted into such a strait-jacket." This helps to define the Baroque much more generally as a gradual change which can much easily be noticed from the present than the past.
Jazz is one of the only uniquely American forms of music. Its roots date back all the way to the Atlantic slave trade. Jazz is still alive and well today. This paper will walk you through Jazz’s rich history. We’ll start with the basics of African music and its influences. Then we will take you through the decades leading to modern Jazz.
Classicism of the Renaissance has been replenished during the Baroque period. During the Baroque artistic period, the exploration of the fundamental components of human nature and the realm of senses and emotions were very crucial. The Baroque era was a very dynamic time that showed an abundance of radiance and color. Artists of this time are passionate and sensual. Their works were many times considered to have an overpowering emotional effect.
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.
Jazz culture to be exact, is the topic at hand. Jazz culture expands throughout many genres and is expressed in many ways. The many genres of jazz are Big Band, jazz funk, modern jazz, smooth jazz, Latin jazz, and jazz fusion. Each of these comes with its own unique sound and origin. Latin jazz, for example, employs rhythms from both African and Hispanic backgrounds. The sound is particularly up tempo with divided eight beat patterns. Jazz artists who have portrayed these qualities of jazz to the world are at the very core of its culture. Many people who are in places of power in this society or are held in some form of esteem have had some exposure to the arts, whether it is classical or jazz. This is due to a desire to be culturally diverse which is a quality held in high esteem in regards to a more worldly point-of-view. There are many aspects of Jazz music that could be approached, but there is one point in particular that must be expressed in detail. The influence on the genre ...
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
Baroque era covers the period between 1600 and 1750 beginning with Monte Verdi (birth of opera) and ended with deaths of Bach and Handel. The term baroque music is borrowed from the art history. It follows the Renaissance era (1400-1600). It was initially considered to be a corrupt way of Renaissance by conservatives. The dominant trends in Baroque music correspond to those in Baroque art and literature. Some features of Baroque art included a sense of movement, energy, and tension (whether real or implied). Strong contrasts of light and shadow enhance the effects of paintings and sculptures. Opera is one of the types of music in the Baroque era. It represented melodic freedom. Baroque era was usually referred to as the thorough-bass period. In early Baroque era no tonal direction existed, but experiments in pre-tonal harmony led to the creation of tonality. [1] Baroque genre included instrumental suite, ritornello, Concerto grosso and chant. There were important composers of the Baroque period such as Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Antonio Vivaldi William Byrd Henry Purcell and George Phillip Telemann. Starting in northern Italy, the hierarchical state -- led by either the urban bourgeoisie or despotic nobles -- replaced the fluid and chaotic feudal system of the middle Ages. [2] For this reason, some historians refer to the Renaissance as the Early Modern Era. Sculptors, building on the techniques of artists such as Giovanni Bernini (1598-1680), found ways to create the illusion of energetic and even violent movement in their works. Painters created larger and more crowded canvases. Virtuosity was used in all the arts. The arts became an important measure of learning and culture. Music moved from the science of number to an expressive art viewed as an equal to rhetoric.
Jazz music has got a lot of importances as much as it lacks a correct definition. It plays a role in the entertainment sector. It entertains the listeners who are passionate to the art. They get a special entrainment especially for the working class who find listening to jazz as an activity done during the leisure time. Jazz on the other hand is very educative and informative of the past and the current issues. Since it is a long time art, it can be used to safeguard and protect the cultural practices of the people of the community. The culture is stored in the jazz songs and easily passed from one generation to another. It can also be transferred from one community to another since jazz music listeners are all over the world. Hence jazz music is a store of culture of a people of a particular social locality or geographical location.
“Music” as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is “vocal or instrumental sounds combined in such a way as to produce the beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.” Emotion, and the treatment of emotion, is indubitably an important aspect of music from all eras, but the manner in which emotion is expressed, has changed over time. Throughout the Baroque period (c. 1600 – 1750) musicians attempted to cause a specific extreme emotion in the listener, while during the Classical period (c. 1750-1825) composers sought to produce a balance of emotions. Due to philosophical and artistic movements that occurred, emotion, a critical element of music, was conveyed differently between the Baroque and Classical periods. Baroque music is characterized by its development of tonality, elaborate use of ornamentation, application of figured bass, and the expression of single affections.
At the end of the nineteenth century, there were African Americans whose traditions blended with American music. As a result of this, new traditions, such as jazz, were formed. Jazz has a lot of styles and genres included within it. Early beginnings of jazz came out of ragtime and blues music. A good example of ragtime is Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag, which is still one of the most popular ragtime pieces to this day.
This era is recognized by the creation of tonality, as well as the establishment of the opera, cantata, and concerto. Different from the classical era, this era featured a unity of mood, a continuous rhythm and melody, and a predominantly polyphonic texture, meaning that there were two melody lines, each fighting for the listener 's attention. The composers from the Baroque period were well-known for their extravagant, frivolous and bizarre usage of their instruments and their performances. The most notable influence from this era is in modern music especially rock music, because in rock music emotions are intense and the mood are usually unified just like the music from the Baroque period. Some artists and rock bands have adopted this bizarre style, for example Prince and Lady Gaga. Many rock bands were inspired by composers of this era such as Bach because of the intensity of his