The Harlem Renaissance And African-American Identity

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The Harlem Renaissance was a movement where Black Americans culture flourished and became a significant part of the American identity. This movement consisted of African American writers, artists, musicians, etc. who wanted to embrace black heritage in America. The hardships African Americans faced became a way for artists of the Harlem Renaissance to bring black culture from the status of folk art to a position of built-in worth. Music of Harlem Renaissance paved the way for African Americans and music in today’s society.
The composer frequently connected with the Harlem Renaissance and African-American music is William Grant Still, an important figure musically, socially, and politically. William Grant Still also belonged to an educated Black-middle class group which also aided in the development of the Harlem Renaissance. Still produced many musical works and the qualities presented by the Harlem Renaissance were noticeable in his Afro-American Symphony which was made in 1930.This particular symphony showed that the Negro musical figure of speech is an imperative piece of the world's musical society. …show more content…

Ellington is best known as a major band pioneer and arranger, as a musician, and as the voice of "jungle music." In the 1920s and mid 1930s Ellington's band was the house band for Harlem's Cotton Club. A long way from refinement, the Cotton Club gigs frequently highlighted wilderness stylistic layout and intricate ensembles to go with the "jungle sound," planned to infer the "colorful" music of Africa. In 1930, Ellington communicated the craving to create a work that would serve as a musical history of the black experience; starting in Africa, advancing through Southern subjection, lastly to Harlem. This structure in the long run got to be Black, Brown, and Beige, however it was not created for over 10 years after its

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