Warren Barker’s medley features fourteen songs written by the influential and prolific American songwriter, Irving Berlin. Berlin, born Israel Baline, was born in Tyumen, Russia in 1888. In 1893, in order to escape religious persecution, Baline and his family immigrated to the United States and settled in the Lower East Side (Crawford & Hamberlin, 2013). At age thirteen, as a means to support his family, Baline worked as a street singer. Eventually, by 1906, Baline was hired as a singing waiter at the Pelham Café in Chinatown. It was there that Baline wrote Marie of Sunny Italy. The popular song was picked up by publisher and thanks to an error on the sheet music’s cover, Baline was crediting as I. Berlin. With his new name in tow, Berlin began his meteoric rise to become Tin Pan Alley’s most successful songwriter.
Tin Pan Alley was the name given to a group of New York City songwriters and music publishers who dominated the American popular music scene in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Although the origin of the name is unclear, it is believed to reflect the industry’s new approach to music
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As Holden (1987) stated, “the composer's best-known songs seem indivisible from the country's history and self-image” (para. 4). Berlin’s lack of a musical signature enabled him to absorb a variety of American musical styles and sounds, thus allowing him to create a stylistically diverse repertoire. Barker’s medley includes the following Irving Berlin hits: Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Always, Blue Skies, Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly, Easter Parade, God Bless America, A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody, Say It With Music, Steppin’ Out With My Baby, There’s No Buisiness Like Show Buisiness, This Is The Army, Mr. Jones, When the Midnight Choo Choo Leaves for Alabam’, White Christmas, and You’re Just In
For centuries, music has been defined by history, time, and place. To address this statement, Tom Zè, an influential songwriter during the Tropicália Movement, produced the revolutionary “Fabrication Defect” to challenge oppression as a result from the poor political and social conditions. On the other hand, David Ramsey discusses, in mixtape vignettes, the role of music to survive in New Orleans’ violent setting. Furthermore, “The Land where the Blues Began”, by Alan Lomax, is a film and perfect example to understand under what musical conditions profound ways of communication are made to stand the hard work of cotton plantations. As a result, music plays a crucial role in the sources’ cultures and its creation relies on particular conditions such as the social
Stephen Sondheim is a well-known musical theatre composer who has been quite successful with his work. This world-renowned composer has had many prosperous musicals such as West Side Story, Sunday in the Park with George, Assassins, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, and Into the Woods. These are only a few out of over twenty of the other musicals he has written. This man’s music is very different from music written by other composers. This certain kind of music has a unique sound that has clashing notes, yet is sounds satisfying and appeals to large audiences.
Annie Get Your Gun was going to be composed by Jerome Kern, however he past away. So, Irving Berlin picked up where Kern left. Berlin just finished his final tour of duty with This Is the Army. Kern collaborated with Dorthy Fields to write lyrics for his music. Berlin wrote both words and music, so Fields relinquished her role as lyricist. This show stared Ethel Merman ad Annie Oakley. Berlin’s music was brilliantly crafted comedy song or ballad, each perfecty keyed, not only to merman, but also to the psyche, conflicts, and culture of Annie Oakley.
Nearly a century’s worth of compositions has earned Aaron Copland extensive recognition as the foremost American composer of his time. Ironically, Copland was raised the son of Russian Jewish immigrants and inhabitant of a colorless city environment, yet would become known for producing the music of “rugged-souled Americans” (Mellers 4). Unbounded by historical musical constraints such as those present in the culture of France, where Copland studied for many years, Copland found himself free to explore and experiment in pursuit of a unique, undoubtedly American sound.
...96 revival of Annie Get Your Gun (267). Berlin stepped out of the public eye and managed his shows and songs until he died in 1989 (268). He was 101 years old. Jerome Kern said of him, “Irving Berlin has no place in American music; he is American music” (268).
Throughout history, and even today, music has shaped America’s culture, society, and even politics. One of the most outstanding and enduring musical movement has been from African American artists, ranging from bebop to jazz to hip-hop to rap. During the 1920’s , jazz artists stepped into the limelight and began their impact on American and even world history. Louis Armstrong was one of the most influential leaders during the Harlem Renaissance and his jazz legacy and impact of American history is everlasting. A master of his craft, Armstrong and his music heavily influenced America’s white and black populations from the 1920’s and up until his death.
Also known as the Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties, the American people felt that they deserved to have some fun in order to forget the emotional toll and social scars left from the war. The Jazz Age was appropriately named due to the illegal activities and good times, which included music, parties, and flapper girls. Jazz was a new style of music that originated out of the New Orleans area, where one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time – Louis Armstrong – began his career. The energy of jazz was a very new and almost uncomfortable style for the very traditional, rigid family of the 1920s. Young people in particular seemed to enjoy this new music the most, as it made them feel carefree. The energy of jazz was symbolic of the era’s trans...
The second piece comes from George Gershwins "Cuban Overture" performed by the pianist Ivan Davis and the Cleveland Orchestra. This song is a mix of Cuban rhythms with George Gershwin's own thematic material. The result of this is a symphonic overture with cuban beats. The next song is a suite from Girl Crazy, great song, i can even imagine the dance sequences in my head through this piece. All the rest of the songs on this cd, are taken out of Gershwin's musicals.
The birth of Motown music came to be in a small recording studio aptly named Hitsville, U.S.A. Barry Gordy, who came from a large middle class family had borrowed money in order. The main stage of Motown music came from a small house that had been remodeled into a recording studio, the name of the company was Hitsville, U.S.A. Mr. Gordy had gathered the best jazz and blues players in and Motown was born through his genius. This small but dynamic record company has produced and help make many stars that we all know today such as Diana Ross and the Supreme, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, and more recently the Jackson 5, Boyz II Men , and Queen Latifah. It is very surprising that both the genre of Motown and Hitsville remind unharmed by racism for the most since Detroit has been historically known for severe racism and segregation. Hitsville U.S.A. was one of the first African American owned record companies, this was just one step in popularizing and taking a step for African’s Americans many talents to become well known and chart topping.
Jazz and “boogie-woogie” of the Thirties moved popular music away from the light entertainment of the publishing houses toward a more exciting and dance oriented style that made the swing era a golden age. As the bigger bands died out and the star singers again grabbed the spot light the songwriters again found their services in demand. Without jazz driving it and Americans rebuilding their lives and starting baby booms people were too busy to waste time dancing. Popular music turned back to light sentimental songs and cute novelty music song by polished voices and backed by sweetly generic instrumentals.
Jazz music prospered in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Jazz was created by African Americans to represent pain and suffering and also represented the adversity that racial tension brought. (Scholastic) African American performers like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie “Bird” Parker came to be recognized for their ability to overcome “race relati...
...ded by the contemporary Count Basie Orchestra and other musicians. Charless’ lyrics recorded from the concert mixing board were added to new accompaniments to create a "fantasy concert" recording.
Everyday hundreds of singers and actors came to Tin Pan Alley looking for fresh new
Besides the slave music and the blues music, there is also another kind of music that make a lot effect to African American music.
Powell, A. (2007). The Music of African Americans and its Impact on the American Culture in the 1960’s and the 1970’s. Miller African Centered Academy, 1. Retrieved from http://www.chatham.edu/pti/curriculum/units/2007/Powell.pdf