George Gershwin was an American composer from Brooklyn, New York who can be only described as a legendary contributor to American music. Born on September, 26th 1898 Gershwin to an immigrant family, Gershwin became a classic example of the American dream. Gershwin did not have any formal musical training due to his family not being very well to do, he still began mastering his craft at a very young age. Realizing George’s potential, his family enrolled him in piano lessons with Charles Hambitzer (Britannica). Like most great minds, Gershwin dropped out of school only at the age of fifteen and began to pursue his talent full time. Even at this young of an age, Gershwin was writing pieces for other piano players and playing in Jazz clubs in the early 20th century …show more content…
Never hearing this song before I imagine exactly how Gershwin felt while writing and performing this piece. This piece is not like traditional pop music of today because it truly is one of a kind. Gershwin poured out his soul into this piece by using chaotic piano solos to show that there is no perfect way to write a song, as long as it is honest. In today’s music you can see organized crescendos that are quite pleasing to the listener like the one in the middle of this piece. But I believe that Gershwin is using this in a sarcastic sense because he knows that is what the listener wants. He knows that his peers want him to create a beautiful and full sound, but Gershwin just wants to break the rules. The explosive finish to this piece that follows a similar crescendo at the end of the song I imagine is Gershwin’s way of ripping apart the rule book. The piece is by all means a concerto because the rest of the band is centered around one soloist that is accompanied at times. Without having an previous knowledge of Gershwin’s music, this piece has truly inspired me to delve deeper into his repertoire. Gershwin’s mind is truly a stand alone
Aaron Copland is, in my opinion, the greatest American composer of all time. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York in 1900 he was a man before his time. Copland would compose numerous pieces of music that would reflect American Culture and American History. His more famous works would incorporate jazz, which is a music that is created in America, and American folk
Binyi Wu Ethnomusicology 50A Discussion 1E November 23, 2015 Billy Strayhorn “The extent to which Billy Strayhorn gained recognition during his years with us was never commensurate with his contribution” said Leonard Feather, the British-born jazz musician. Indeed, though contributing enormous brilliant jazz pieces to the Swing era, Billy Strayhorn was far more unnoticed compared to his collaborator, the jazz master Duke Ellington. Instead, living most of his professional life as the protege of Duke Ellington, Strayhorn passed away in 1967 at too young an age to fully illustrate his own music to the world. However, Strayhorn’s work encountered a resurgence with the dedication of fellow musicians like Toshiko Akiyoshi and Joe Henderson
This article will provide insight as to who William Grant Still was and what he did to illuminate his brilliance, and why he deserves to have his name forever etched in music’s history. Very few composers back in Still’s prime have been able to concoct memorable musical works of art. Although many have tried, few etched their name in music’s timeline. Listening to one of his pieces titled “Suite for Violin and Piano, Mvt. III” it becomes audibly evident of how jazz came to be what it is now. Still cut a path to new heights when it came to jazz.
‘Sonny’s Blues’ was written by James Baldwin about the story of two brothers. The narrator and his brother Sonny are the main characters and their pain and sorrow are the part of their life. The narrator and his brother learn to deal with their pain and suffering. I believe that the narration was perfect because the author uses dialogue and mind reading of the main character because he is stating how the narrator feels also his father, his mother and also Sonny feels.
“A major figure in the history of jazz music, his career spanned more than half a century, during which time he composed thousands of songs for the stage, screen and contemporary songbook. He created one of the most distinctive ensemble sounds in Western music and continued to play what he called "American Music" until shortly before his death in 1974.”(Biography.com). Duke ellington was born in , Washington, D.C on April 29, 1899 to his two talented, musical parents where they lived in a middle-class neighborhood of Washington D.C. Being raised in a musical family Duke ellington began playing piano and composing music.
Introduction: Duke Ellington was a pioneer in the jazz movement, and helped turn what was considered shoddy dance music into an acclaimed art form. Once a young, musically inclined boy eventually found himself caught up in the center of the Harlem renaissance, giving him the connections, knowledge and opportunity he needed to pioneer a different kind of jazz music. The man always considered himself a composer over a musician, and his body of work remains the largest personal jazz legacy. Biography: Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was born on April 29, 1899, to James Edward Ellington and Daisy Ellington in Washington, D.C.
Segregation has open the door to the people who were born free, to scape those who have power over their heads. In the play Blues for Mister Charlie, Richard a black twenty-two-years old male killed and thrown into the weeds. James Baldwin write this play to emphasize, the life of Emmet till a fourteen-years-old black boy who was killed and thrown in the river. He uses the play to show the life of Till, by adding some information about his life and what his family went through in order to convict the man who killed him the same way Richards family fought for his death. This play show in both ways how racism can obstruct the way justice work.
During the Harlem Renaissance there were many artists who changed the culture and form of entertainment in the United States. One of these amazing artists was Duke Ellington. Duke Ellington was born on April 29, 1899 and accomplished many musical achievements during his career of 50 years as a bandleader and music composer. He made many appearances at the famous Cotton Club, played more than 2,000 performances during his tour over the world and created more than 3,000 songs. Duke Ellington is considered to be an important figure in the history of jazz as he inspired millions of people around the world with his music and for the first time presented American music with its own original style of sound.
The five song playlist that I chose is Fireworks, Set fire to the rain, The way, Love the way you lie and Firestones. All of these songs relates to the novel in different ways. The song Fireworks by katy Perry relates to the novel Fahrenheit 451 because in this song it is saying if you ever feel Like a plastic bag drifting through the wind wanting to start again. Guy Montag had committed mistakes that he might regretted.
Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was a phenomenal bandleader and composer, who rose to fame by pioneering jazz, a style of music that has stood the test of time today. It is evident that the theme of the biography, “Duke Ellington: Bandleader and Composer,” written by Ron Frankl, is that Duke Ellington has left behind with him a long lasting legacy on the musical style of jazz. For instance, text states, “Today, his majestic name still reigns over the jazz world as surely as it did a half century ago” (Frankl 105). It is obvious that the author means to state that Ellington has a fantastic legacy, even lasting today, thus supporting my thesis.
All genres of music have someone who is well known for their talents and contributions towards their genre. Duke Ellington was a big hit during his time and continues to inspire people in the jazz industry. His career lasted about 50 years allowing him to move the souls of many with his ear for wonderful music. During this time he wrote many songs and even a contemporary songbook. Ellington was an amazing composer, pianist, and conductor.
Theme: Friendship Song: “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” – Randy Newman “You've got a friend in me. You got troubles then I got them too. We stick together, we can see it through cause you've got a friend in me.” Justification: This song relates to the relationship George and Lennie had because even though Lennie was always getting in trouble, George was beside him no matter what. Also, when they got to the ranch, Slim said to them that is not common to see such good friends like George and Lennie, who travel together and look out for each other.
The 2013 reboot of the Rogers and Hammerstein classic, Cinderella, has captured audiences with its beautiful costumes, classic score, and a revised book with a couple of twists. Their performance at the Tennessee Theatre went spectacularly well. Their amazing cast brought the timeless tale to life and left the audience in awe of the amazing spectacle. Cinderella begins by showing two characters, Cinderella, (Tatyana Lubov), the orphan who is enslaved to her cruel stepmother, and Prince Topher, (Hayden Stanes), who struggles to find a purpose for his life. While Topher has slain a thousand beasts and is the most desired man in the kingdom, he does not know who he is, and in hopes that he will discover this somehow, his royal advisor organizes
The tempo of the song sounds loose which gives the melody a relaxed swing feel and has a happy mood to it. The beginning of the song is smooth; after Sinatra sings the second verse the melody of the song suddenly becomes dynamic and louder for a few seconds and advances back to a softer tune again, which eventually progresses to an energetic feel all the way to the end of the song. I think “Fly Me to the Moon” would have been better if it was extended, such as the lyrics—I would like to hear more about the description of being in love since it is a complex concept to explain metaphorically, it would
He was born into a middle-class family which allowed him to be able to have the ability to have access to music at an early age. His mother was a key figure in his life when it came to music. She encouraged him to seek out a musical instrument when he was young. He started playing the piano very early in life, around the age of six, and it soon became clear to his family that he had a natural talent for it. He went on to study the piano and take piano lessons, per his family’s suggestion, soon after his talent was discovered.