Have you wondered about anything related to jazz? Or the history? Today, you will learn about the history of jazz.
Let’s start off with the basics. Jazz is a musical form developed by African Americans and influenced by European harmonic structure and African rhythms. It is developed a bit from ragtime and blues. It is also often characterized by syncopated rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, varying degrees of improvisation, which are often deliberate deviations of pitch, and the use of original timbres. Before Jazz, it was ragtime.
Since it was mainly seen as creative music, there wasn’t really an official form of it until 1910-1915. This was the transition from ragetime, another musical genre, to jazz. Through the early stages of jazz, musicians despite a lack of available instruments, arrived at a brilliant solution emphasizing independent but harmonically linked and simultaneous lines. The instruments that were used were the cornet, clarinet, trombone, tuba or bass, piano, banjo, and drums. They all had different roles. According to Britannaca, “the cornet was responsible for stating and occasionally embellishing the thematic material—the tune—in the middle range, the clarinet performed obligato or descant functions in a high register, the trombone offered contrapuntal asides in the tenor or baritone range, and the four rhythm instruments provided a unified harmonic foundation.” This further shows the roles of what the instruments were like in the beginning of jazz.
About a decade later, came in Louis Armstrong. He showed that the cornet is no longer necessary. He also introduced a style called,”Swing” which had a profound effect on jazz. The way he created swing is, according to britanca. “ a compelling, propulsive, rhythmic inflection” Through this, this is how he got popular around the world. Since, people like listening to this new style of music. Around this time, the saxophone started getting used a lot in jazz.
At the same time however, orchestral jazz was also invented. This is where we see bass and the piano introduced. Thanks to this subgenre, this is how we get to know Duke Ellington and Whiteman and other famous people, whom are masters of this subgenre.
After three decades or so, came in what we know today, which is modern jazz, which came in the combo. But at this point, jazz really started to get innovated, and today it has lots and lots of subgenres. Thanks for reading this article. For more information look up Jazz on Britannica.
Source: https://www.britannica.com/art/jazz/Jazz-at-the-crossroads
Since it was mainly seen as creative music, there wasn’t really an official form of it until 1910-1915. This was the transition from ragetime, another musical genre, to jazz. Through the early stages of jazz, musicians despite a lack of available instruments, arrived at a brilliant solution emphasizing independent but harmonically linked and simultaneous lines. The instruments that were used were the cornet, clarinet, trombone, tuba or bass, piano, banjo, and drums. They all had different roles. According to Britannaca, “the cornet was responsible for stating and occasionally embellishing the thematic material—the tune—in the middle range, the clarinet performed obligato or descant functions in a high register, the trombone offered contrapuntal asides in the tenor or baritone range, and the four rhythm instruments provided a unified harmonic foundation.” This further shows the roles of what the instruments were like in the beginning of jazz.
About a decade later, came in Louis Armstrong. He showed that the cornet is no longer necessary. He also introduced a style called,”Swing” which had a profound effect on jazz. The way he created swing is, according to britanca. “ a compelling, propulsive, rhythmic inflection” Through this, this is how he got popular around the world. Since, people like listening to this new style of music. Around this time, the saxophone started getting used a lot in jazz.
At the same time however, orchestral jazz was also invented. This is where we see bass and the piano introduced. Thanks to this subgenre, this is how we get to know Duke Ellington and Whiteman and other famous people, whom are masters of this subgenre.
After three decades or so, came in what we know today, which is modern jazz, which came in the combo. But at this point, jazz really started to get innovated, and today it has lots and lots of subgenres. Thanks for reading this article. For more information look up Jazz on Britannica.
Source: https://www.britannica.com/art/jazz/Jazz-at-the-crossroads 