INTRODUCTION African-Americans have had a notable influence on American music. Since the days the slave trade began African slaves brought over, to this New World, their customs and tradition of music. They used music to give themselves some sort of cultural and ethnical identity in the New World. They also brought a rich African heritage, including songs. Adapted to reflect the experiences of life of hard labor on plantations, these slave work songs, laments, and shouts of protest evolve into…
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Religious music allows a voice to be put to the beliefs of various religious groups. Beliefs can be expressed just by the simplicity of words or just instruments. The sincerity of the tone of the music could easily strengthen the beliefs of the followers of that religion, even though the follower may not participate in the music directly they still are active in the listening process. Music from religions can even vary depending on the ethnicity of the people. Religious music has evolved over the…
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Throughout history, music has always been a means of expression. Musicians in their respective time periods have always used music as a way to discuss the trials and tribulations they have faced. However, there is no better example of this than Jazz and Blues music. Gaining popularity in the early 20th century, Jazz and Blues music was pioneered by African American musicians. The lyrical content of songs in this idiom usually spoke about issues that pertained to the African American experience at the…
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Parents of Jazz Jazz is a music genre that has complex characteristics and history of development and thus many musicians and scholars face troubles in defining what jazz is. In general, jazz is believed to have born in New Orleans. Jazz developed for the pleasure of the social dancers. According to the “Understanding Jazz: What Is Jazz?” of John F. Kennedy center for the Performing Arts, Jazz was created mainly by Afro-Americans, and had elements of European and Afro-American culture. Also, it emphasizes…
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Although African Americans were free from slavery by the 20th century and had what is considered freedom, they still faced racism, Jim Crow disfranchisement tactics, and unequal obstacles in America. They had been struggling for equality, freedom, a heard voice, and a matter of simply being able to live their life just as everyone else (whites to be exact). The most affected area was southern America. During this time in southern America, African Americans- especially the offspring of those who had…
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stream of African Americans that escaped to New Orleans from the segregation in the Mississippi Delta. With them, they brought the blues, which according to Gerald Early, an African American essayist and American culture critic, was an “aesthetic that freed them from the burden of minstrelsy.” The blues were a combination of spirituals, work songs, call and response, shouts only made possible because of the suffering of the blacks during their oppression as Alberta Hunter, an American blues singer…
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African Americans went through many struggles in the past to get where they are today. They went through the misery of slavery and discrimination. What is not usually acknowledged is that they influenced ideas and apparatuses that are still in use today. Luckily, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Black culture and influence began to be truly appreciated. For example, shows like “The French Prince of Bel-Air” consist of black culture and is enjoyed by many. America is a place of cultural difference…
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The music of slavery refutes two common assumptions: first, that the Middle Passage stripped slaves of their African traditions; and second, that slaves were so powerless that they had little influence on American culture at large. African American music under slavery retained many African elements. There was a striking continuity in instrumentation. Enslaved Africans either carried African instruments with them or reconstructed them in the New World. These included percussive, string, and wind…
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Banning music for the purpose of enforcing morality is called Music Censorship. Banning or censorship of popular music began in early 40s to about the 70s with the progression of Rock and Roll and R&B. Music inspires a form of emotion that at a simple level helps to provide amusement and the power to cause major innovations in culture. Music’s influence frightens some individuals that are scared of the change to morals and attitudes. Censoring of music has made a form of expression banned. Some…
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Frederick Lau Music 407 23 June 2014 Hip-Hop Music This research paper will be discussing the origins and development of hip-hop music, some of the characteristics that define hip-hop as a musical genre, and the social significance of hip-hop from its creation up until current day. The purpose of this paper is to inform and enhance the understanding of hip-hop music, drawing connections between musical stylistic origins and social influence throughout history on hip-hop music to create an unbiased…
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