Great American Composers
Over the course of history, the arts have played an important role in aspects of people’s lives. More specifically, music is something that has been around for centuries and will continue to play a part in shaping people into who they are. There have been numerous talented composers in America, but some worth mentioning are Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin.
Though music has been around for generations, during the 1900’s, Duke Ellington was a famous composer in the Americas. Edward Kennedy Ellington was born on April 29, 1899 in Washington D.C. to a religious family; his mother was a Baptist and his father was a Methodist (“Duke,” n.d.). Ellington had a passion for piano during his childhood; he had started taking piano at the age of seven
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He also won numerous Grammy Awards as well as the Spingarn Medal from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Ellington continued to compose and perform music until he died from lung cancer in May of 1974. He will always be remembered for "the daring innovations that came to mark his music—the strange modulations (changing from one key to another) built upon lush melodies that ramble into unexpected places, the unorthodox (untraditional) construction of songs.…" (“Duke,” n.d.).
Not only was Duke Ellington well-known for his involvement in jazz during the 1900’s, George Gershwin was also popular during that time. Gershwin was born in Brooklyn in 1898 to a family of immigrants. He left school at the age of 15 in order to work as a “song plugger” (a pianist that demonstrated songs) on Tin Pan Alley (Hingley, 2013). He soon began to write his own pieces, and his first published song was “When You Want ‘Em, You Can’t Get “Em”; although this song was composed of new techniques, he only received five dollars (“George,”
I now realise that the Arts, including music, creates opportunities to engage, inspire and enrich our lives. Music making and responding can challenge, provoke responses and enrich our knowledge and understanding of ourselves, our communities and the world.
Our music industry would not be what it is today without one of America’s greatest music legends, Duke Ellington. He made major breakthroughs at a time when the odds were against him. He was born Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (1899-1974) (Tirro 1993). He was a natural and has many life achievements that have contributed to the genre of jazz. He was a catalyst in his era. His music spoke to the soul. He defied the odds with his musical accomplishments. It was not everyday blacks were awarded the opportunity to shine in America’s spot light.
With the new jazz sound that came blazing out of the roaring twenties came one of the greatest jazz musicians, Edward “Duke” Ellington. Duke Ellington played a big role in the fame of the Cotton Club and eventually persuaded the club to repeal its whites-only rule. Ellington had contributed to the jazz sound by creating a new style of performing band which he called the “Big Band” sound. Although he was a jazz musician he had a very different style and technique including the new setup style made him a hit for for his long lasting time at the Cotton Club. His uniqueness struck a chord with the people of Harlem and in our own history. The Cotton Club also featured performers like Cab Calloway, Adelaide Hall, Ethel Waters, and Earl “Snakehips” Tucker. These performers are the reason the Cotton Club had so many top revues and it stayed in business for years after the boom of the roaring
George Gershwin is one of the greatest influences to American music in the 20th century. His compositions can be found throughout the entertainment world, ranging from Broadway to motion pictures. Though he had a short career, George Gershwin's music continues to bring inspiration and delight almost sixty years later.
In 1923 one of Americas most prolific composers Clifton Williams was born in Traskwood, Arkansas. Later in the 1930’s Williams moved to Little Rock Arkansas and even though his family was having a hard time during the depression. Even through this Williams fared well in high school. during this time Williams learned to play the French horn, the piano and the mellophone . After high school Williams went to Louisiana Tech University where Williams studied composition for a year under
Count Basie, was born August 21, 1904 in Red Bank, New Jersey. He was a gifted pianist, bandleader, and composer. His mother was a pianist and his father was a mellophonist. His mother, not realizing that he would become an amazing pianist and bandleader, started off his journey by giving him his first piano lessons. Later on, William and his family moved to New York, where he was further influenced by James P. Johnson and Fats Waller. In New York, Waller taught Basie organ playing techniques. Further on in his life Count Basie had many top chart hits such as “One O’Clock Jump” and “Blue Skies” In the 1858 Grammy’s became the first African-American male represent of a Grammy Award. Throughout his career, he won many more. Not only was he a great composer and musician, but he was a good person who influenced many people's lives. This essay will outline the life of Count Basie and all of his
music while others had a taste for the old, more familiar styles. Ned Williams, who became Ellington’s publicist, commented on Ellington’s first performance at the Cotton
Duke formed his own music group called, The Duke’s Serenaders, in late 1917. Between 1918 and 1919, Duke made three important steps towards independence. First, he moved out of his parents home and into a home he bought for himself. Second, Duke became his own booking agent for his band. By doing that Duke’s band was able to play through out the Washington area and into Virginia for private society balls and embassy parties. Finally, Duke married Edna Thompson and on March 11, 1919, Mercer Kennedy Ellington was born.
He was a natural and has many life achievements that his contributed to the genre of jazz. Born in Washington, D.C., Ellington attended Armstrong Technical High School and played ragtime piano during his teenage years, modeling his technique on that of Washington’s black pianists. In 1917 he left high school before earning his diploma and worked a variety of day jobs while breaking into the music
Duke Ellington was one of many famous harlem renaissance celebrities. He was a very famous African american songwriter and musician. Born in washington dc in 1899, he was a very famous songwriter and musician for his time. Duke performed in his Jazz band called The washingtonians that primarily in the cotton club and located in new york. Dukes music was not just liked from the black community but also the white, causing a growing in popularity. Duke is most known for his famous pieces "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" and "Take the A Train." Duke had been given many honoraries and rewards such as 16 honorary doctorates, the president's gold medal, the medal of freedom, the french legion of honor, a star on the hollywood walk of fame,
Hampton University history, Samuel Chapman Armstrong. He was a key factor in the construction of Hampton, and everything that it is today. He was born in Maui, Hawaii. He attended Punahou school, and at the age of 21 moved to Massachusetts where he graduated from Williams college. After that, he spent his life advocating for equality, justice, and education. From his outstanding leadership in the military, to his valiant efforts in promoting the education of blacks, Armstrong proved himself to be a man of character.
Goldberg, Isaac. George Gershwin; a Study in American Music. New York: F. Ungar Pub. 1958. Print.
Edward Kenny Ellington was born on April 29, 1899 to James Edward Ellington and daisy Ellington in Washington dc. Edward was born in to a family of musician both of his parents played the piano. At the sage of seven he began taking piano lessons, by his teenage years he was already writing his own music.
Some of the most well known composers came to be in the in the classical music period. Ludwig van Beethoven was one of the composers, along with other greats of the time like Haydn and Mozart, which helped to create a new type of music. This new music had full rich sounds created by the new construction of the symphony orchestra.
Most of Gershwin's early childhood was spent playing sports, which he was good at, and it interested him. It wasn't until Gershwin was 12