Rydel And Ellington: A Short Story

Duke Ellington is considered to be one of the greatest figures in the history of

college. Even though she might have grown up with a hard life, she fought for different ways to

to the utmost of his dreams. At such a crucial time in the history of

Duke Ellington was a famous African American musician. He was a very important figure in African American history. In the following we will be talking about his life. Talking about what Duke Ellington accomplished. Finally will be his legacy. I hope by the end of this you will see Duke Ellington like how I see him a legend in African American history. Duke Ellington was born on April 29, 1899 to James and Daisy Ellington in Washington D.C. When he was seven is when he began to study how to play the piano. He worked at Soda Jerk at a young age that inspired him to write his first song "Soda Fountain Rag'' when he was 15. He went to Strongman High School but when he graduated, he declined a scholarship to Pratt Institute so he could focus on

She arrives to her house where she is there greeted with two letters. One says Hampton University and the other is Georgia State. Out of excitement she opens both the first one being the Hampton University one, which revealed she was accepted. She becomes increasingly happy, then she open the second letter. This one she feels a bit nervous about because it’s somewhere farther away and would be a new experience.

Duke Ellington was a musical and political genius; he was “America’s only original musical mind.” He was not only a performer, but a composer. He learned the craft of composing by observing others instead of disciplined study. One important factor of Ellington’s music was its relation to black heritage and African American history. His symphony “Black, Brown, and Beige” displayed the African American struggle in America. Not only did Ellington use his music to portray the struggle, voice, and triumph of black Americans, he used his professionalism, originality, persuasiveness, and political performances.

She went on to graduate high school and attend a community college. Family problems were beginning to be too much by then so she decided to seek solace from her English professor. The conversation resulted in her moving in with her professor; this had a critical impact on her life. Her professor provided a stable home and encouraged her to pursue writing at a four-year university.

Duke Ellington is one of the most influential jazz figures. Although, he preferred to call his genre of play “American Music” rather than jazz. He and his band were known for creating very distinctive styles of music which influenced much of the Western music. Ellington earned much recognition and given rewards for feats in his lifetime.

Duke Ellington was an American jazz bandleader, composer, and pianist. He is thought of as one the greatest figures in jazz. The French government honored him with their highest award, the Legion of Honor, while the government of the United States awarded him with the highest civil honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He played for the royalty and for the common people and by the end of his fifty-year career, he had played over 20,000 performances worldwide. He was the Duke, Duke Ellington.

Duke Ellington's pre-eminence in jazz is not only because of the very high aesthetic standard of his output and not simply due to his remarkable abilities as a pianist, composer and bandleader, but also to the fact that he has extended the boundaries of jazz more than any other musician, without abandoning the true essence of the music. Perhaps no other American musician left such a massive and challenging legacy in composition and performance.

Duke Ellington, the legendary jazz pianist, said that a problem is a chance to do your best, and I agree with him. When people learn from their problems, it can help them in many ways. They can learn how to do things better in the future, they can learn more about themselves and what they like or dislike, and they can even be used to help someone who is having trouble with the same issue(s).

The Harlem Renaissance was an era full of life, excitement, and activity. The world in all aspects was in gradual recovery from the depression. The world of music was

Edward “Duke” Kennedy Ellington was born April 29, 1899 in Washington, D.C. Duke Ellington was born into a typical family with average income and growing up, the future musician was home-schooled by his parents. His father James Edward Ellington and mother Daisy Kennedy Ellington were both pianist. His father played operatic arias while parlor songs were his mother’s first choice. It is an interesting fact that Duke is not actually Ellington’s name, but it is only his nickname, which children gave him when he was a little boy for his aristocratic manners and the ability to dress elegant things. When Duke was seven years old, he began his piano training and took lessons from Marietta Clinkscales. (Ruhlmann) Duke

Pride had also entered into her character as she explained her smiling soreness, as she "had taken to smiling more often and [her] jaws hurt from the unaccustomed activity;" (835). "As a member of the winning team (the graduating class of 1940)" (835) she was moving headfirst toward the future. It was obvious that she was delighted that she had accumulated a plethora of achievements displayed with colored stars on the bulletin board. Even though Henry Reed had been awarded valedictorian, "instead of being disappointed [she] was pleased that [they] shared top honors" (836). A sense of approval flowed though her and she was genuinely and deservedly happy; "she was headed for the freedom of open fields" (835).

The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement and the enlightenment of black minds as a whole. This movement sparked the minds of many leaders such as Marcus Garvey, W.E.B Dubois, and Langston Hughes, these men would also come to be known as the earliest Civil Rights activists. While Garvey and Dubois expressed their views in speeches and rallies Hughes had a different approach and chose to articulate his thoughts and views through literature more specifically poetry. Through his poetry, Hughes became a world renown poet for such works as “Let America Be America Again”, “Harlem” and “I Too” taken from his first book “The Weary Blues.” These poems while written and inspired by the everyday struggles of being an African-American were arguably targeted at white Americans. Hughes wrote a majority of his work during the Harlem Renaissance and as a result focused on “injustice” and “change” in the hopes that society would recognize their mistake and reconcile, but in order for this to happen he would have to target the right audience.