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The Story of Jazz
As well as its spontaneity, Jazz fascinates millions of people through out the world with its unique style,
melody, and tempo. Who first invented jazz? And what cultural forces contributed to the formation of this modern
type of music? This short essay provides some answers.
1.
Music comes in many forms; most countries have a style of their own. Poland has its polkas. Hungary has its czardas.
Brazil is famous for the bossa nova, Caribbean countries for the merengue, and Argentina for the tango.The U.S.
is known for jazz, a completely original type of music that has gained world-wide popularity.
2.
Jazz is America¡¯s contribution to popular music. In contrast to classical music, which follows formal European traditions,
jazz is spontaneous and free-form. It bubbles with energy, expressing the moods, interests, and emotions of the people.
Brash, uninhibited, exciting, it has a modern sound. In the 1920¡¯s jazz sounded like America. And so it does today.
3.
The origins of this music are as interesting as the music itself. Jazz was invented by American Negroes, or blacks, as they are called today, who were brought to the Southern states as slaves. They were sold to plantation owners and forced to work long hours in the cotton and tobacco fields. This work was hard and life was short. When a Negro died his friends and relatives formed a procession to carry the body to the cemetery.
4.
A band often accompanied the procession. On the way to the cemetery the band played slow, solemn music suited to the occasion.
But on the way home the mood changed. Spirits lifted. Everybody was happy. Death had removed one of their number,
but the living were glad to be alive. The band played happy music, improvising on both the harmony and the melody
of the tunes presented at the funeral. This music made everyone want to dance. It was an early form of jazz. But
there were other influences, too.
5.
Music has always been important in Negro life. Coming mainly from West Africa, the blacks who were brought
to America already possessed a rich musical tradition. This music centered on religious ceremonies in which dancing,
singing, clapping, and stamping to the beat of a drum were important forms of musical and rhythmic expression.
As these people settled in to their new life in the plantations of the South, music retained its importance.
In the fields, they made up work songs. Singing made the hard work go faster. And as the people were converted
to Christianity, they composed lovely spirituals which have become a permanent part of American music.
6.
Another musical form which contributed to jazz was the blues. Blues songs always describe something sad---an unhappy
love affair, a money problem, bad luck. To this day, the expression ¡°feeling blue¡± means being sad or depressed.
7.
In fact, there was hardly any activity or social event that could not be set to music. Weddings, births, christenings,
funerals, picnics, parades¡ªall had their musical accompaniment.
8.
After the American Civil War (1861-1865), the Negroes had gained their freedom and were ready for a new type of music,
one that would preserve their musical traditions but be fast and happy to express their new-found freedom. They wanted
something they could play as professional musicians for both black and white audiences. Jazz was the answer.
It combined themes from Negro work songs, spirituals and blues, set to a fast beat, with the musicians improvising
as they went along, like the funeral marching bands. To be good, a musician had not only to remember his part but also
to be able to invent new variations on the spur of the moment.
9.
Jazz belongs to the people, but popular taste is changeable. Jazz had to keep up to date. Over the last half century it has changed many times in form, style, and tempo. Each change added something new.
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