Jazz History

Moxi (Moses) Wen

History 204

5/25/2017

Pepperdine University
 Although I have been playing piano for as long as I can remember, I only have

had limited exposure to Jazz Music. Therefore, I have always wanted to learn more about

the art of jazz, especially its harmonies, chromaticism, and improvisation. Luckily, I am

fortunate enough to live in America, where jazz was born. In this paper, I will trace the

historical developments of Jazz, and the various effects it has had on the American

Culture. Additionally, I would like to show you my favorite jazz composers and their

pieces.

Popular music in the 20th century played an important role in the musical culture

of the United States, where waves of immigration and westward expansion created a rich

and diverse musical culture. Nearly all popular music of the United States in the 20th

century could trace its roots to elsewhere, and often to numerous different places, because

musical styles have constantly absorbed influences from different parts the world. The

resulting diversity of this country makes it difficult to summarize Jazz music in a few

pages. This diversity could also be an outcome of technological advancements. In fact,

technology has made transmission of music so fast that any style of music could quickly

become global in its reach. Additionally, through recordings, what had been known only

through oral tradition could now be transmitted in no time.

To begin, I would like to discuss Hymnody and its legacy. Most musicologist

associate Hymnody to Europeans who came to North American from the 16th century and

onward. Most of these early immigrants were searching for economic prosperity,

religious freedom, or some combination of the two. Beside the Quakers (who do not use

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music in their worship services)1, virtually all of these religious groups continued the

European tradition of sacred music. In fact, the first book printed in British North

America was the Bay Psalm Book. It was a collection of metrical Psalm texts intended to

be sung. Intriguingly, the earliest editions of the book contained no notated music,

because the congregation for whom it was intended already knew these tunes by heart.2

In a sense, the lack of notation created opportunities to improvise.

Later, in the 18th century, another style of hymnody emerged. This form of

singing was inspired by William Billings The New England Psalm Singer and similar

collections.3 This tradition required a leader to cue the congregation by lining out each

line of text in advance, creating a call and response texture. These Hymnody traditions

were soon adopted by the African-American Slaves. In fact, in 1867, three northern

abolitionists published Slave Song of the United States.4 This was an important document

for the preservation of African-American religious songs from the antebellum era.

Although many of these songs would come to be known as spirituals or gospels, the

terms were not exclusively limited to African-American culture. Both Caucasian and

African-American religious hymns sounded similar in nature during the height of the

third Great Awakening. Individual churches, however, remained segregated, and so

practices varied widely.

1
Kenneth L. Carroll, "SINGING IN THE SPIRIT IN EARLY QUAKERISM." Quaker
History 73, no. 1 (1984): 1, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41947005 (accessed May 25, 2017).
2
Mark Bonds, A History of Music in Western culture, 4th ed, (Boston: Pearson, 2013),
603.
3
Ibid.
4
Ibid.

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 Styles that developed largely through oral traditions found new audiences in the

early 20th century via media of sound recordings, radio and printed music. Audiences that

were previously unfamiliar with styles such as Ragtime and Blues now had more

opportunities to enjoy them. One important style that influenced the development of Jazz

was Ragtime. Ragtime, which grew out of the unwritten traditions of African-American

dances, flourished near the turn of the 19th century. This style of music typically used

duple meter and was based on units of 8 or 16 measures.5 Syncopation, a device that

places melodies on off-beats, was prevalent throughout Ragtime, and it was used to

contrast the steady bassline. One master from the Ragtime Era was Scott Joplin.

Although he was not the first African-American composer, nor was he the first composer

of Ragtime, he was definitely the most famous Ragtime composer. In fact, many of us

probably recognize his tune from The Entertainer. Joplin was quite particular in how his

music should be played. In 1908, he noted the following: it is evident that, by giving

each note its proper time and by scrupulously observing the ties, you will get the effect.

So many are careless in these respects. Play slowly until you catch the swing, and never

play ragtime fast at any time.6 Like all new music, ragtime was met with considerable

resistance. Some people complained about its syncopated rhythms and the supposedly

loose morals of those who played it and listened to it. This view is similar to the common

perception of modern-day electronic music.

5
Mark Bonds, A History of Music in Western culture, 4th ed, (Boston: Pearson, 2013),
604.
6
Scott Joplin, The School of Ragtime (New York: Author, 1908).

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 Another important force in American music was the broad repertory of music

known as the Blues. Although Blues can be viewed as a genre on its own, it is more

recognized for its enormous impact on the development of Jazz. By definition, the text of

Blues is a lament that bemoans poverty, social injustice, fatigue, or, most famously of all,

lost love.7 This type of song originated in the South among formerly enslaved African

Americans and their descendants. William Christopher Handy was the first to establish a

reputation as a blues composer of this kind. Born in Florence, Alabama, Handy was the

son of recently emancipated slaves. In his autobiography, Handy described a period of his

life where he was homeless in St. Louis. There, he took on a series of menial jobs and

experienced the St. Louis Blues, which was one of the earliest published Blues works

and among the most frequently recorded works of its kind. I have always imagined that

a good bit of that hardship went into the making of St. Louis Blues he noted. I like to

think that the song reflects a life filled with hard times as well as good times.8

The rhythmic liveliness of Ragtime, combined with the use of expressive

chromaticism of the blues, were particularly important forces in the development of Jazz.

The term Jazz or jass has been used to cover an extremely diverse range of music

styles. Therefore, it is almost pointless to find a precise meaning of the word. The famous

trumpeter Louis Armstrong once answered the question What is Jazz? by saying,

Man, man, if you gotta ask, youll never know. 9 Although Armstrongs answer seemed

7
Mark Bonds, A History of Music in Western culture, 4th ed. (Boston: Pearson, 2013),
607.
8
W.C Handy, Father of the Blues: An Autobiography, ed. Arna Bontemps (New York:
Macmillan, 1941), 28.

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vague, it provided a revealing aspect of Jazz. That is, the term Jazz should not be defined

or confined by a list of specific musical characteristics, but rather, a method or attitude. In

this sense, Jazz is not seen as a what, but as a how. To clarify, Jazz is not so much a style

of playing; but rather, it is an approach towards music that embraces improvisation,

rhythmic freedom, and the idea that music lives in the performance, rather than in the

form of a written score.

Like Ragtime, Jazz originated in the largely unwritten tradition of African-

American dance and song. Additionally, Jazz combined with other influences such as

marching band music, Hymnody to create a sense of purity of expression, spontaneous

and flow. Although Jazz developed in many places in the early 20th century, New Orleans

is generally regards as the center for this kind of music. Furthermore, it was there that

Louis Armstrong grew up and learned to play the cornet and trumpet under Joe Oliver.

Together they developed an intricate duet style that sounded improvised but was in fact

carefully planned.10 Armstrong often played in an ensemble that typically consisted of

cornets, piano, clarinet, and drums. This was typical of Dixieland jazz, which was a style

that had developed in the early years of the 20th century. Moreover, a typical Dixieland

style has the continuous succession of soloists or main theme, each of whom improvises

on at least one unit of the 12 bar Blues chorus.11

One of my favorite example to what I consider to be Classic Jazz is Duke

Ellingtons It Dont Mean a Thing (If It Aint Got That Swing). It was written in the

10
Mark Bonds, A History of Music in Western culture, 4th ed. (Boston: Pearson, 2013),
612
11
Ibid.

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Swing Era of the 1930s and 1940s. One reason I like this song is its avoidance of

cadences and downbeats. It feels like the song is always moving and it reminds me how

lively music can be, which contrasts the dramatic and sorrowful longing of Chopins

Ballades (which I also love and enjoy).

Currently, my favorite Jazz influenced pianist and composer is Nikolai Kapustin.

Ironically, he was not born or raised in America; rather, he was born in Ukraine. His

compositions are a synthesis of jazz and classical music. Since the mid-1980s, Kapustin

has dedicated himself almost entirely to composing; he has composed over 150 works,

including 8 concert etudes, 12 piano sonatas, and 6 piano concertos. All of his music

reveals his love of jazz and his technical dexterity. It is interesting to note that Kapustin

has repeatedly denied that he is a jazz composer.12 For Kapustin, the center of jazz

revolves around improvisation. He has been rather explicit about the fact that he does not

improvise. Instead, he writes and revises his compositions many times. Kapustin wants

his compositions to be consistent whenever and wherever they are performed. As a result,

he believes that this violates the essence of jazz. However, this has not kept his music

from becoming popular. In fact, artists such as Marc-Andre Hamelin and Steven Osborne

have recorded and performed his music in recent years.13 Personally, I love to play

Kapustins Concert Etudes, especially etude No.6. Although No. 6, Pastoral, has the

simplest structure among Kapustins eight etudes, it is the most fun to play because it is

12
Martin Anderson. "Anderson Meets Kapustin: Compiled by Onno van Rijen."
Kapustin's Page. Fanfare. 29 Dec 2000. Accessed 28 Oct 2010.
http://home.wanadoo.nl/ovar/sovrev/kapustin/anderson.htm.
13
Steve Osborne. Liner notes. Nikolai Kapustin Piano Music. CD. (Hyperion Records,
2000).

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virtuoso, happy and alive. The melody is syncopated and simple. Yet, at times, it creates

an explosive urgency that is tremendously satisfying.

To conclude, Jazz is considered as one of the most influential types of music

American history. However, I think that is an understatement. I firmly believe Jazz is

more than a style of music. Without Jazz, I cant image that I can connect with great

musicians such as Scott Joplin, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Kapustin, as well

as experience the diverse culture in America. It has the magical ability to connect people

across the globe and time.

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 Bibliography

Anderson, Martin. "Anderson Meets Kapustin: Compiled by Onno van Rijen." Kapustin's

Page. Fanfare. 29 Dec 2000. Accessed 28 Oct 2010.

http://home.wanadoo.nl/ovar/sovrev/kapustin/anderson.htm.

Bonds, Mark. A History of Music in Western Culture. New Jersey: Person Education,

2006.

Carroll L. Kenneth. "SINGING IN THE SPIRIT IN EARLY QUAKERISM." Quaker

History 73, no. 1 (1984). Accessed May 25, 2017.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/41947005

Handy, W.C. Father of the Blues: An Autobiography, ed. Arna Bontemps. New York:

Macmillan, 1941.

Joplin, Scott. The School of Ragtime. New York: Author, 1908.

Osborne, Steve. Liner notes. Nikolai Kapustin Piano Music. CD. Hyperion Records,

2000.