Neoclassicism And The Harlem Renaissance History Essay (Essay Sample)

QUESTION 2,3 & 5
MIDTERM ASSIGNMENT
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Question 2: Describe Duke Ellington’s career in the context of the Harlem Renaissance and then explain the influence of Jazz on Gershwin, Ravel, and Milhaud. Use specific musical examples.
The Harlem Renaissance is considered one of the most significant intellectual and artistic trends of the twentieth century. It was a movement in the 1920s where the African-Americans writers, artists, musicians and thinkers sought to embrace black heritage and culture. Duke Ellington who is considered one of the greatest Jazz composers of all time lived in this era and made an enormous impact in the popular music of the late twentieth century.
He was born Edward Kennedy Ellington but would later be known better as “Duke”. He started playing the piano as a child and by the time he was seventeen he played professionally securing a spot for his name in Washington. Duke Ellington began composing his own music in 1923 which saw him move to New York and he formed his own band – the Washingtonians. Garnering a following of its own, the band got an engagement at the Harlem’s famous Cotton Club. This provided a wider reach with larger audiences through radio and recordings.