Swing Music Essay

Music, a defining aspect of Human culture for centuries, is influenced heavily by the social institutions of the time. This can be most evident in “pop”, short for “popular”, music. Music is a demonstrative language of culture. It tells a story, conveys ideas, opinions, and emotions of life experiences. Music has the power to link generations. In recent history such themes include Jazz and blues, the Big Band era, country, rap, and various other genres of music. Each of these classes of music are drawn from and represent the particular culture and time of the background of the artist or the events that inspired it.
Jazz first originated in the early 1900s. Jazz didn’t just miraculously emerge as the defining music of the time however. It was a product of various emotions and cultures that reflected the attitude of society that manifested into jazz. Jazz was an improvisation. The 1920s is most commonly thought of as the jazz age as a result of how renowned it became. The improvisational character of the music reflected the relaxed social codes, and loose morals of the time. Furthermore, Jazz is most often associated with the changing role of
This lasted from the early 1930s to the late 1940s, through the Great Depression, and World War Two. While similar to jazz, swing is more up-beat and carries a more definite rhythm. It helped guide us through the Great Depression, World War II and the post-war recession. Although the music differentiated from the attitude and lifestyles of most people due to economic recession and war, it only enhances the representation of perseverance across America. In both swing and jazz the beat and tempo of the music is primarily what gave such life to the music and resulted in their rise in popularity. However, music is also very connected to the roots of the composer, and this is often shown through their