Jazz Music During the Industrial Revolution

Jazz Music during the Industrial Revolution

The American Industrial Revolution included major changes in technology, manufacturing, agriculture, transport and music. The arts were maintained and enhanced as the economy was improving. Significantly, the history of jazz began in the late 1800s along with the Industrial revolution. Jazz was a type of music that has originated in the United States. Also, jazz music greatly impacted the Industrial Revolution era.

Initially, jazz originated from the Atlantic slave trade that brought Africans from West Africa. The Africans had a strong tribal of musical traditions with them and they started to develop their own music, jazz. The unique rhythm and improvising created the jazz music. The African-American people used instruments such as banjo, piano and violin. Jazz music was often played in a drinking and dancing atmosphere.

Early jazz was developed among African Americans in the 1880s. Then, it was fully developed in New Orleans at the beginning of the 1900s. New Orleans style jazz became known from the city’s own musical traditions and mostly street parades. But now, this type of jazz is called classic jazz, traditional jazz or Dixieland jazz. New Orleans was the musical home of many jazz musicians (Jazz History).

Rapidly, jazz was spread from New Orleans to other states. Many jazz musicians from New Orleans left to spread the great music. Music was seen less as an occupation and more as a calling. Women found more opportunities for musical expression, especially as performers, but social and cultural barriers still limited their participation as musicians.

At the time, home life was centered in the salon or parlor, where children played and learned with adult supervision, and where the family entertained company. Musical performances for small groups of people became popular events, and some jazz musicians were able to support themselves financially by performing in these small venues and attracting wealthy patrons.

With the rise of entertainment of family life, music education became increasingly important. Children were often taught to play musical instruments as part of a well-rounded education. For many parents, helping their children to play an instrument was more important than helping them read. When guests would visit, the children and teenagers would entertain with performances of their jazz music (Nineteenth-Century Music). The most important musical instrument for jazz was the piano because it was useful as both a solo instrument and as accompaniment to a group of singers or instrumentalists. To accommodate home use, smaller pianos were created. Small pianos took up less space and they were also less expensive. With the technological advances of the Industrial Revolution, the mass manufacturing of musical instruments provided an endless supply of musical instruments for the huge markets of both the United States and Europe. The piano remained as a central component of domestic life until it was replaced by the phonograph, radio, and television in the twentieth century (Nineteenth-Century Music).

As jazz musicians increased, the band sizes increased. Clubs became more popular among the public. The demand for clubs increased as the awareness of popular bands and artists increased. Consequently, the entertainment industry boomed. In the 1920 alone, 150 million records were sold. Radios and the record industry worked together like a charm. The radios played the tunes then people bought the tunes they enjoyed. However, the massive boom led to a massive bust in 1929, called the Wall Street Crash. People couldn’t buy records anymore but the radio was always free. It unified the people and musicians as they listened to the same thing at the same time (Jazz History).

The work places for many musicians through the depression were the clubs and bars. One of the causes of the depression was that people spent too much money on alcohol. People just wanted to drink and dance their troubles away. Then, President Roosevelt realized the careless spending and placed tax on drinks. People were discouraged from going to the clubs and the depression began to mend. However, musicians were forced to find work in other places. Many moved to New York or Chicago, finding jobs in dance halls and on radio. The depression forced musicians to the big cities, bringing them all together. Musicians became easier to find and bands got much bigger (Essential of Music). In conclusion, jazz music influenced dance, clothing styles, radio, the recording industry and many other aspects of our lives. Jazz music was essential to the economic development during the American Industrial Revolution. People were happy with the music and it provided great entertainment for the families. Many instruments were invented and produced during that time and the development of jazz music was a dramatic change from the classical and romantic era. Nowadays, it has spread over the entire world and its influence can be seen everywhere.