Popular Music: Styles

Jazz and Blues, created by African-Americans, were developed at the turn of the century. It spurned from ex-slaves who sang work songs filled with imagery, love, and irony while offering relief from the realities of their lives. Jazz truly sprouted in New Orleans, yet spread rapidly around the world. These jazz musicians were never highly paid due to their race, but jazz was widely used in commercial endeavors. Big bands were the response to this commercialization of jazz. Prohibition in 1919 really encouraged the spread of jazz. People flocked to speakeasies to escape the restriction, and the music there was just as free of inhibition.

Listen to the example below:

World Wars I and II also spurred a new group of popular music, as did the Vietnam War in later years. Music in the popular realm often deals with society’s ills in a manner that allows the musician to speak his/her mind without dealing with the ramifications of political backlash. Wording would be changed to something different than what was intended, much like a code. However, the message was still heard by many. 

Broadway as we know it today had its roots in Vaudeville and Burlesque. The combination of singing, dancing, and acting was a new realm that had not been addressed or applied in previous centuries, at least not to this extent. It has proven to be one of the most popular forms of music today. Other popular forms include swing, country, bluegrass, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, metal, and hip-hop.  

Technology has completely changed the world of music not only by creating new methods of recording and new forms of employment, but also by creating new instruments like the electric guitar.