Music: Jazz
In the Community of Harlem, Blacks had many traditions that were their own, especially music. Harlem was a capital for African- Americans and was known for its livelihood. Many blacks made a living, performing in clubs, playing jazz, dancing , and even singing to crowds of people. There was new appreciation for African - Americans' culture and traditional ways. During the Harlem Renaissance, Music was a way to express their pride in who they were and their community. Blacks could be looked at in a different light, creating a great amount of self- worth in themselves. During the 1920s, the mass migration of African Americans, also led to a great amount of musicians, entering Harlem too. Jazz even became popular with whites, such as Benny Goodman, a famous jazz musician. Jazz was so influential, it brought, otherwise enemies, together as one. Music was something that both races could share.
Literature:
In the Harlem Renaissance there were an extravagant amount of serious writers and intellectuals. Some popular writers and poets were Langston Hughes, W.E.B. Dubois, and Zora Neale Hurston, and there were plenty, plenty more."Many scholars think of the Harlem Renaissance as the moment African American literature first came into its own: a rebirth of literature as an African American space. Which was a pretty major deal, especially when you consider that the 1920s weren't so long after slavery was abolished. " (Shmoop) African Americans could express their thoughts in a more viral way, to let everyone know what they were thinking, or how they felt on a topic,and letting the world know it. Many black leaders also wrote books, instructing their followers on their movements and beliefs. Literature was an opportunity to come together and have the same mind set so that the African American culture could thrive and succeed. Magazines like The Crisis, published by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Negro World, the newspaper of Marcus Hervey's Universal Negro Improvement Association, played a major role in connecting with the black community.
In the Community of Harlem, Blacks had many traditions that were their own, especially music. Harlem was a capital for African- Americans and was known for its livelihood. Many blacks made a living, performing in clubs, playing jazz, dancing , and even singing to crowds of people. There was new appreciation for African - Americans' culture and traditional ways. During the Harlem Renaissance, Music was a way to express their pride in who they were and their community. Blacks could be looked at in a different light, creating a great amount of self- worth in themselves. During the 1920s, the mass migration of African Americans, also led to a great amount of musicians, entering Harlem too. Jazz even became popular with whites, such as Benny Goodman, a famous jazz musician. Jazz was so influential, it brought, otherwise enemies, together as one. Music was something that both races could share.
Literature:
In the Harlem Renaissance there were an extravagant amount of serious writers and intellectuals. Some popular writers and poets were Langston Hughes, W.E.B. Dubois, and Zora Neale Hurston, and there were plenty, plenty more."Many scholars think of the Harlem Renaissance as the moment African American literature first came into its own: a rebirth of literature as an African American space. Which was a pretty major deal, especially when you consider that the 1920s weren't so long after slavery was abolished. " (Shmoop) African Americans could express their thoughts in a more viral way, to let everyone know what they were thinking, or how they felt on a topic,and letting the world know it. Many black leaders also wrote books, instructing their followers on their movements and beliefs. Literature was an opportunity to come together and have the same mind set so that the African American culture could thrive and succeed. Magazines like The Crisis, published by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Negro World, the newspaper of Marcus Hervey's Universal Negro Improvement Association, played a major role in connecting with the black community.
Art:
Before the Harlem Renaissance, African American artists, rarely, if not never focused primarily on African culture.During the 1920's black artists began using styles that demonstrated black aesthetic traditions of Africa or folk art. Folk art is rooted in traditions that come from community and culture. As African art became more popular in the Western art circles, African models became more important for black American artists. Harlem nightlife especially,having dancing clubs and jazz bands were usually in the work of artists. African Americans were pushed to celebrate their heritage and to become "The New Negro", this term used by Alain LeRoy Locke." '...Our problem is to conceive, develop, establish an art era. Not white art painting black...let's bare our arms and plunge them deep through laughter, through pain, through sorrow, through hope, through disappointment, into the very depths of the souls of our people and drag forth material crude, rough, neglected. Then let's sing it, dance it, write it, paint it. Let's do the impossible. Let's create something transcendentally material, mystically objective. Earthy. Spiritually earthy. Dynamic.' - Aaron Douglas " Blacks expressed themselves not only through art, but through their persistence. They found anyway to left their voice and thoughts be heard. Art, provided African Americans the pride they needed to see their worth, and richness. Art was an escape, it was an escape from the madness going on in their life, just to see the light. Art, gave African Americans the room to breath again and have their own distinction.
Cited Work:
"African American Art: Harlem Renaissance." African American Art: Harlem Renaissance. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2014.
Hilliard, Kenneth B. "89.01.05: The Impact of the Music of the Harlem Renaissance on Society." 89.01.05: The Impact of the Music of the Harlem Renaissance on Society. Yale University, n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2014.
Hutchinson, George. "The Legacy." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2014.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Harlem Renaissance Literature." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 23 Dec. 2014.
Urton, Robin. "Eyeconart: The Harlem Renaissance." Eyeconart: The Harlem Renaissance. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2014.
"African American Art: Harlem Renaissance." African American Art: Harlem Renaissance. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2014.
Hilliard, Kenneth B. "89.01.05: The Impact of the Music of the Harlem Renaissance on Society." 89.01.05: The Impact of the Music of the Harlem Renaissance on Society. Yale University, n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2014.
Hutchinson, George. "The Legacy." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2014.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Harlem Renaissance Literature." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 23 Dec. 2014.
Urton, Robin. "Eyeconart: The Harlem Renaissance." Eyeconart: The Harlem Renaissance. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2014.