Music of the Harlem Renaissance
Jazz
Jazz bands usually consist of brass and woodwind instruments, with trumpets, trombones, and saxophones playing lead parts. The rhythm section of the band is composed of one drum set and one bass. It also usually has a guitar and/or piano. Jazz music is particularly characterized by intricate leads and accidentals, which are notes outside of a given key. It also consists of complex chords, involved and highly syncopated rhythms, and 12 or 32-bar phrases. Throughout the music there are many solos, which are completely improvised. Because of this, jazz was considered to be “music for experts.”
Big Band and Swing
Because of the absence of
microphones, musicians chose to increase the size of their bands to increase
their sound. This led to the emergence of Big Bands and Swing bands, where
both generally consisted of twelve to sixteen members. To a
void
creating a chaotic sound, many musicians hired composers and arrangers.
Musicians like Duke Ellington, however, chose to compose and arrange their own
music. Due to the pre-composed music, there was little room for
improvisation in Big Band and Swing music. The horn component of the band,
however, was often able to loosely improvise during their solos.