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英语文化论文-爵士乐—二十世纪美国社会文化的一面镜子

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摘 要:爵士乐是19世纪末起源于南美新奥尔良的一种音乐形式。它以强劲而灵活的旋律为构架,在节奏与和音形式的基础上配合个人和集体的一种即兴表演。越到后来,爵士乐的风格越复杂,谐和。20世纪20年代到90年代,爵士乐发展得很快,并且在不同的时期有着不同的特点。作为美国的一种音乐形式,爵士乐反映了美国社会文化不同时期的情况。20世纪20年代时,爵士乐得到了初步的发展。爵士乐将非洲与欧洲的元素相结合,并融合成为新的文化,显示出了美国特有的音乐表现特色。爵士乐是一种纯的美国黑人音乐,因为在这个时期美国独占了这项艺术。在20世纪60,70年代,爵士乐有了新的发展,一些新的音乐元素融入到了爵士乐。这些融合是美国社会发展的结果,它显示了此时的美国已不在独占爵士乐这个舞台,爵士乐正在悄悄的走向世界。在这二十年里,爵士乐时而忧伤时而强劲的旋律以及令人绝望的歌词揭露了二战后动荡的美国社会和美国人矛盾的心情。到20世纪80,90年代时,几乎每个欧洲国家因为文化的差异都有了各自的爵士乐风格。美国社会与文化的多元发展带来了爵士乐的多元化,爵士乐的多元发展则展现了不同的文化与思想在美国的共存与发展。

关键词

美国社会;爵士乐;文化;反映
Abstract

Jazz originates from New Orleans of southern America at the end of 19th century, and is characterized by a strong but flexible rhythmic understructure with solo and ensemble improvisations on basic tunes and chord patterns and, more recently, a highly sophisticated harmonic idiom. In the 1920s-1990s, Jazz develops very fast, and in different periods Jazz has different characteristics. As a musical form of America, Jazz reflects the situation of American society and culture. In the 1920s, Jazz gets its first-step development and brings together elements from Africa and Europe. Jazz is a kind of pure American black music because in this period the United States monopolizes this art. In the 1960s-1970s, Jazz gets new development; some fresh elements are introduced into Jazz, which reveals that America artists do not monopolize the scene and Jazz is spread to the world quietly. Jazz’s sad and strong rhythm and disappointing lyrics reveals a confusing American society and Americans’ contradictory feelings after the Second World War. In the 1980s-1990s, it seems that each European country has its own style in Jazz for different cultural backgrounds. The melting-pot social and cultural environment brings about Jazz’s multi-elemental development. In turn, the multi-elemental development of Jazz demonstrates the coexistence and co-development of different cultures and ideas in America.

Key Words

America society; jazz; culture; reflection

Contents

Abstract I
Key Words I
摘 要 II
关键词 II
Introduction 1
I. Jazz- a Mirror of American Society and Culture in the 20th Century 3
A. Jazz in the 1920s 3
B. Jazz in the 1960s-1970s 5
C. Jazz in the 1980s-1990s 7
II. Jazz, Another Melting-Pot? 8
Conclusion 10
Acknowledgements 11
Bibliography 12


Introduction

Jazz is a treasure of American culture which originated from New Orleans of southern America at the end of 19th century. Compared to other music forms, it is a unique music form characterized by improvisational performance and changeable rhythm. In terms of the way of performance, Jazz isn’t only performed by solo but also by a group of people. And there is a great variety of musical instruments involved in the performance, like clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, and trombone and so on. In playing Jazz, the percussion instruments are also an important part, such as drum, double bass, and the piano. The entire musical instruments work together as if there is a party of sounds. Then the player makes an improvisational dealing with the timbre, cadence of the musical instruments. However, this is not enough; Jazz emphasizes more on player’s distinctive performance than Jazz itself. As a special music form, it also requests players to put their own musical mind and emotions into the performance. Only the sound from heart can make Jazz fantastic. Especially, its changeable rhythm always brings listeners into another world, and sometimes it is so wild like a strong howling, sometimes it is very soft as a weak patient. In addition, Jazz is also a free music form in which there is no certain rule, rhythm, or way of performance. Because of the characters mentioned above, it develops very fast in America and later sweeps the whole world.
Jazz brings together elements from Africa and Europe, and then made them an expression of music unique to America. And in the 20th century, it develops very fast and followed the development of American society. However, in different periods, Jazz has different characteristics, especially in the 1920s, 1960s, 197os, 1980s and 1990s. In these periods, Jazz replaces some popular music forms to be America’s mainstream popular music. To some extent, Jazz’s development witnesses the progress of American society and culture. In other words, its development may reflect the development of American society and culture. In this paper, three periods are taken as a clue to demonstrate the reflection function of Jazz. In the 1920s, Jazz gets its first-step development in America; it differs from other music and injects new blood for American music. Jazz is a kind of pure American music because in this period the United States monopolizes this art. Its popularity is not contingent, and the wild rhythm and improvisational ways of playing are its advantages. These advantages bring many listeners for it in which people can throw away all social conventions, rules and indulge themselves completely. Through it, disappointment and resistance are brought to players. The mood reflects people’s attitude towards life after the First World War. And, Louis Armstrong, the king of Jazz, expresses the depressive mood in his songs like Lonesome Road, On the Sunny Side of the Street, Hotter than That, Snake Rag. Then in the following few years, jazz gets some new developments, and Swing, Bebop, Cool Jazz and free Jazz appears one after another. And in the 1960s-1970s some fresh elements and new techniques are introduced into Jazz, making Jazz more powerful and advanced. Compared with Jazz in the 1920s, the requirement for players is improved. It changes the past playing ways of following certain rhythm, tone and accompany. Improvisation and personality is the main feature in this period. Its wild or soft rhythm impresses the audience greatly. After World WarⅡ, Americans lived a idle and scared life. Material spending becomes their only way of living, especially the young men have no ambition and passion as the war has exhausted their energy and vigor. Accordingly, Jazz in this period is filled with decadence and indulgence. The musician Miles Davis expresses the mood best in his music In a Silent Way. Meanwhile, the sentimental rhythm in Jazz, wild and strong, can also be the best demonstration. In the 1980s-1990s, with the development of American society, American musicians do not monopolize Jazz. It seems that each European country has its own style in Jazz for different cultural backgrounds. Jazz of this period is not a pure American music but a multi-elemental music of the whole world. In fact, this big change is just the result of the influence of pluralism in the society, and Jazz’s multi-elemental development is just the reflection of the multicultural development of American society and culture.


参考文献:
Broukal, Milada. More about The USA. 山东:山东科技出版社,2003.
Peter, Townsend. Jazz in American Culture. Co-published with Edinburgh University press, April, 2004.
端木义万.英美报刊阅读课程(高级本)[M].北京:北京大学出版社,2001.
端木义万.美国社会文化透视[M].南京:南京大学出版社,1999.
姜红.黑人音乐与美国非裔族群的自我表达[J].武汉理工大学学报,2006,(3).
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齐小波.美国文化研究导论[M].北京:北京大学出版社,2001.
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童苏,刘健. 爵士乐-一种“反诉”的音乐文化现象[J]. 徐州师范大学学报(哲学社会科学版), 2001,(4).
解芬.美国都市文化中的爵士乐[J]. 甘肃教育学院学报, 2002,(2).
语秦.爵士乐发展的绝境[J].甘肃教育学院学报,2002,(2).
张汉熙,王立礼.The Lost Generation, 高级英语(修订本第二册)[M].北京:外语教学与研究出版社,2000.
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作者点评:
爵士乐—二十世纪美国社会文化的一面镜子 - Conclusion

From the analysis, it is obvious that in spite of different characteristics in different periods of time and its multi-elemental development in the last few decades, Jazz, as a mirror of American society and culture in the 20th century, remains unchanged.
In recent years, technology helps Jazz improve itself in instruments of performance, recording equipments in the beginning, but end up destroying its original feature in the end, making Jazz lose its pure American uniqueness. However, as Frank Zappa once said “Jazz is not dead, it just smells funny” (Broukal 98), Jazz may not have been dead, but it is defiantly in a coma. In the future there are still great Jazz musicians standing out with fresh ideas and hot spirit. Although it is very likely that Jazz will not reach the artistic height it did in the 1920s-1970s, with the development of the society, it will become even more popular and be accepted by more people because of its multi-elemental and multi-cultural feature. Therefore, Milada Broukal makes a comment on the development of Jazz, “Jazz right now has hit the bottom of the bell curve and has nowhere to go but up” (Broukal 86).
Focusing mainly on US expression from the 1920s to 1970s, namely from the period of cultural efflorescence associated with the 1920s through the black revolution of the 1960s, Jazz witnesses two broad eras of turbulent political and artistic change during which different forms of art in American art circle influence one another in unexpected ways and by unexpected means, and during which Jazz music provides a key metaphor and soundtrack. And in the 1980s to 1990s, Jazz escapes the dark shadow of wars and has new meanings, which results from the development of science and technology and social progress, and takes on a tendency of multi-elemental development. In this sense, Jazz is the embodiment of American society and culture and its development and changes witness the progress of American society and culture. Jazz is not only a mirror of American society and culture but also is, in a large sense, a symbol of America. As for Americans, they have the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, and the great art, Jazz.

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