Free Essays on Duke Ellington

DUKE ELLINGTON Duke Ellington is considered to be one of the greatest figures in the history of American music. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was born in Washington D.C. on April 29, 1899. His parents were James Edward and Daisy Kennedy Ellington. They raised Duke as an only child, until his sister, Ruth, was born when Duke was sixteen years old. Duke, even as a teenager had a great talent for music. In the beginning of his musical life, Duke began to take a promising interest in a new type of music that would later be called jazz. Choosing to base his career on a new idea may not have been smart, but Duke did take this chance and in turn became one of the most famous musicians in America. Duke’s first job was at a government office. He was a clerk who received the minimum wage and was barely getting by. He would arrange dance bands for weddings and parties for extra money. His mother taught him how to play the piano. Sometimes he put this knowledge to use and played at a few of the dance parties and weddings. After Duke’s first job, he became more interested in painting and the arts. For a few years he painted public posters. Duke then decided to put together his own band. At this point in his life things started to change for the better for Duke, but not for long. In those days, this new music was just beginning to develop and would later be given the name of jazz. In that time it was considered to be low and vulgar because it was music that grew directly out of the Black culture. In those early years, segregation was at one of its all time worst points in history. I think that is why Duke Ellington was one of the most important individuals to the growth and development of jazz. During Duke’s long career, the new music slowly spread out of bars and saloons, to dance and nightclubs and then eventually onto the concert stage. In time, jazz became a universally recognized form of art and has been said that it is t... Free Essays on Duke Ellington Free Essays on Duke Ellington Edward Ellington "The Duke" The style of jazz made famous by The Duke came to define a decade. He considered himself to be a composer and arranger, rather than just a musician. Although he was a gifted piano player, his orchestra was his real weapon. The Duke never could have imagined the impact his vision would have on the future of music. Duke began playing music professionally in Washington, D.C. in 1917. His piano technique was influenced by stride piano players like James P. Johnson, and Willie "The Lion" Smith. He first visited New York in 1922 playing with Wilbur Sweatman, but the trip was unsuccessful. He returned to New York again in 1923, but this time with a group of friends from Washington D.C. They worked for a while with banjoist Elmer Snowden until there was a disagreement over missing money. Ellington then became the leader. This group was called The Washingtonians. The Washingtonians worked at "The Hollywood Club" in Manhattan. During this time the trumpet player Bubber Miley joined the band, bringing with him his unique plunger mute style of playing. This sound came to be called the "Jungle Sound", and it was largely responsible for Ellington's early success. The group recorded their first record in 1924, but the band didn't hit the big time until after Irving Mills became their manager and publisher in 1926. In 1927 the band re-recorded versions of "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo," debuted "Black and Tan Fantasy" and "Creole Love Call", songs that would be associated with him the rest of his career. What really put Ellington's Orchestra over the top was becoming the house band at the Cotton Club after King Oliver unwisely turned down the job. Radio broadcasts from the club made Ellington famous across America and also gave him the financial security to assemble a top notch band that he could write music specifically for. This gave him a new sense of freedom and variety in his music. Ellingt... Free Essays on Duke Ellington DUKE ELLINGTON Duke Ellington is considered to be one of the greatest figures in the history of American music. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was born in Washington D.C. on April 29, 1899. His parents were James Edward and Daisy Kennedy Ellington. They raised Duke as an only child, until his sister, Ruth, was born when Duke was sixteen years old. Duke, even as a teenager had a great talent for music. In the beginning of his musical life, Duke began to take a promising interest in a new type of music that would later be called jazz. Choosing to base his career on a new idea may not have been smart, but Duke did take this chance and in turn became one of the most famous musicians in America. Duke’s first job was at a government office. He was a clerk who received the minimum wage and was barely getting by. He would arrange dance bands for weddings and parties for extra money. His mother taught him how to play the piano. Sometimes he put this knowledge to use and played at a few of the dance parties and weddings. After Duke’s first job, he became more interested in painting and the arts. For a few years he painted public posters. Duke then decided to put together his own band. At this point in his life things started to change for the better for Duke, but not for long. In those days, this new music was just beginning to develop and would later be given the name of jazz. In that time it was considered to be low and vulgar because it was music that grew directly out of the Black culture. In those early years, segregation was at one of its all time worst points in history. I think that is why Duke Ellington was one of the most important individuals to the growth and development of jazz. During Duke’s long career, the new music slowly spread out of bars and saloons, to dance and nightclubs and then eventually onto the concert stage. In time, jazz became a universally recognized form of art and has been said that it is t...

The Ignudi of Michelangelos Sistine Chapel Frescoes

The Ignudi of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Frescoes The Ignudi is the phrase coined by Michelangelo to describe the 20 seated male nudes he incorporated into the Sistine Chapel ceiling frescoes. These figures are interesting in that they do not fit the theme of the paintings, so their true meaning has been a mystery in the art world. Who Are the Ignudi? The word ignudi comes from the Italian adjective nudo, meaning naked. The singular form is ignudo. Michelangelo adopted the name The Ignudi for his 20 figures, giving it a new art-historical context. The youthful, athletic male figures are depicted in pairs of four. Each pair surrounds five center panels on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (there are nine panels in total). The ignudi appear on the panels: The Drunkenness of Noah, The Sacrifice of Noah, The Creation of Eve, The Separation of Land from Water, and The Separation of Light from Darkness. The ignudi  frame the biblical stories, one on each corner. A  pair of bronze-like medallions depicting scenes from the Old Testament rest between two of the figures along the outer edges. One of the medallions is left incomplete for unknown reasons. Each ignudo  is depicted in a relaxed pose that does not match the others. The figures are all seated and leaning on a variety of objects. In the earliest paintings, the ignudi  were in a similar pose to those in the same panel. By the time Michelangelo got to The Separation of Light from Darkness, the poses show no similarities. What Do the Ignudi Represent? Each ignudo represents the male human figure at its most idealized. They are painted in a sort of blending of ancient Classicism and modern naked superheroes (a topic about which Michelangelo could not have known). What adds to their intrigue is that none had anything at all to do with Bible stories. This leads people to question their meaning. Are they merely supporting characters in this detailed scene or do they represent something deeper? Michelangelo did not leave any clues as to the answer. Speculations include that the ignudi represent angels who oversaw the events depicted in the Bible scenes. Others believe that Michelangelo used the ignudi as representations of human perfection. Their physique is, after all, perfectly sculpted and their mannerisms have much more freedom than other figures in the frescoes. There is a possible meaning behind the objects surrounding the ignudi as well. Acorns are depicted with each ignudo  and many people believe these refer to Pope Julius II, Michelangelos patron. The pontiff was a member of the Della Rovere family as was his uncle Popes Sixtus IV who built the Sistine Chapel and for whom it was named. The Della Rovere name literally means of the Oak Tree and a tree is used on the Italian noble familys crest. The Controversy of the Ignudi One look at any of Michelangelos work in the Sistine Chapel reveals quite a bit of nudity. This was shocking to a number of people, including a pontiff or two. Its said that Pope Adrian VI did not enjoy the nudes whatsoever. When his papacy began in 1522, just ten years after the completion of the frescoes, he wanted them removed because he found the nudity vulgar. This did not come to fruition because he died in 1523 before any destruction could be done. Pope Pius IV did not target the ignudi specifically, but he did confront the chapels nudity. He had naked figures in The Last Judgment covered with fig leaves and loincloths to protect their decency. That occurred in the 1560s and during renovations to the artwork in the 1980s and 90s, restorers uncovered the figures to Michelangelos original state.