Biography on Harlem Renaissance Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Biography on Harlem Renaissance - Research Paper Example The most peculiar aspect of the Harlem Renaissance was that it was ushered in by African American thinkers, artists, writers and musicians who evinced a prominent predilection towards the quintessential African American culture and heritage (Kramer & Russ 10). Harlem Reniassance was particularly marked by a distinct shift towards a self confident and strongly embracing notion of the racial pride and ethnic identity, which metamorphosed into remarkable cultural, artistic and literary achievements (Kramer & Russ 47). Harlem Renaissance evinced an effervescent and zealous interest in the black history and cultural moorings amongst the African American middle class. One of the salient objectives of the Harlem Renaissance was an honest portrayal of the African American talent and heritage through art, literature, music and thought. The objective of the central ideals eschewed by the Harlem Renaissance was to attempt a serious portrayal of the overall African American experience in its tot ality. The aim was to resuscitate and rescue a deliberately impaired collective psychology and to remould and revive a social perspective that got utterly warped over decades (Kramer & Russ 47). Harlem Renaissance had a marked influence on the African American musical heritage and the jazz music of the era flouted the conventional notions to voluntarily opt for improvisation and syncopated rhythms. Harlem Renaissance and Music It goes without saying that no one single aspect of the Harlem Renaissance played such an important role in influencing and shaping the American and world cultural landscape as the Jazz music (Wintz 183). Strongly favouring improvised solos and syncopated rhythms, the Jazz music of those times tended to be strongly averse to the many established musical conventions (Wintz 183). The composer of those times commanded such a strong following that people thronged in on a continual basis to listen to and appreciate their compositions. Yet, the remarkable thing abou t these compositions was that owing to a strong bend towards improvisation, no two performances of a single composition tended to be same. The musicians and singers of the era not only revived and invigorated the jazz music, but played a pivotal role in shaping and consolidating many new musical traditions. The musicians of those days played a major role in transforming the African American music and culture. The breath taking and engrossing pouring of the remarkable jazz compositions rendered by the musicians and singers of the Renaissance, happened to be a direct and emphatic expression of the hardships and travails faced by the African Americans in a racially divided South and an utterly severe urban North (Wintz 183). Harlem Renaissance attracted the public attention towards a musical tradition that would have utterly been lost or never contrived. In that context the Harlem Renaissance popularized the musical style of the African Americans amongst diverse cultures and racial gro ups. The salient composer of the era blended the poetry contrived by the African