Swingin

’ In The 1930′S: A Decade Of Innovative Music Essay, Research Paper

Swingin’ in the 1930’s:

A decade innovative music

Thesis: Music of the 1930’s took an interesting ride with swing. It was not only a musical pastime, but a way of life; those who brought it to us, will live on forever.

Towards the beginning of the 1930’s, the nation was grasped by the effects of a Great Depression. The economy was on hold, but the music was not. As the 1930’s began to take shape, they gave birth to a new era of music. The melancholy sound of the early years of the Depression had left people in search of something revitalizing.

Around 1931, the Black bands, led by such greats as Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson, began to develop the Swing style which would not formally appear for another two years. Simply put, they began to change the make-up of the band, and the time of the pieces. For example, Ellington and Henderson were both responsible for transforming the rhythm section (piano, bass, drums, guitar). Until then, the rhythm section consisted of a piano, tuba, banjo, and drums. Ellington and Henderson took out the tuba and banjo and added a string base to the ensemble. With later advances in technology, the guitar was added to replace the banjo. In regards to time, the two leaders evened things out by taking the “march” time of 2/4 and added a more laid back, steady 4/4 time. (Erenberg, 29)

In addition to the change of the concept of the rhythm section and the

meter (time), the role of the bandleader himself became the foundation for

which he would select his ensemble. As with all bands, orchestras, and chamber ensembles, a conductor is always a necessary commodity. The “big bands” as the swinging bands were named, were previously led by a “conductor” of sorts. Taking a step towards the age of swing, the bandleaders became known for their instrumental abilities, as well as their conducting. In fact, groups began to be formed around the bandleader’s instrument. The bandleader became the most important aspect of the new big bands; however, the sidemen were of great value as well. Among the most famous swing songs ever written, is Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood,” which features two alto sax and two tenor sax solos by two of his sidemen. Without these soloists [sidemen], the Glenn Miller Orchestra would not have had the same success with “In the Mood.” (Simon, 4, 11)

Swing attracted the youth with it’s lively beats and it offerings of visions of freedom. Another large contributor to the attraction of the youth, was swing’s ability to make them dance. Such dances as the Charleston, Jitterbug, Lindy Hop, Shag, and Shim Sham filled the young people with the greatest feeling of “well-being.” All of the sudden, young people had a fun and safe thing to do that helped to integrate different ethnicities. On a side note, the dancing that attracted the masses, was frowned upon by such leaders as

Benny Goodman. He felt that they distorted the musical integrity of the bands,

yet as the bands played on, the dancers danced on. In fact, a doctor from the American Flying Services stated that swing had a large impact on the conditioning of pilots. (Stowe, 147)

Behind all major movements, there is a certain ideology. The ideology of swing was based on a yearn for “exceptionalism”, “ethnic pluralism”, and “democratic equality.” Many of the young people who took up the swing religion, completely ignored ethnic boundaries. Many dancers were white and many were black. Swing helped to create an acceptability amongst African-Americans, whites, and Spanish-Americans. This idea behind swing brought about such a response, that by 1940, many had attributed swing as being “America’s most distinctive contribution to the world’s musical culture.” However, this swing ideology took a dive at the sight of World War II. (Stowe, 142-143)

In Germany during the 1930’s, the radio was among the most useful ways to spread Nazi propaganda. However, even the Germans got tired of hearing the same mono-tonic propaganda over the waves all the time. Joseph Goebbels, German minister of propaganda at the time, announced that air waves used only for entertainment would be acceptable. Of course, the ethnic acceptability that swing brought with it remained the “antithesis” (conflict) of the Reich. When the war finally came to life, the German policy towards swing

changed. They figured that by giving the people what they wanted, the Reich

would gain supporters. They actually took certain swing pieces and changed the lyrics to accommodate both the mass of swingers and the Nazi propaganda. Anti-Semitic slurs were not uncommon among these new lyrics. (Bergmeier and Lotz, 136, 144)

While the Germans were working on using swing to spread propaganda, bandleaders in America were using swing to keep the hearts of millions of

Americans alive. Among the most prolific American bandleaders at the time

was clarinetist Benny Goodman. He is often referred to as the “Pied Piper of Swing.” He got his start in the jazz scene in 1926, and in 1934 he formed a band of his own. Among his many works during his career included his swing show “Let’s Dance” on NBC in 1935. Benny Goodman would later go on to achieve huge success with his swing-defining, “Sing, Sing, Sing.” As did most of the bandleaders of

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