The city is famous for its festivals, foods, and, especially, its music. New Orleans' unusual history, its unique outlook on life, its rich ethnic and cultural makeup, and the resulting cultural interaction set the stage for development and evolution of many distinctive traditions. New Orleans did not have mono cultural ghettos like many other cities. Charles and Napoleon avenues, while poorer families of all races who served those who were better off often lived on the smaller streets in the centers of the larger blocks. For instance, wealthier families occupied the new spacious avenues and boulevards uptown, such as St. In the city, people of different cultures and races often lived close together (in spite of conventional prejudices), which facilitated cultural interaction. Many were educated in France and played in the best orchestras in the city. Creole of color musicians were particularly known for their skill and discipline. Creoles of color were people of mixed African and European blood and were often well educated craft and trades people. An early example was the city's relatively large and free "Creole of color" community. This rich mix of cultures in New Orleans resulted in considerable cultural exchange. The concentration of new European immigrants in New Orleans was unique in the South. Many German and Irish immigrants came before the Civil War, and the number of Italian immigrants increased afterward. These settlements extended the city boundaries and created the "uptown" American sector as a district apart from the older Creole "downtown." The influx of black Americans, first as slaves and later as free people, into uptown neighborhoods brought the elements of the blues, spirituals, and rural dances to New Orleans' music.Įthnic diversity increased further during the 19th century. Partially because of the cultural friction, these newcomers began settling upriver from Canal Street and from the already full French Quarter (Vieux Carre). Many arrived via the Caribbean and brought with them West Indian cultural traditions.Īfter the Louisiana Purchase, English-speaking Anglo- and African-Americans flooded into New Orleans. As early as 1721 enslaved West Africans totaled 30% of the population of New Orleans, and by the end of the 1700s people of varied African descent, both free and slave, made up more than half the city's population. The colony's culture was enriched not only from Europe but from Africa as well. Festivals were frequent, and Governor William Claiborne, the first American-appointed governor of the territory of Louisiana, reportedly commented that New Orleanians were ungovernable because of their preoccupation with dancing. A more liberal outlook on life prevailed, with an appreciation of good food, wine, music, and dancing. The Creole culture was Catholic and French-speaking rather than Protestant and English-speaking. New Orleans differed greatly from the rest of the young United States in its Old World cultural relationships. France almost immediately sold the colony to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase. The Louisiana territories were ceded to Spain in 1763 but were returned to France in 1803. The city was founded in 1718 as part of the French Louisiana colony. The Origins of Jazz - Pre 1895Ī review of New Orleans' unique history and culture, with its distinctive character rooted in the colonial period, is helpful in understanding the complex circumstances that led to the development of New Orleans jazz. What follows is an overview of jazz history that provides a foundation for this study. Researchers and historians are still learning about jazz history there are many and various opinions about what is important in the history of jazz.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |