Jazz Music and Shakespeare

The Music

by Constance Semponis

Music such as blues, jazz, and swing are mostly thought of as the popular form in the 1920s. Jazz, however, actually started in the late 19th century. Shocking right? Imagine all those men in tight suits and women in petticoats enjoying jazz. But don’t have too much fun with that image because it wasn’t the free form jazz we’re used to today but Ragtime music. Even the most famous known dance to jazz, the Charleston, first began in the pre-Civil War south with the slaves. Jazz itself became its own official form of music in 1900 New Orleans. 

Jazz of the 1920s was not only significant because of the rebellious impact it had on American society, but the society of Europe as well. Although the form that began in New Orleans became extremely popular in France, England too found enjoyment in it, especially the Original Dixieland Band (which is considered the first jazz band). The reason why it became so popular was not merely because of it’s smooth sound, but also because the music industry realized that they could make money off selling sheet music, phonographs, and touring the musicians for the youngsters all over to see.

Vaudeville was a big help when it came to touring the jazz musicians, especially overseas in Europe where Vaudeville performers (especially the clowns) would incorporate the music in their acts. “A show without music is like the sound going dead on your TV set! you just couldn’t have a guy play your music on a comb covered with tissue paper. For many years the variety shows had the old “three-piece orchestra,” piano, stool, and cover! There were many great ivory-beaters, most of them nonreaders but great fakers. I would say about 80 percent of all the old-time piano players could fake anything you could sing, hum, or whistle!” (Laurie, 70). 

But according to Laurie with the evolution of Vaudeville also came the evolution of its jazz musicians. “Bert Kelly and His Jazz Band started a new craze that was to last a long time. Kelly is without a doubt the originator of that brand of entertainment. There were thousands that followed him. Jazz became so bad that the Pittsburgh Musicians demanded death to jazz musicians and jazz music. There were amateur jazz-band contests held at Proctor’s Fifth Avenue Theatre. There were about two dozen acts in Vaude using their own bands for accompaniment instead of just having a piano player. It gave prestige to the act and also got headline billing for some gals that never passed the deuce spot on a bill before or since!” (Laurie, 71)

And to think all of these musicians were so “bad” they could tour Europe and the U.K. where, ironically, Shakespeare had come up with a similar organization of music. You may be thinking “What?!” but please read on.

Shakespeare even in his music had similar musical structures that jazz uses. For example, limited band members. The typical jazz band of the 1920s consisted of a drummer, pianist, saxophone or trumpet player, and a bassist. In Shakespeare’s England, particularly with shows such as Twelfth Night, the performances only had an excess of musicians if they were performing in the court. “A more typical Globe Theatre production would have made do with a trumpeter, another wind player who doubtless doubled on shawm (a double-reed ancestor of the oboe, called “hoboy” in the First Folio stage directions), flute, and recorders.” (Encyclopedia Britannica)

As well as in the 1920s, being a musician in the Elizabethan period was maybe just as good as being an actor...which meant they were considered to be the lowest of the low on the social ranking. Fortunately the Queen liked the theatre and its music, so Shakespeare got away with working with them. A good thing too since that’s what helped the society become to beautifully musical. “Henry Peacham, in The Complete Gentleman (1622), urges the young and socially ambitious to be able to “sing your part sure, and at first sight, with all, to play the same upon your viol, or the exercise of the lute, privately, to your self.” (Encyclopedia Britannica)

We may have an idea of how Shakespeare’s music was structured similarly to how jazz is in his plays, but another major factor to consider with the two is improvisation. “Jazz performers will frequently alter the composer’s original harmony,” (Tyle, www.jazzstandards.com) and Shakespeare’s musicians were no different. “A special musical-comic genre, the jigg, was the particular domain of the great Shakespearean comedians Richard Tarlton and William Kempe. Jiggs (bawdy, half-improvised low-comedy burlesques) were put on at the conclusion of a history play or tragedy.” (Encyclopedia Britannica). 

Although we do not have concrete evidence of what Shakespeare’s music sounded like, it definitely can compare to the technique of jazz due to the construction of the musicians and the importance of improvisation. It is upsetting that we do not have sheet music from one of his plays, but either way it may not have mattered because they improvised all the time. Oh Shakespeare, you keep us on our toes! You just have to love him. 

Works Cited

1. Tyle, Chris; www.jazzstandards.com
2. The Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica; www.britannica.com/shakespeare 
3. Laurie, Joe Jr.; ‘Vaudeville: From the Honky-Tonks to the Palace’