Role of the Performer- Louis Armstrong


Louis Armstrong


Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana in a neighborhood so unsafe it was nicknamed “The Battlefield.” He grew up in extreme poverty being raised by his mother alongside his sister. He dropped out of school in fifth grade, earning money by working for the Karnofsky family so he could save up to pay for his first cornet.  

During a New Year's Eve celebration in 1912, he shot a pistol into the air to celebrate and was arrested and sent to the Colored Waif’s Home for Boys. While there, he was tutored by Peter Davis, gaining much more knowledge on playing the cornet. After he was released in 1914, Louis decided to pursue a life as a musician, eventually getting tutored again by one of the top cornetists, Joe Oliver.  


Fletcher Henderson and His orchestra



For a while he worked as an entertainer on riverboats, playing cornet for people traveling the Mississippi River. In 1922 Louis joined Joe Oliver's band where they began to make music together. In 1924 Louis left this band and moved to New York where he played with Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra. However, after doing this for a year, it didn’t meet his expectations, and he eventually made his way back to Chicago where he started making solo recordings for the first time.  

Louis Armstrong started and starred in a number of different bands from here on out, including Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five, and His Hot Seven. These bands were some of the most influential of the time and greatly influenced the genre of jazz. The success of these bands was great enough that it allowed Louis to start touring, which he never slowed down with until his death.  




“What a Wonderful World” was written in 1967 by George Weiss and Bob Thiele for Louis Armstrong. Louis recorded and released the song during the same year. The song wasn’t very popular in the United States to start off with but did exceptionally well in the United Kingdom and eventually became popular in the United States.  

Throughout this song Louis uses dynamics to create a warm and peaceful vibe. He uses his gentle voice to softly sing, making the piece feel deeply personal. The dynamics are reinforced by the instruments playing behind his singing, which further add to the vibe of the song. To go along with this is a very simple melody that flows throughout the piece, adding to the song's emotional feel.  



“La Vie En Rose” was written in 1945 and released in 1947 by a French singer named Edith Piaf. Louis Armstrong recorded his own version of the song in 1950 and released it, bringing the song popularity in the United States. His version of the song added a warm romantic feel to the song as well as adding a jazz flair to it. Louis style of the song had a slower tempo that brought about a romantic feeling that could really be felt by its audience. Similarly, the harmony in this song, while simple, supports the melody of the song.  


Louis Armstrong


It's important to have performers who simply interpret the compositions of others as they add new spins to already existing music, introducing it to new audiences. Having performers interpret the compositions of others also ensures that the song isn’t forgotten and that it continues to be relevant. When Louis Armstrong recreates another musicians' compositions he brings his own perspective into the music. By putting his own spin on the music, he also ensures that the music is introduced to new audiences.  

After the research I did for this blog post I have developed a new appreciation for Louis Armstrong's music. I personally really enjoy both of the pieces that I included in this post. I think Louis use of dynamics, tempo, melody, and harmony contributed to the relaxing and emotional feelings that I got from listening to these songs.


Citations


“Louis Armstrong.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 29 Oct. 2024, www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-Armstrong

“Louis Armstrong.” Louis Armstrong House Museum, 29 Sept. 2021, www.louisarmstronghouse.org/louis-armstrong/.

“What a Wonderful World.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Nov. 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_a_Wonderful_World

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 6, 2024 at 11:47 PM

    cool blog

    ReplyDelete
  2. Avery KirkNovember 10, 2024 at 4:06 PM

    Lincoln- I really enjoyed the work that you put into including the history of Louis Armstrong in this blog post. I did not know a lot about his background, so that was very interesting for me to read about his adolescence and how he became involved in music. He is a very iconic musician and his unique sound and well rounded talent is unmatched. I remember we sang "What a Wonderful World" at my kindergarten graduation and I loved that song so much. Since you did such a nice job with Louis Armstrong's history, I decided to look even further into his path and found out that he was married four times! This article about a Louis Armstrong musical (https://artspeak.fiu.edu/profiles/louis-armstrong-2/) perfectly states, "Complicated, yes – yet so rich with interpretive artistic possibilities.". The drama may be the reason why he was able to have such creative and heartfelt performances and musical interpretations. Thanks for a cool blog post!

    ReplyDelete

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