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The beginning of Slavery
The first Africans are sold into slavery in America. -
Introducing music in schools
This was when music was introduced to schools the first time. More people became educate about music and that way effected on it. -
New Orleans is founded under French rule
This was the hub of cultural creativity -
Theatre becomes popular
Theatre became popular in New York for the first time. -
Industrial revolution
Production went from produced at home to produced in large factories and most people moved to the cities. -
Ben Franklin invents bifocals
Musicians who had trouble seeing could finally read sheet music clearly -
Invention of the light bulb
Allows people to work without light of course but also leads to stage lighting on Broadway -
Harvard Law School is founded.
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History of Jazz
New Orleans city council establishes "Congo Square" as an official site for slave music and dance. -
Minstrel shows become popular
These shows became popular roughly around 1850-1870, and were unfortunately usually based on comic enactment of racial stereotypes -
Beginning of Broadway
The first ever musical took place on Broadway which was called "The Elves" -
The end of Slavery
Slavery is abolished in the U.S. by the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. -
Slavery is abolished in the U.S. by the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
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First microphone is invented
Emile Berliner invents the first microphone -
Phonograph invented
This is important because this was the first machine that was able to reproduce recorded sound. he experimented with a stylist with a tinfoil cylinder. music would be able to be recorded and played back. -
The very first piece
Pianist Tommy Turpin writes Harlem Rag, the first known ragtime composition. -
The Homestead Strike
In Pittsburg, one of the most famous and serious labor disputes ensued. -
Ragtime at World's Fair
Scott Joplin plays ragtime at the World's Fair -
Bessie Smith is Born
Bessie Smith, the "Empress of Blues", was born. -
MOVIES!
Cinema is born. -
Original Jazz Band
The original Jazz band, according to Herbert Asbury's The Latin Quarter (1938), was the 'Spasm Band' made up of seven boys, aged twelve to fifteen, who first appeared in New Orleans. They advertised themselves as the "Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band." -
RADIO!
Radio technology is introduced. -
Racial Segregation
Racial segregation is upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. -
Piano
The first piano rags appear in print -
100,000 copies
Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag is published and sells over 100,000 copies -
Duke Ellington is born
Ellington helps create the big band sound and the beginnings of swing -
Buddy Bolden becomes popular
Named King of the Cornet -
Louis Armstrong is born
Armstrong mastered improv and strong, powerful solo playing. -
Electric Theatre
The Electric Theatre, the first movie theater in the United States, opens in Los Angeles, California. -
Wireless Broadcast
The first wireless broadcast of classical music is produced in New York -
First black entertainer on Broadway
Bert Williams appeared in follies of 1910 along with white entertainers. -
Invention of Headphones
Long before Beats by Dre, there was Utah Mormon and electrician Nathaniel Baldwin's "radio earphones." His creation failed to gain the attention of private companies and even the Smithsonian Institute, however he gained the Navy as a large buyer who prepped for the threat of another possible world war. -
The Schubert Brothers open Winter Garden Theater in NYC
These brothers performed minstrel shows in the theater -
First written record of Jazz in musical context
Chicago Tribune wrote about "jass" which was a dirt word and could not be said in front of ladies. "Jass" was also a slag from Jazz. -
First Jazz recording is pressed
The Original Dixieland Jass Band made the first known jazz recording. It was really bad, but no one would let the black musicians into their recording studio until they saw how lucrative recording their music was. -
Leonard Bernstein is born.
He went on to create incredible pieces of music and composed West Side Story. -
Theatre were shut down due a standard contract
The Actors’ Equity Association demanded a standard contract for professional producers and theatre were shut down. -
Jazz Capital of America: Chicago
Chicago was jazz capital and Arnold Schoenberg introduced the concept of serialism; a composition where a melodic line is repeated. -
First Radio Broadcasts
The first radio broadcasts considered as a form of entertainment were in the cities of Detroit and Pittsburgh. These were groundbreaking times that allowed peoples voices to be heard in much broader areas. -
Beginning of Prohibition
From 1920-1933, alcoholic beverages were banned in America, causing the uprise of speakeasies, and consequently underground jazz performances. -
Jazz is banned
In a town within Illinois, Jazz was banned because they believed that it was considered sinful. -
Race records
Recordings created for African Americans and recorded by African American jazz musicians. -
Rhapsody in Blue
George Gershwin composes "Rhapsody in Blue" in less than 3 weeks. -
Music Education in New York
In New York, Julliard School opened and George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue premiered. -
78 RPM becomes record standard
This rotation speed became the standard for all records made. -
Miles Davis is born.
Miles Davis was influential in Cool Jazz specifically, and also in Jazz Rock. -
Television Invented
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First Sound Film ("Talkie")
The first motion picture with sound included in it was released. The name of this "talkie" was called "The Jazz Singer". This sort of technology is something completely new to the people of that time. -
Louis Armstrong releases "Hotter Than That"
This release was demonstrative of how Jazz was evolving in Chicago -
The Great Depression Begins
The Great Depression led to the creation of blues -
Black Tuesday
The fourth and last day of the stock market crash, leading to The Great Depression. -
Invention of first electric amplified guitar
This is I'm important because the music could now be loud enough to be heard in a large concert hall and also be loud enough to be part of a band. George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacker created the first. -
Nazi's ban Jazz radio
Within Germany, Jazz is banned from being listened on the radio stations -
Baker's Keyboard Lounge Opens
The first ever jazz bar opens -
Period: to
The New Deal
Franklin Roosevelt's infamous response to The Great Depression created hope for America, including struggling jazz musicians. -
Apollo Theatre Opens
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Ella Fitzgerald
Jazz singer, Ella Fitzgerald starts her career with the Chick Webb orchestra. -
George Gershwin Death
George Gershwin dies unexpectedly of a brain tumor in Hollywood. He is famous for creating Rhapsody in Blue. -
Rodgers and Hart return to Broadway
Rodgers and Hart, return to Broadway to create the circus-themed "Jumbo." -
German composer Kurt Weill comes to New York.
German composer Kurt Weill, an exile from Hitler's Germany, arrives in New York. -
Luciano Pavarotti is Born
Arguably, the greatest singer to ever live is born on the date. He would go on to inspire and awe millions of people around the world with a single voice. -
Electric Guitar introduced
The introduction of a very important instrument. -
"The Boys from Syracuse" is performed on stage for the first time
This is the first incident of a Shakespeare play being developed for a musical performance -
Strayhorn and Duke team up
Billy Strayhorn met up with Duke Ellington and quickly became his other half and his alter ego, forming a relationship that took Duke from being a jazz great to America's all-time greatest composer. -
Billie Holiday records Strange Fruit
Strange Fruit was a powerful, blunt statement about lynchings in the south -
World War II begins
WWII and Jazz both had profound impacts on each other -
Charlie Parker preforms "Cherokee" in Harlem
In this performance, Charlie makes a discovery that leads to the invention of Bebop -
Billboard Magazine
This magazine published it's first music popularity chart out nationally. This was a compiled list of all of the top songs from the time period. -
Cool Jazz Emerges
Miles Davis popularizes the Cool Jazz -
"Oklahoma" takes to the stage
Hammerstein's "Oklahoma" revolutionizes musical theater by utilizing dance numbers as transitional elements. -
KoKo
Charlie Parker displayed Bebop style and improvisation in this piece. -
First Tony Award
The Tony Award recognizes excellence in Broadway theatre -
Andrew Lloyd Weber is born
The creator of the Phantom of the Opera and other famous musicals. -
Birth of Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen born on September 23rd, 1949. He had a huge impact on music. More importantly, he was able to turn huge venues and arenas into small and intimate places for an audience. -
Vinyl Records Created
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First Newport Jazz Festival
The start of one of the biggest jazz festivals in the United States. -
Ellington at Newport
After the facade of revenue producing entertainment started to fade, a very old and very forgotten Duke Ellington reminded a bunch of well-to-do white folks what the soul of jazz was all about with a huge performance in Newport, Rhode Island. -
Space Race Begins
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The Sound of Music
The first production of The Sound of Music, by Roger and Hammerstein -
Civil Rights Act
Ended the segregation in the southern states -
The Beatles & America
After becoming the most popular group in Europe, the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan's tv show in 1964. Soon after, 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' exploded to the top of the US charts along with their four previous singles. In March 1964, they dominated the top five chart slots in America. -
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
An annual celebration of the music and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana. -
Bitches Brew - Miles Davis
This album was revolutionary in jazz because it displayed the beauty of jazz rock, or fusion. -
Grease--film or musical first? MUSICAL!
Grease, like many other notable plays performed on broadway began as something performed live. It's success on stage led to its adaptation into a film which also saw huge success making it the second largest grossing musical film of all time, behind 2017's Beauty and the Beast. -
Chicago The Musical
The musical filled with crime, love, and "all that jazz" premiered. -
Start of the HIV and AIDS epidemic in the United States
The AIDS epidemic changed many peoples lives -
MTV launched
First 24 hour music video channel. the first video played was "Video Killed The Radio Star" by the Buggles. -
Music CDs invented
This is when the first ever compact disc that was created, which was used for many things in the coming years, including music. -
Internet
Internet created as a way of communicating faster. This allowed people to share music. -
Live Aid
Live Aid was a benefit concert that launched many bands into stardom. -
The Phantom of the Opera
One of the most successful musicals of all times begins its era. -
Production of RENT
The first production of the musical RENT is performed on Broadway -
The Lion King--the true king of Broadway
The highest grossing broadway musical of all time has brought in over $1.37 Billion and is still running. -
The World Wide Web is Created
The world wide web is created by Tim Berners-Lee which sparks an information revolution. -
Birth of the iPod
The iPod is a line of portable music players that have grown with capabilities to be multi-purpose pocket-sized computers. They boomed with success over competing portable music devices, designed and marketed by Apple. The product was released roughly 8 1/2 months following the debut of iTunes on Mac computers. -
ITunes
The creation of being able to buy online music. -
Wicked Premieres
The anticipated story of Oz before Dorothy arrived finally hit the main stage. -
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans, the "cradle of Jazz", leaving behind $200 billion of damage. -
1st ever Broadway show to surpass 10,000 performances - The Phantom of Opera
The Phantom of Opera is the longest playing musical in broadway. It began perfomances in 1988 and is still going. -
Hamilton The Musical
The musical made its Off-Broadway debut at The Public Theater. -
Beauty and the Beast
Highest grossing musical film of all time boasts a total gross of $504,014,165 and a whopping $174,750,616 at opening.
