Harlem Period and Its Impact on People
The Harlem Renaissance is the time of development in the Harlem neighborhood of New York. The later 1800s and early 1900s were marked by increasing cases of exploitation for the black community. According to Johnson (2019), the Harlem Renaissance began in 1800 and lasted all through to the mid-1930s. During the time, there was an increasing case of exploitation and disproportionate social treatment of the black community. Consequently, there was a rebuttal and conversation on communication on such ills through art, literature, music, and performances (Scruggs, 1996; Chang, 2015; Gutkin & Newland, 2015; Handy, 2009; Johnson, 2019; Meadows, 1992; Perpener, 2001; Floyd Jr, 1988; Mitchell, 2010; Patton & Honey, 2001). The explosion and subsequent social enlighten on the issues affecting the blacks constitute the renaissance period.
Harlem
The Harlem section of New York was initially meant to be a section for the rich in society. According to Meadows (1992), the northern region already began to accommodate the whites and upper-class citizens. However, the quick development of the region made it a challenge for the landlord and other property owners to fill it at the time. The desperation, in the long run, attracted more of the black community into the region, creating a mixed community between the whites and the blacks. Equally, there was a mixed racial composition of the region. The black middle-class families took advantage of the lower cost of housing and stayed in Harlem.
The blacks’ immigration into Harlem in the early 1900s was faced by rejection by the white community that was already occupying the regions (Perpener, 2001; Floyd Jr, 1988; Mitchell, 2010; Patton & Honey, 2001). Researchers record the conflict between the whites and the blacks in the region, which created a level of hostility. Eventually, the whites fled, and most of the region’s occupants remained the black community. In addition to low-cost housing, other external factors led to an increased number of blacks in Harlem. Perpener (2001) points to the disasters in 1915 and 1916 as the main reason that most people got out of work and made it more of the people move to the south to get areas to occupy. As a result, more blacks were getting to the Harlem section in what would later be referred to as the Great Depression. Floyd Jr (1988) also explains that the impact of World War I also Harlem to be a common destination for the black communities. Overall, there was an increasing number of issues that led to blacks occupying the Harlem region.
Impact of Harlem Renaissance on key personalities
The Harlem Renaissance led to an increase in the number of people that would emerge to solve the issues that affected the blacks as at the time. According to Patton and Honey (2001), the most influential people in sensitizing the community and leading to the renaissance were the artists. On the other hand, scholars like Scruggs (1996) also recognize the Harlem Renaissance was a process that began and, in the process, made it possible for the artists to emerge over time. Similar to Harry Freeman, there were other people at the that advanced different agenda to show the mixed impact of the Harlem Renaissance to the people as well as the people whose works made the Renaissance people possible (Chang, 2015; Gutkin & Newland, 2015; Handy, 2009; Johnson, 2019).
The personalities that emerged as at the time involved artists in different sections of art. Harlem Renaissance (Scruggs, 1996; Chang, 2015; Gutkin & Newland, 2015; Handy, 2009; Johnson, 2019; Meadows, 1992). The following review is an explanation of the impact of the Harlem Renaissance on different artists. In Chang’s (2015) Harlem’s Shadows of 1922, the breakthrough in poetry already indicated the possible changes art would bring on the Harlem period. During that time, activists like Langton Hughes formed the Black Pride movement to work on the best ways for black Americans to get the best treatment in the cultural setting of the community (Scruggs, 1996; Johnson, 2019; Meadows, 1992). Authors like Magloire (2017) developed and sold magazines for black children in understanding their cultural identity for the future. The magazines provided the chance of the young blacks to educate and communicate effectively on the need for the blacks to develop and find their identity even when the whites mainly occupied Harlem (Scruggs, 1996; Chang, 2015; Gutkin & Newland, 2015; Handy, 2009; Johnson, 2019; Meadows, 1992). The Harlem Renaissance was about getting the right identity for blacks and their culture (Scruggs, 1996; Chang, 2015).
There were cases of massive controversy during the Harlem Renaissance. According to Dutton (1993), the publications lie Zora Hurston’s fire sparked conversations among the blacks. The Harlem Renaissance created the scenario where the blacks were stirred up on the increasing need to get the best identity that would make them different from white practices (Scruggs, 1996; Chang, 2015; Gutkin & Newland, 2015; Handy, 2009; Johnson, 2019; Meadows, 1992). The Harlem Renaissance was about the need to take advantage of life and create a possibility of ensuring that the black arose above the suppression.
In addition to poetry and magazines, music became a central tool in the Harlem Renaissance. The main form of music at the time was jazz. Gutkin (2015) describes jazz music was a critical part of society at the time, especially in places where people converge to take liquor. According to Gutkin (2015), jazz was an instrumental tool for community communication. Harry Freeman and Louis Armstrong are some of the leading artists that communicated on the need for cultural identity to make it possible for the blacks to under that the issues that were ongoing at the time in Harlem (Gutkin & Newland, 2015; Handy, 2009; Johnson, 2019; Meadows, 1992)
The end of Harlem was because of the full understanding of the issues that affect the different factions of the community. According to Chang (2015), the Harlem Renaissance was overtaken by the events at the time. The authors mention the Great Depression and the crash in the stock market as part of the issues that led to the loss of conversation on cultural identity. Their artists and the rest of the communities created a situation in the end that would lead to more enlightenment on economic issues rather than the social and cultural issues in the society (Handy, 2009; Johnson, 2019; Meadows, 1992). Patton & Honey (2001) explains that the Harlem workers were at the time informed and need to seek jobs as a way of coping with the rise in the challenges affecting them at the time of the Great Depression.
The works of art are credited to the freedom for the Harlem residents to look for the work irrespective of their identity. According to Greenberg (1992), the 1935 riots and the violence following the death of some residents marked the end of the Harlem Renaissance. Even at the end of the period, there was a massive change in the way people handled conversation and their experiences (Scruggs, 1996; Chang, 2015; Gutkin & Newland, 2015; Handy, 2009; Johnson, 2019; Meadows, 1992). The Harlem period set the stage for the civil rights groups in getting to advance the conversation on racial equity (Scruggs, 1996; Chang, 2015; Gutkin & Newland, 2015).
General Impact of Harry Freeman on the Harlem Renaissance Period
Harry Lawrence Freeman was an instrumental figure in the Harlem Renaissance Period (Scruggs, 1996; Chang, 2015; Gutkin & Newland, 2015; Handy, 2009; Johnson, 2019; Meadows, 1992) The period was characterized by Blacks in Harlem creating an artistic identity for themselves. They managed to achieve this by developing their style of music and other forms of art. Harry Lawrence Freeman developed a new version of the Grand Opera to help achieve this cause (Worley, 2018). Ultimately, this version of the Grand Opera proved instrumental in creating a link between the already established music culture of the Western Europeans and the Harlem culture that he represented.
According to Worley (2018), Freeman’s works were unique as he combined African American spirituals and sound values with conventional European Romanticism. By doing so, he encouraged other African American composers to employ similar tactics in writing opera. Therefore, he was a pioneer for this style of writing opera for which he is famous. In the process, he created a new sub-genre of music, popularly known as African American grand opera.
Worley (2018) notes that contemporary society does not widely recognize Freeman’s works. However, there is no denying the fact that his works have a high degree of greatness attached to them. This greatness becomes evident when comparisons were linking them to the works of Richard Wagner from the Romantic Era (Worley, 2018). Wagner was a great artist during his time, and he happens to be the inspiration behind the works of Freeman. Worley (2018) states that Freeman’s dedication and determination earned him a nickname (The Colored Wagner) from one of his critics.
Freeman dedicated his life to fighting against the oppressive measures that were in place. For the large part, these measures were racists, as they discriminated against African Americans, preventing them from effectively showcasing their artistic prowess. Through hard work, Freeman was able to rise against all these barriers to a point where he managed to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Worley (2018) states that Freeman’s efforts enabled him to see some of his greatest works appear in venues that were initially off-limits for African Americans. These performances included broadcasts on radios, live performances by renowned orchestras, and staging that involved cast members from varying racial backgrounds (Worley, 2018).
Freeman was extremely passionate about opera, encouraging him to come up with the new genre. However, he also had notable contributions in other genres, such as ballet, minstrel songs, orchestral music, and spirituals (Worley, 2018). While dealing with opera, he successfully blended various aspects of genres to come up with the final product that people came to love and adore in the years that followed. He was maned to win over the hearts of listeners by incorporating the following aspects: The French grand opera style, the precision and power of Wagnerian musical drama, the chromatic harmony and extended tonality of the Late Romantics, and spirituals and gospels, which many considered to be segments of African American culture that were spiritually uplifting (Worley 2018).
Gutkin & Newland (2015) note that Freeman always showed determination to combine the Europeans’ operatic traditions with African sources from the early stages of his career. However, he originally rejected the influence of African American folk music (Gutkin & Newland, 2015). His actions stunned a famous poet at the time, Paul Laurence Dunbar. He could not comprehend why such a talented artist would want nothing to do with musical styles that were part of his heritage (Gutkin & Newland, 2015).
In his words, Freeman stated that he found the African American sounds disturbing and unsuitable for use in music. He termed them as sounding funny and being moans and groans (Gutkin & Newland, 2015). In other words, such sounds would be noise if employed in any form of music. However, in the period that followed, he began developing a liking for these sounds. At some point, they became more appealing to him than any other type of music he had listened to before. He said that the sounds were offered much more fulfillment than any other musical sound accessible to human beings (Gutkin & Newland, 2015).
Following this realization, he began incorporating the sounds into most, if not all, of his works that followed. These sounds gave his productions a unique identity from any other pieces that were produced before. His operas that came after this period had a recurrent setting: “The South Before the War.” He began using African American folk songs and spirituals in his productions, especially the language he used in composition (Gutkin & Newland, 2015).
The addition of African American culture into his expansive operatic vision marked the foundational basis of the new genre, Negro Grand Opera (Gutkin & Newland, 2015). In an explanation behind the choice of names, he indicated that the works were the creations of Negro composers, talking about classical Negro life, and interpreted by Negro artists. Therefore, since everything concerning the genre production was related to Negros, the name given to the genre was overly appropriate for the particular occasion.
Gutkin & Newland (2015) note that, after the successful inception of the new genre, Freeman indicated that the contents of his work were not limited to Americans. He stated that he aimed to have an impact on a global scale, expanding from its typical American origin. He hoped that his work would be empowering for other dark-skinned races like Mexicans, American Indians, and Mongolians (Gutkin & Newland, 2015). Also, he targeted other groups that have resided in Africa for prolonged periods such as Arabs and Egyptians.
Freeman continued to show high levels of dedication towards his work as he continued to produce operas, although most of them went unperformed (Gutkin & Newland, 2015). As time went by, he enrolled in a black company and continued producing operas for them. Initially, the company’s name was to be the Colored Grand Opera Company of New York. However, the company’s name at the time of launching was the Negro Grand Opera Company (Gutkin & Newland, 2015).
Harry Freeman has a rich history in shaping the thoughts and ideas the black community had during the Harlem Renaissance (Gutkin & Newland, 2015). The advent of “Voodoo” was a turning point in the music scene with the changes in the style and information that Harry was using in presenting the information (Dutton, 1993; Gutkin & Newland, 2015). Freeman used the traditional Italian style, making use of spiritual themes. Additionally, the Jazz rhythms and southern melodies created tunes in the end. The style and methods of presenting the information in the songs made it possible for Harry Freemans to effectively communicate his information to the audience (Gutkin & Newland, 2015). The effective way he communicated the information made it possible for him to improve his level of influence in the community at the time.
The topics that Harry Freeman communicate involved the issues that directly impacted the communicated. In his grand opera, he uses an example of Voodoo to describe the lover and the show how she was comparable to another woman. The work was a description of the need to understand the similarities between the blacks and the whites. According to Gutkin and Newland, 2015), the influence of Harry Freeman is tangible because of the few cases of influential black American composers that worked to educate the blacks at the time. The people not only relate to the information he presented but also connected to him because he was one of them (Dutton, 1993). The subjects of the songs facilitate the process of reconstruction during the Harlem Renaissance.
Harry Freeman’s work of art was unique and made it possible to relate and communicate the information on the Harlem Renaissance (Handy, 2009; Worley, 2018). The works of Freeman was a wide selection with a range in the topics and themes for the society. The other works of literature looked at the works of Harry Freeman as the inspiration and the basis on which to do their works. Rider Haggard made the Voodoo as part of the subject matter in his works. Similarly, there was a case of identity, was also included in the Zululand African Music Drama, as well as becoming part of the most influential jobs (Worley, 2018).
Researchers estimate that the works of Freeman would have potentially had a bigger influence on the community if they had been published. However, the records in the manuscripts and reveled the rich nature with which he presented his work to influence the community during the Harlem Renaissance (Gutkin and Newland, 2015). The manuscripts show his use of the saxophone and the banjoes, which were complicated and sophisticated instruments to use. The nature of the composition and the instruments he used to set the pace for the rest of the communities in developing the content for the black Americans. Gutkin and Newland (2015) explain his impact when he describes how other musicians used Harry Freeman’s work to imitate his work.
Challenges Harry Freeman faced During Harlem Renaissance.
There were major and significant works of Harry Freeman that made it possible to create a considerable influence in the Harlem Renaissance. The American Romance work described the historical and musical development that would awake the blacks to participate in their development (Gutkin, 2015). The works criticized the issues that happened at the government and the ills of society. He expected to elevate the black community in the end. However, at the height of racism and discrimination, the woks of Harry Freeman did not see the light of the day. There was no support and willingness to assist Harry in publishing and recording in the end (Gutkin, 2015). The government and the cases of racism made it difficult to make his works to influence blacks during the Harlem Renaissance period.
Harry Freeman’s part of his career was stagnated because of the poor relationship he created with the community. Harry did not connect well to the black community to create the effect he needs for the Harlem Renaissance (Patton & Honey, 2001). As a result, he did not attract the mass audience that was needed to connecting his message in the end. When he developed the plan to stage performances using the African American Opera Foundation, he intended to have continuous performances that would allow African Americans to get the best ways of ensuring that they get the information on the need to improve on the performance (Scruggs, 1996). However, the perpetual and inconsistent performances made it difficult to create a wave and influence during the time. The plans were never executed. There was no building of the halls, and the stadia expected to take effect in the end. These challenges made it difficult to create the impact that he needed in the end.