“Rhapsody in Blue,” George Gershwin’s iconic, soaring work, premiered on Feb. 12 1924 as part of “An Experiment in Modern Music,” a concert that sought to “make a lady out of jazz.” Ryan Raul Bañagale, Associate Professor and Chair of Music at Colorado College, writes for @TheConversationUS about its composition, enduring popularity, and whether it is an appropriation of Black music.
#Music #Culture #BlackMastodon @blackmastodon #History #BlackHistoryMonth #BHM
@blackmastodon @TheConversationUS @CultureDesk
Conversations about appropriation and authenticity are always fraught, conflicted, and controversial because of two factors:
- it is an inherently human thing to share and adopt ideas, practices, arts, and technologies with and between peoples.
- modern society has decided that only certain people get the privilege of profit from them, guarded and gated by the force of coercive capitalism.