Duke Ellington’s Harlem

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (1899-1974) remains one of the greatest and most beloved of American composers. He was certainly one of the most prolific, creating almost 2,000 compositions over his career. He stands as perhaps the most innovative of composers in that truly American art form, jazz. As a talented young African-American in the early 20th century, the grandson of a slave, he struggled to find his identity and to establish his place in the world. He began training as a commercial artist but when he was a teenager he heard some “hot” ragtime piano players and discovered that he could not avoid music. In his own words, it became “his mistress” and his trajectory was set. Known mainly for his songs, such as Satin Doll, Take the A Train, and It Don’t Mean a Thing, Ellington also wrote larger works of which Harlem is an example.

Commissioned by Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Orchestra, Harlem was composed in 1950 on board the ocean liner Ile de France as Ellington was returning from Europe, where he enjoyed wild popularity. A Lisztian tone poem, Harlem was called a tone “parallel” by the composer. His avowed purpose was to showcase the district of Harlem not as the world saw it, in a simple, stereotypical way, but in all its complexity, in its numerous accents, colors, and moods. He wanted to express not only its urban side but its spiritual side as well. In his own words, this is how he saw the progression of the work:

(1) Pronunciation of the word “Harlem,” itemizing its many facets from downtown to uptown, true and false; (2) 110th Street, heading north through the Spanish neighborhood; (3) intersection further uptown—cats shucking and stiffing; (4) Upbeat parade; (5) Jazz spoken in a thousand languages; (6) Floor show; (7) Girls out of step, but kicking like crazy; (8) Fanfare for Sunday; (9) On the way to church; (10) Church—we’re even represented in Congress by our man of the church; (11) The sermon; (12) Funeral; (13) Counterpoint of tears; (14) Chic chick; (15) Stopping traffic; (16) After church promenade; (17) Agreement a cappella; (18) Civil Rights demandments; (19) March onward and upward; (20) Summary—contributions coda.

Musicians continue to debate whether or not Harlem is truly jazz. You decide.

Notes by Eric Hanson