For the next few
weeks, Clef Notes is talking about music and ethnicity. Going along with this
theme, this week let’s look at how ethnicity plays a role in various 20th-century
Broadway musicals including Show Boat
and West Side Story.
During the 20th
century, some composers sought to touch on American racial tensions in their
work. One example of this can be found in the first authentic musical written, Show Boat (1927). Written by Jerome Kern
and Oscar Hammerstein II, Show Boat deals
with serious social issues such as racism and miscegenation, both major issues
during the time this musical was written.
When Show Boat first premiered, it resulted
in a shock from the audience following the opening lines “'Niggers all work on
the Mississippi/Niggers all work while de white folks play.” This shock
continued throughout the musical as it also openly mentioned mixed-race
marriages, which was still illegal in many states during the 1920s. African
Americans were treated in a sympathetic way rather the comic, foolish way of
the black-faced minstrels, something quite new for the time.
Below you can
watch a clip of the famous “Ol’ Man River” from a later version of Show Boat. Notice that at this point,
the word “Nigger” is exchanged for “Darkie.” This was also changed to “Colored
folk” in additional versions of the musical.
Join me next time
as we look at racial tensions found in Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story.
