By: Angie Mendoza

The musical “Shuffle Along,” created by Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, showcases various factors that made their musical captivating. One of the main components that was heard a variety of times was the music they used. The background noises, such as the instruments, demonstrated a story that was being told from beginning to end. The tone and volume of the music represent many things that can have either positive or negative impacts on the story being told. The music demonstrated the influence of jazz music on American theater, making it evolve. Music can tell a story through the lyrics and melody. One song that had a huge impact is “Love Will Find a Way,” which introduced jazz to Broadway, which was rarely seen at that time. The music itself tells the struggles that African Americans had to go through and even reveals their talents. One thing that was overheard when there was music playing was how low or high-pitched it was, depending on what was happening in the musical, which creates a type of suspense. The music being played, even if it’s instrumental, can shift the mood of the story of African Americans and their connection with musical theater, even expressing their culture.

Shuffle Along played a big part in introducing different songs that gave us, the audience, a reaction. The meaning behind the songs that were used gave us an insight into what Black theatre really is and how unique it is. One song that caught my attention is called “Shuffle Along.” The lyrics behind the song were very meaningful as it was trying to communicate with the audience. The lyrics were “Why, life’s but a chance, and when times come to choose, if you lose, don’t start a-singing the blues, / but you just shuffle along,”. The significance behind these lyrics tells everyone they can shuffle along with any troubles they have in life and enjoy life as it is. The songs that were portrayed throughout the whole musical gave us an idea of the African American community. Since Shuffle Along was the first ever all black musical, it demonstrates a lot of key elements that we get to listen to what they faced, whether it was racism or not being able to show their talents. The beat that the song shuffles along gives us, while hearing is a very positive but fast-paced type of flow.

The music played in shuffle carried emotions, themes, and even dialogue between the characters. The producers behind this musical focused on how the audience would react and feel once they heard high pitched or a low-pitched melody. From my perspective, when listening to “ I’m just simply full of jazz,” the rhythm of the music was off beat and gave an energetic feeling that makes you want to get up and dance. The instrumentation behind that song created a bold but unusual type of beat that catches your attention while listening. Due to the off-beats of the song, the pitch of it, and how vibrant energy of jazz the song has as the listener, you’re able to notice what the meaning behind the song is without someone telling you. While hearing the song, I already knew what the meaning was about being full of energy and excitement in of genre of jazz music.

One thing a musical makes sure of is how important the music is and how connected the performers feel, but also the audience. Shuffle Along brought out the importance of sound and lyrics to the show to create a type of connection with the audience. The music sets a tone for the musical to tell a story that the audience can relate to or have a connection with. Also, music plays a big part in bringing people together; for example, jazz music brings people together by connecting with the beats of the songs. It establishes a type of atmosphere where both the audience and the people who created the musical can feel the same way with an emotional response. The musical narrator wants to make sure that anyone who’s watching the show can feel what the performers feel, if the music is very dull and sad. They want to attach the melody of the song to the audience to understand what is being said.

In this way of understanding, shuffle along, and the connection it has with music is how it finds a way for everyone’s emotions to connect. Between the performers, the narrator, and the audience. The song “ I’m just wild about Harry” it plot is about two lovers and their connection. The lyrics that caught my attention were “ There’s some fellow for me in this world, Harry’s his name That’s what I claim and Why for ev’ry fellow there Must be a girl I’ve found my mate By kindness of fate”.The song and lyrics combined to represent a theme and dialogue between both of them. The two lovers express their love for one another, but also how they crossed each other’s paths. This results in the audience connecting with the story and what the two lovers want to tell. Throughout the song, another lyric such as “I’m just wild about Harry and Harry’s wild about me”. This introduces to the audience how they are made for each other and how crazy in love they are. It demonstrates loyalty and commitment to your significant other. They want everyone to feel romantic love. That’s what music does in shuffle along: it creates a connection that everyone tends to understand, and can be expressed through the key components of what music really is.

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