While World War II was still underway, the Allies bombed Dresden in Germany. During the bombing, the Saxon State Opera House was destroyed. The Opera House was inaugurated in 1841. Therefore, it was 104 years old when it was destroyed. Eventually, 40 years later, on 1985, it was rebuilt. If you visit the city of Dresden, it is still available for visit.
The destruction of the Opera House serves as an example of how much can be lost during war. The original opera house was one of the city’s most valued architectural treasures. It has been rebuilt and shines brightly, but it shows that war comes at material cost.
1945: Semperoper, Destroyed and Re-built
1947: Satchmo in the Big Apple
In April 1947, aged 45, Louis Armstrong gave a magnificent performance at the Carnegie Hall in New York City. This magnificent performance remains in the collective memory of New Yorkers years after the artist’s death. This photo is one of the few mementos of that concert.
The photo and the event greatly reflect the spirit of America at the time. During the late 1940’s, young Americans enjoyed going out to jazz concerts, dance to doo wop and swing, and have a good time to escape from the complexity of the real world. And Satchmo really did capture that spirit through his music.
1949: Bill Haly & The Saddlemen, Musical Pioneers
Long-play records: New ways to listen to music.
Up until the 1940s, the only way to listen to good music was by tuning up a radio station, or by going out to a concert or festival. But then, in 1948, an alternative was introduced, when Columbia Records introduced the first long play records, or LPS. Long plays enabled for the same melody to be played over and over again, or to listen to a new melody by rotating the disc.
LPs were revolutionary inventions because they represented a new style to listen to music. It was not necessary to go out to a concert or to tune to the radio to listen to good melodies: If you had an LP and a player, you could listen to your favorite song over and over again.
Along with new ways to listen music, also came new music styles. In 1949, Bill Haley and some of his friends formed the group Bill Haley and the Saddlemen. In 1952, they renamed themselves Bill Haley and his Comets. Although they seemed to be like any other group at the time. At first, their style was based mostly on country music. But, a few years later, they would make the blueprints for a new music genre.
Bill Haley is one true revolutionary and underappreciated musician. He found the way to create his own original style while staying true to the music standards of his time. His music became a real breakthrough in the postwar world.