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Bessie Smith - Songs, Death & Facts The call and response between vocals and piano does what? The opening choruses of each performance . About a thousand people lost their lives. In order to interrogate said materials, six recordings by different musicians were chosen and meticulously transcribed. Backwater Blues Sheet music for Piano (Solo) | Musescore.com When it thunders and lightnin' and the wind begin to blow. Lets look at the blues poem as a form. Of course, I learn so much from the Bessie Smiths blues poems. View all Google Scholar citations Bessie Smith, "Backwater blues", 1927 - YouTube When it rains five days and the skies turn dark as night, when it rains five days and the skies turn dark as night, then trouble's takin' place in the lowlands at night. According to the Theorytab database, it is the 5th most popular key among Major keys and the 5th most popular among all keys. Furthermore, Baraka notes that Africanisms (retentions of African culture throughout the African diaspora) were not limited to US Black people but that the culture of the Americas contains and is itself influenced by Africanisms. Third, Mamie Smith became the first Black blues singer to record a blues record in 1920. ). Dinah Washington - Back Water Blues - YouTube In this recording of \"Backwater Blues,\" we can hear these techniques at work, and they stand in contrast to the very structured twelve-bar blues form of the song. She is the author of three collections of poems, most recently Rhapsody in Plain Yellow (2002). Bessie Smith tabs, chords, guitar, bass, ukulele chords, power tabs and guitar pro tabs including backwater blues, careless love, nobody knows you when youre down and out, taint nobodys business . Log dich ein um diese Funktion zu nutzen. Create beats, songs, and musical snippets with built-in music theory, melody guides, and intelligent chord suggestions. Although Smith is very pleasing to the ears, she seems to be slightly monotone in this piece. Second, the first published blues composition is accredited to W.C. Handys Memphis Blues in 1912. AAB e.g. Pro Credit Pack (3 Pro Credits) Included with first year, Your high-resolution PDF file will be ready to download in To pack my things and go. Nonetheless, when she recorded it in 1927 Backwater Blues became an anthem for the great Mississippi River Flood. This is historically problematical because that flood began two months after Smith recorded her song. Notice, however, that although the form remains the same throughout, pianist James P. Johnson's accompaniment style frequently changes during different verses of the song, as he interacts musically with Smith and attempts to depict the meaning of her lyrics through his playing.\r\rBessie Smith (vocal); James P. Johnson (piano)\r\rRecorded in New York, February 17, 1927 Cover versions of Back Water Blues by Irma Thomas | SecondHandSongs The words vary from one performer to another; this opening verse is representative: When it rains five days, and the skies turn dark as night (2) Feature Flags: { I believe the blues represents a range of human experience that can speak on and to that thing that nearly ended someone but the very fact of them living to sing about it encapsulates the blues. Another way of reading classic blues lyric structure is as weighted-sonic couplets. The poem moves to personal depression. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bessie-Smith, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gXShOJVwaM, https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/bessie-smith, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go6TiLIeVZA, 1980: Inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, 1989: Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1989: Received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, 1994: Face was placed upon a US Postage Stamp, 2001: Down Hearted Blues was named one of the Songs of the Century by the National Endowment for the Arts, 2002: Down Hearted Blues was listed on the National Recording Preservation Board by the Library of Congress, 2006: Down Hearted Blues listed in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Thematically, write about whatever you feel must be sung. Back-Water Blues. View Official Scores licensed from. The a rhyme glues the three-line stanza together. Through an examination of Smith's touring itinerary, the testimony of fellow entertainers who toured . The best song poems, I believe, can live on the pages as well as in the ear. They relocated the white folks in an expedient manner but corralled the black folks into abysmal camps. For examples of innovative uses of these devices in poetry, visit Jericho Browns Duplex, Evie Shockleys Fukushima Blues, and Kevin Youngs Langston Hughes.. Back-Water Blues was one of the best known works of the Empress of the Blues, Bessie Smith, recorded for Columbia Records in 1927 with James P. Johnson on piano. Jazz- Review Questions. Nonetheless, when she recorded it in 1927 "Backwater Blues" became an anthem for the great Mississippi River Flood. As musicologist Dr. David Evans has noted, Back-Water Blues was recorded in February 1927, before the great disaster of April. Backwater Blues is written in the key of E Major. She believed that her truth needed to be told, so she told it. I have her strong voice in my ear at all times. While many latter-day . The Mississippi River flood of 1927 was horrific. What characterizes a blues performance? The rhythm remains constant throughout the song, allowing the melody to flow peacefully during the piece. El disco e. Discover an intuitive and deep understanding of how music works. How does the music reflect the lyrical content of the piece? Train with real songs. He attended Rutgers University and Howard University, spent three years in Jericho Brown's first book,Please(New Issues, 2008), won the American Book Award, and his second book,The New Testament(Copper Canyon, 2014), was named one of the best poetry books of the year SterlingAllenBrown devoted his life to the development of an authentic black folk literature. The three most important chords, built off the 1st, 4th and 5th scale degrees are all major . I do not believe in a fixed way to write blues poems or poetry with blues feeling. Smith, Bessie. Carl Van Vechten Estate/Library of Congress, Washington D.C., photograph by Carl Van Vechten, 1936, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bessie-Smith. Big Bill Broonzy released it on the album Folk Blues in 1954. But the second strophe, the second stanza, we turn inward, and its about personal disaster: I woke up this morning cant even get out of my door, I woke up this morning cant even get out of my door. The song "Backwater Blues" is a blues and jazz standard written by Bessie Smith. The beginning of Down Hearted Blues actually reminded me of Ragtime music slightly. hear how the piano embodies the texture of what is being sung, as if the piano witnesses and takes on the storm and flood alongside Bessie Smith. Bessie Smith Chords & Tabs : 24 Total @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com Once more, listen for the turnaround (the melody at the final two bars of each 12-bar progression or last line of each stanza) and hear it transform the melody of one progression/stanza into the next. [1] Its musical composition entered the public domain on January 1, 2023. Performance: Backwater Blues by Big Bill Broonzy | SecondHandSongs Backwater blues done caused me to pack up my things and go, / Backwater blues done caused me to pack up my things and go, / 'Cause my house fell down and I can't live there no more. This is a song poem. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like backwater blues, libretto, step interval and more. Hooktheory requires WebAudio and this browser doesn't support it. Though theres no singular definition of the blues that fully encompasses the history and culture of the people from whom the blues are derived, I do think there are some notes to consider. 04 January 2007. Bessie Smith (1894-1937) began her professional career as a blues singer in cabarets in 1912. In this blog post I am going to be looking at and analysing a track by famous New Orleans jazz musician, Louis Armstrong. As an attempt to escape poverty as a teenager, she joined the Moss Stokes Company with her brother and Gertrude Ma Rainey, the Mother of the Blues. Ma Rainey served as the most influential person during Smiths pre-professional career. C, F7, C, C7, F7, C. Print and download Backwater Blues sheet music by Bessie Smith. Bessie Smith. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, courtesy of the Rock Hall Library and Archive, https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/bessie-smith. Bessie Smith's 'Back-Water Blues': the story behind the song Brown, who alongside Langston Hughes was a pioneer of blues poetry in the 1920s. Terrible images came across the television screen and recently with global warming and continuous flooding and natural disasters this poem survives the test of time and can speak to a variety of incidents and international dislocated peoples. This suggests to me that aspects of contemporary US poetry could be in lineage of African diasporic culture. We were grounded by Amiri Barakas claim in Blues People, in which he conveyed that in the context of Black American culture, music explains history as history explains music. Since tab form can't express time interval, I hope you will figure Major keys, along with minor keys, are a common choice for popular songs. Almost a million people became homeless for a time. Bob Dylan - Backwater blues Lyrics | Genius Lyrics Today, I hear phrases such as the winter blues and Blue Monday and know that they are not considering this history. Great cover of blues classic Backwater blues on The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band 2011. album How I Go The song has long been associated with the great flood of the lower Mississippi River in 1927. The despair is deep, is deeply personal, but it is also metaphorical and speaks to the despair of an entire community. Nose To Tail - Dragon Ball Z Raging Blast 2, Mushihimesama Futari - Sea of Frozen Crystals. Published online by Cambridge University Press: Blues on Yellow Marilyn Chin from Rhapsody in Plain Yellow. Backwater Blues does not sound as much like the blues as Down Hearted Blues to me, but it is still distinguishable as the blues due to the sad content of the song. However, I recommend practicing the classic form (first line repeated in the second line, third line responds to the second, entire poem at least three tercets long) to fully grasp blues aesthetics. Updated September 9, 2020. The initial first line resoundstherefore necessitates itself perhaps as a question, a declaration, or even a second guessing of this sung things existence to its audience of many or just their self. Major keys, along with minor keys, are a common choice for popular songs. The consonant chords allow for a smooth harmony to flow continuously during the song. It was originally composed by Joe "King" Oliver and is largely performed as an instrumental, although lyrics were . The Cumberland River, which flows through the city, rose 56 feet (17m) above its normal level, still a record as of 2014[update].[4]. Her powerful voice stands out so much in this song that the instrumental background may not even be needed as supplementation. Marilyn Chin (1955- ) was born in Hong Kong, grew up in Oregon, and received her MFA from the University of Iowa. Back-Water Blues, composed by Bessie Smith and recorded by her on 17 February 1927, has long been associated in the popular mind and even by some writers with the great flood of the lower Mississippi River and its tributaries that occurred that year. First, research supports the claim that blues music originated during the postUS Civil War era (186165) and is derived from spirituals and work and field songs of Black sharecroppers of the rural south, particularly the Mississippi Delta. Learn to hear chords by ear. Bessie Smith "Backwater Blues" Sheet Music in C Major (transposable Following her death, Smiths legacy continued on as she inspired new artists to display who they truly were. This incident gave birth to an important blues era, now known as the Delta Blues era. I think in the best identity poems that the self represents something much larger than the self. Bemoaning the fate of losing a home to flood waters after five days and nights of rain, Smith laments: 'Thousands of people ain't got no place to go.'. After discussing blues history, we went over Bessie Smiths Backwater Blues, then Langston Hughes Too Blue, and concluded our study with Jericho Browns Duplex (specifically A poem is a gesture toward home). homophonic texture. Leadbelly - Backwater BluesTaken from: 16 Greatest Songs (As Pictured)Track no. After discussing blues history, we went over Bessie Smith's "Backwater Blues," then Langston Hughes' "Too Blue," and concluded our study with Jericho Brown's . [3] However, that flood was at its worst some two months after the song was written. :)---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Title: Backwater BluesLevel: BeginnerCom. Bemoaning the fate of losing a home to flood waters after five days and nights of rain, Smith laments: Thousands of people aint got no place to go. While many latter-day listeners have equated this song with the disastrous 1927 flood of the Mississippi River, Smith actually recorded this before that particular flood had occurred. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like backwater blues, libretto, step interval and more. La Bouche) [2023 Mix] [Extended Mix] Songtext. Songtext von Bessie Smith - Backwater Blues Lyrics There is one integral line throughout the stanza. Smith did not cut any corners in her songs- she told everyone how the world really was and how she felt about it. The piece uses syncopation to allow variation between the instruments and the vocals. I make it a point to learn the African American poetic tradition. She performed in various minstrel and black vaudeville shows, and as her reputation and fame grew, she performed with many of the other leading early jazz musicians of her time: Louis Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, and James P. Johnson, just to name a few. Backwater Blues gefllt bisher niemandem. According to the Theorytab database, it is the 5th most popular key among Major keys and the 5th most popular among all keys. When it rained five days and the sky turned dark as night, Zur deutschen bersetzung von Backwater Blues, Die 10 schnsten Songs fr ein gemtliches Picknick, Die 10 beliebtesten ESC-Songs aller Zeiten, "Sing meinen Song" 2023: Alle Infos, Teilnehmer, Songs & Folgen, "Let's Dance 2023": Alle Tnze aus Show 9 + Songtexte, I'd Rather Be Dead and Buried in My Grave, Udo Lindenberg & Apache 207 - Komet Songtext, Ikke Hftgold, Schrze & DJ Robin - Bumsbar Songtext, Purple Disco Machine & Kungs - Substitution Songtext, Hypaton, David Guetta & La Bouche - Be My Lover (feat. Harmonically, what is the piece based on? Backwater blues done called me to pack my things and go. The melody is conjunct, making it easy to follow the lyrics of the song and the instrumental portions at the same time. This is historically problematical because that flood began two months after Smith . Writer (s): Smith Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com. Bessie Smith had a powerful impact on future blues and Rock and Roll singers, like Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, and Janis Joplin. 15Label: Route 16Year: 1990This CD is from my own collection. Death. The blues poems remind us that the American poetic tradition can be traced to African American oral tradition; that great art, great poems come from deep suffering that is personal, historical, and political and could be read on the page as well as sung out loud. Bessie actually wrote Backwater Blues for the Cumberland River flood that hit Nashville on Christmas morning 1926. There were reports that officials behaved in a discriminatory fashion. It was written by Bessie Smith, and recorded (under the title ". On September 26, 1937, Smith was en route to a show in Memphis, Tennessee with her companion of many years, Richard Morgan, when he sideswiped a truck and lost control of their car. Irma Thomas released it on the album Our New Orleans 2005 - A Benefit Album in 2005. Of course, we Americans have historical amnesia. . The rhythm and beat remain constant throughout the song. Writer(s): Smith Has data issue: false Its musical composition entered the public domain on January 1, 2023. "When it rains five days, and the skies turn dark as night (x2) There's trouble taking place in the lowland that night." Harmonically, what is the piece based on? Bessie Smith- Back Water Blues. Youtube, uploaded by TravelerIntoTheBlue, 9 Oct 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gXShOJVwaM. Back-Water Blues 65th in 1927. Poet, writer, teacher, and political activist Amiri Baraka was born Everett LeRoi Jones in 1934 in Newark, New Jersey. In terms of chords and melody, Backwater Blues is more complex than the typical song, having above average scores in Chord Complexity, Melodic Complexity, Chord-Melody Tension and Chord Progression Novelty. I chose these works for how they built upon classic blues (blues that follows the standard AAB lyrical structure and common themes of love, longing, suffering, and travel) by addressing an ecological concern, as in Backwater Blues, or innovating the classical structure, as in Too Blue, and Duplex., I want to encourage reading and listening to early blues poetry and classic blues as a method toward mastering blues aesthetics. Chris Fisher-Lochhead. Over her ten year career, she created one hundred and sixty recordings. Each verse in the song follows an AAB pattern from beginning to end. Song: Back-Water Blues written by Bessie Smith | SecondHandSongs Borrowing from song to write about whats wrong. Mchtest du Inhalte von aktivieren? Smith's voice not only had this quality, it also possessed a rich timbre and tremendous emotive power. Mmm, I cant move no more. She made almost 200 recordings, including duets with Louis Armstrong and Joe Smith. Bessie Smith is the best-known of the female \"classic blues\" (or \"city blues\") singers from the 1910s and 1920s (others include Ma Rainey, Ethel Waters, Clara Smith, and Mamie Smith). She began recording regularly in the 1920s, distinguishing herself as the most successful African American artist of her time with her recording Down Hearted Blues in 1923. Though, after repeated listening and reading of blues standards like Backwater Blues, call and response became more than an AAB tercet on page/to my ear. One more piece. When it's . It also deals with how said flood displaced several victims and led to the loss of hundreds of lives. hasContentIssue false. The scene is set with the terrific storm by the female speaker, so depressed that she cant even get out of the door. The beat does . Smith (on vocal with James P. Johnson on piano) recorded it as "Back-water Blues" on February 17, 1927, in New York City. When it thunders and lightnin' and the wind begins to blow. Bessie Smith, "Backwater blues", 1927The song "Backwater Blues" is a blues and jazz standard. Mmm, I can't move no more. Hi! Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com. Backwater blues done called me to pack my things and go. The lyrics are in the often-used AAB blues format. Backwater Blues - Wikipedia I cant do justice to this poem, to Backwater Blues, by just reciting it myself. The three most important chords, built off the 1st, 4th and 5th scale degrees are all major chords (E Major, A Major, and B Major). Please use a recent version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, or Opera instead. Backwater Blues by Bessie Smith - Digital Sheet Music, View our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions, Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out. This personal depression by extension is about the depression of an entire people, marginalized in the back waters, stricken with poverty, homelessness, suffering social injustice, discrimination, and now hit with this catastrophic natural disaster. Sheet music arranged for Piano/Vocal/Guitar in C Major (transposable). Yeah, when it's thunderin' and lightnin'. Thank you. The piano's bass part keeps the rhythm of the piece steady but when doing the 'response', the right hand can complicate this and create interest. I am majoring in biology and love helping my community! Este es un disco muy bueno; una gran voz, la Reina del Blues Dinah Washington, y unos temas espectaculares, las canciones de la gran Bessie Smith. I love writing blues poems. The backwater blues caused me. The first two verses are unique and do not have any repetition. Known as the\"Empress of the Blues,\" Bessie Smith's first recording, \"Down-Hearted Blues,\" from 1923, was very successful, and helped her to become the leading African-American performer of the time. Bessie Smith is the best-known of the female "classic blues" (or "city blues") singers from the 1910s and 1920s (others include Ma Rainey, Ethel Waters, Clar. She is considered by many as one of the most successful African-American females of all time. Baraka attributes this knowledge to his mentor Sterling A. There aint no place for a poor old girl to go. As a poet who writes in English I know that every time I write a sonnet I pay homage to the high European tradition and to master poets like Shakespeare, Dunn, Keats, Petrarch. West End Blues - Louis Armstrong (Analysis) - bradpottermusic However, the blues utility in our everyday language signifies to me that the blues are ingrained into US culture. Discuss Bessie Smith's performance of "Back Water Blues" as an example of both. This is historically problematical because that flood began two months after Smith recorded her song. Bessie Smith - Back-Water Blues Lyrics | Genius Lyrics Adds to the blues feel as the music is seen to reflect the realities of her situation. The first line sets the scene, the second line repeats the first for emphasis. In our workshop, In the Voice and in the Deep, Blues Poetry, participants and I studied blues music, history, aesthetics, and ultimately blues poetry. Bessie Smith - Backwater Blues Flashcards | Quizlet Bessie actually wrote "Backwater Blues" for the Cumberland River flood that hit Nashville on Christmas morning 1926. There was evidence of lynchings and unspeakable killings and terrible acts against the black community. It was covered by Brother John Sellers, Toni Lynn Washington, Meschiya Lake and The Little Big Horns, The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band and other artists. The third line either comments or reverses the first two lines. Backwater Blues Chris Fisher-Lochhead Bessie Smith (Down Hearted Blues, 1923) Jazz Legend. Youtube, uploaded by RagtimeDorianHenry, 3 Jun 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go6TiLIeVZA. In "Backwater Blues", the writer retells the incidents surrounding the flooding of Nashville in 1927. I see myself as an activist Chinese American poet, and I want to show the multiple sides of my literary inheritance. Dazu brauchen wir deine Einwillung*. Smith (on vocal with James P. Johnson on piano) recorded it as "Back-water Blues" on February 17, 1927, in New York City. We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Back Water Blues by Irma Thomas was written by Bessie Smith and was first recorded and released by Bessie Smith in 1927.