Backwater Blues is written in the key of E Major. The song "Backwater Blues" is a blues and jazz standard written by Bessie Smith. 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. The first two lines are of almost equal length. Dazu brauchen wir deine Einwillung*. Backwater Blues by Big Bill Broonzy was written by Bessie Smith and was first recorded and released by Bessie Smith in 1927. Lets look at this poem closely. Discuss Bessie Smith's performance of "Back Water Blues" as an example of both. 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) There was evidence of lynchings and unspeakable killings and terrible acts against the black community. Her voice is subversive, defiant despite all odds against her. :)---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Title: Backwater BluesLevel: BeginnerCom. "When it rains five days, and the skies turn dark as night (x2). Adds to the blues feel as the music is seen to reflect the realities of her situation. Poet, writer, teacher, and political activist Amiri Baraka was born Everett LeRoi Jones in 1934 in Newark, New Jersey. What characterizes a blues performance? The vocals to be the focus and the 'response' to be more complex, At times it can sounds almost 'half-spoken'. Published online by Cambridge University Press: Mmm, I can't move no more. When it thunders and lightnin' and the wind begins to blow. Its musical composition entered the public domain on January 1, 2023. Following her death, Smiths legacy continued on as she inspired new artists to display who they truly were. The melody is conjunct, making it easy to follow the lyrics of the song and the instrumental portions at the same time. Become a Musicnotes Pro - Premium member today and receive 24 titles per year plus take 15% off all digital sheet music purchases and get PDFs included with every song! There's thousands of people ain't got no place to go. The poem moves to personal depression. 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. The first line sets the scene, the second line repeats the first for emphasis. 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. Teach music and songwriting in ways that keep students engaged, excited, and inspired. It was originally composed by Joe "King" Oliver and is largely performed as an instrumental, although lyrics were . Hooktheory requires WebAudio and this browser doesn't support it. Nose To Tail - Dragon Ball Z Raging Blast 2, Mushihimesama Futari - Sea of Frozen Crystals. "Backwater Blues" (1927) . 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. The opening choruses of each performance . The a rhyme glues the three-line stanza together. for this article. Nonetheless, when she recorded it in 1927 Backwater Blues became an anthem for the great Mississippi River Flood. He studied under Seamus Heaney and Lucie Brock-Broido at Harvard University and, while a student there, became a member of the Dark Room African diasporic culture and the aesthetics of the blues. print music publishers. While many latter-day . 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 beat does . And I can't live there no more. Thank you. 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. '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. 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. Writer(s): Smith Smith performed for nearly a decade until Columbia Records signed her in 1923. In order to interrogate said materials, six recordings by different musicians were chosen and meticulously transcribed. Billed annually at $39.99. The beat is easy to tap along to, making it easier to focus on her lyrics. 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. Following her death, Smith received numerous awards and honors for her achievements, including: Bessie Smith- American Singer. Encyclopedia Britannica, written by The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Feb 2019, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bessie-Smith. Bessie Smith- Back Water Blues. Youtube, uploaded by TravelerIntoTheBlue, 9 Oct 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gXShOJVwaM. Major keys, along with minor keys, are a common choice for popular 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. There aint no place for a poor old girl to go. Render date: 2023-05-02T09:42:40.381Z Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out (Bessie and Me). Chris Fisher-Lochhead. According to the Theorytab database, it is the 5th most popular key among Major keys and the 5th most popular among all keys. Designed and built by Hooktheory in California. The song "Backwater Blues" is a blues and jazz standard written by Bessie Smith. The piece uses syncopation to allow variation between the instruments and the vocals. 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. Instagram oder Facebook auf Songtexte.com geladen werden. What are the introductory chords that illustrate this? Thematically, write about whatever you feel must be sung. The narrator, who presents himself as a victim describes how . 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 El disco e. Down Hearted Blues, her first recording, sold nearly 800,000 copies, firmly establishing her as a new singer in the blues genre. Big Bill Broonzy released it on the album Folk Blues in 1954. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like backwater blues, libretto, step interval and more. Smith (on vocal with James P. Johnson on piano) recorded it as "Back-water Blues" on February 17, 1927, in New York City. Jazz- Review Questions. Sheet music arranged for Piano/Vocal/Guitar in C Major (transposable). The song has a homophonic texture due to the use of instruments and vocalization in unison. Backwater Blues is written in the key of E Major. I think in the best identity poems that the self represents something much larger than the self. 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. 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. 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. [Verse 5] And I went . 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. Today, I hear phrases such as the winter blues and Blue Monday and know that they are not considering this history. 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. Mmm, I cant move no more. 'Cause my house fell down. The rhythm remains constant throughout the song, allowing the melody to flow peacefully during the piece. 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). homophonic texture. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings. La Bouche) [2023 Mix] [Extended Mix] Songtext. Cause my house fell down and I can't live there no more. Major keys, along with minor keys, are a common choice for popular songs. For examples of innovative uses of these devices in poetry, visit Jericho Browns Duplex, Evie Shockleys Fukushima Blues, and Kevin Youngs Langston Hughes.. Includes 1 print + interactive copy with lifetime access in our free apps. Bessie actually wrote Backwater Blues for the Cumberland River flood that hit Nashville on Christmas morning 1926. Bessie Smith recorded Backwater Blues in 1927, and it became an anthem for one of the most devastating national disasters in US history. C, F7, C, C7, F7, C. She teaches in the MFA program at San Diego State University. Marilyn Chin (1955- ) was born in Hong Kong, grew up in Oregon, and received her MFA from the University of Iowa. 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. Not only did she sing, she was also an actress and comedian. The flood from The Cumberland River that struck Nashville, Tennessee on Christmas Day 1926, AAB e.g. It also deals with how said flood displaced several victims and led to the loss of hundreds of lives. Most of us dont remember the great Mississippi River Flood of 1927, but when I read this poem a few years ago during a gathering on the behalf of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, the same issues resoundedneighborhoods destroyed, slow government response, the African American neighborhoods were hit the hardest.
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