Back-Water Blues. Lets look at this poem closely. The first two lines are of almost equal length. One more piece. 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. 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.'. Backwater Blues is written in the key of E Major. Blues on Yellow Marilyn Chin from Rhapsody in Plain Yellow. The despair is deep, is deeply personal, but it is also metaphorical and speaks to the despair of an entire community. The first line sets the scene, the second line repeats the first for emphasis. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like backwater blues, libretto, step interval and more. } 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. One subscription across all of your devices. This suggests to me that aspects of contemporary US poetry could be in lineage of African diasporic culture. According to the Theorytab database, it is the 5th most popular key among Major keys and the 5th most popular among all keys. Content may require purchase if you do not have access. View all Google Scholar citations The poem moves to personal depression. It was originally composed by Joe "King" Oliver and is largely performed as an instrumental, although lyrics were . 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! SKU: MN0121681 Of course, I learn so much from the Bessie Smiths blues poems. 3.2 Online-Unterricht - Backwater Blues - YouTube Published online by Cambridge University Press: The narrator, who presents himself as a victim describes how . Back-Water Blues 65th in 1927. Mchtest du Inhalte von aktivieren? The third-sixth verses have the traditional AAB blues pattern, which helps emphasize what she is saying during each verse. Instagram oder Facebook auf Songtexte.com geladen werden. 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. This incident gave birth to an important blues era, now known as the Delta Blues era. 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) This is historically problematical because that flood began two months after Smith recorded her song. 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. Try listening to Backwater Blues while reading the lyrics; 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. They relocated the white folks in an expedient manner but corralled the black folks into abysmal camps. The first two verses are unique and do not have any repetition. Down Hearted Blues, her first recording, sold nearly 800,000 copies, firmly establishing her as a new singer in the blues genre. Nose To Tail - Dragon Ball Z Raging Blast 2, Mushihimesama Futari - Sea of Frozen Crystals. 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. Bessie Smith. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, courtesy of the Rock Hall Library and Archive, https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/bessie-smith. The rhythm and beat remain constant throughout the song. The repetition of her lyrics depict just how saddening her situation is- she is in the middle of losing everything. In the Voice and in the Deep, Blues Poetry - Poetry Foundation 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. '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. Datenschutzbestimmungen. I do not believe in a fixed way to write blues poems or poetry with blues feeling. The elements of voice, musical instrument, and audience formed a living tercet in which the blues singer and musician resound one another to deliver that final line blues statement. Sheet music arranged for Piano/Vocal/Guitar in C Major (transposable). She believed that her truth needed to be told, so she told it. Considering these notes about the blues inception, the blues endured and scoredif not directly then through derived musical formsthe majority of the United States early nation-building and cultural formation. There is one integral line throughout the stanza. 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. 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. Backwater blues done called me to pack my things and go. This is historically problematical because that flood began two months after Smith . The melody is conjunct, making it easy to follow the lyrics of the song and the instrumental portions at the same time. I love writing blues poems. What is 12-bar-blues form? Create beats, songs, and musical snippets with built-in music theory, melody guides, and intelligent chord suggestions. She made almost 200 recordings, including duets with Louis Armstrong and Joe Smith. Adds to the blues feel as the music is seen to reflect the realities of her situation. [1] 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 beat does . Hooktheory requires WebAudio and this browser doesn't support it. 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. While many latter-day . "Backwater Blues" (Song) - Song Meanings and Facts Please download this song, preferably the original 1927 recording by Bessie Smith, and listen to her amazing singing. 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. Hostname: page-component-75b8448494-knlg2 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. Almost half a million homes were destroyed. In this blog post I am going to be looking at and analysing a track by famous New Orleans jazz musician, Louis Armstrong. Print and download Backwater Blues sheet music by Bessie Smith. 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. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like backwater blues, libretto, step interval and more. According to the Theorytab database, it is the 5th most popular key among Major keys and the 5th most popular among all keys. Mmm, I can't move no more. The scene is set with the terrific storm by the female speaker, so depressed that she cant even get out of the door. To pack my things and go. Smith (on vocal with James P. Johnson on piano) recorded it as "Back-water Blues" on February 17, 1927, in New York City. Discover an intuitive and deep understanding of how music works. Train with real songs. Nonetheless, when she recorded it in 1927 Backwater Blues became an anthem for the great Mississippi River Flood. There were reports that officials behaved in a discriminatory fashion. 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). View Official Scores licensed from. Bessie Smith had a powerful impact on future blues and Rock and Roll singers, like Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, and Janis Joplin. Bessie Smith's 'Back-Water Blues': the story behind the song 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. Backwater Blues - The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band - YouTube print music publishers. The third line either comments or reverses the first two lines. Create beats, songs, and musical ideas with built-in music theory and AI from over 30k songs. [2], The song has long been associated with the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. Bessie Smith recorded Backwater Blues in 1927, and it became an anthem for one of the most devastating national disasters in US history. The conjunct melody made me want to sing along with her! However, the blues utility in our everyday language signifies to me that the blues are ingrained into US culture. Although Smith is very pleasing to the ears, she seems to be slightly monotone in this piece. 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 Smith . And the rain begin to pour. Backwater Blues tells the story of how the speaker is forced out of her home due to flooding waters. 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. Chin is the recipient of the PEN/Josephine Miles Award, a Fullbright Fellowship, and the Paterson Prize, among numerous other honors. Through an examination of Smith's touring itinerary, the testimony of fellow entertainers who toured with her, newspaper reports, and other documents, it can be shown that the song was composed about a flood of the Cumberland River that struck Nashville, Tennessee, on Christmas morning, 1926. Bessie Smith (1894-1937) began her professional career as a blues singer in cabarets in 1912. Her lyrics aid the audience in understanding why she is down. Backwater Blues is written in the key of E Major. The flood from The Cumberland River that struck Nashville, Tennessee on Christmas Day 1926, AAB e.g. My name is Lex and I am a rising senior at the University of Georgia. Back Water Blues by Irma Thomas was written by Bessie Smith and was first recorded and released by Bessie Smith in 1927. I have sympathy towards Smith during her performance of this song because she conveys how lonesome she is. 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. Play the music you love without limits for just $9.99 $3.33/month. Backwater Blues Sheet music for Piano (Solo) | Musescore.com Each verse in the song follows an AAB pattern from beginning to end. The opening choruses of each performance . Total loading time: 0 There aint no place for a poor old girl to go. Jazz- Review Questions Flashcards | Quizlet Big Bill Broonzy released it on the album Folk Blues in 1954. Feature Flags: { And I can't live there no more. ). The piece uses syncopation to allow variation between the instruments and the vocals. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings. I have her strong voice in my ear at all times. Great cover of blues classic Backwater blues on The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band 2011. album How I Go What characterizes a blues performance? hasContentIssue false. Dinah Washington - Back Water Blues - YouTube She lets the chords of the instruments dangle off of her words, resulting in a beautiful piece that focuses primarily on the lyrics. Through an examination of Smith's touring itinerary, the testimony of fellow entertainers who toured . 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. Smith (on vocal with James P. Johnson on piano) recorded it as "Back-water Blues" on February 17, 1927, in New York City. It was written by Bessie Smith, and recorded (under the title ". Designed and built by Hooktheory in California. Borrowing from song to write about whats wrong. 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. Major keys, along with minor keys, are a common choice for popular songs. Bessie Smith, "Backwater blues", 1927The song "Backwater Blues" is a blues and jazz standard. Backwater Blues - Piano - YouTube :)---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Title: Backwater BluesLevel: BeginnerCom. Thank you. Teach music and songwriting in ways that keep students engaged, excited, and inspired. A modified 12 bar blues. Bessie Smith, commonly referred to as the Empress of the Blues, was born in 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com. The flood was a devastating ordeal. Third, Mamie Smith became the first Black blues singer to record a blues record in 1920. About a thousand people lost their lives. When it's . 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. 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. Entire black neighborhoods were wiped out. Backwater Blues Bessie Smith Chords and Lyrics for Guitar As musicologist Dr. David Evans has noted, Back-Water Blues was recorded in February 1927, before the great disaster of April. 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. Kevin Young was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. She teaches in the MFA program at San Diego State University. 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. There's thousands of people ain't got no place to go. "useRatesEcommerce": false Billed annually at $39.99. Smith did not cut any corners in her songs- she told everyone how the world really was and how she felt about it. West End Blues - Louis Armstrong (Analysis) - bradpottermusic The Mississippi River flood of 1927 was horrific. El disco e. The beat is easy to tap along to, making it easier to focus on her lyrics. The piece has a homophonic texture due to the supplementation of the instruments to the vocalization of Smith. 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. We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Study of Smith's touring itinerary, of testimony of fellow entertainers who toured with her, and of contemporary reports indicates that the song was written in response to the flood that struck Nashville, Tennessee on Christmas Day 1926. I think in the best identity poems that the self represents something much larger than the self. The blues artists who wrote and sang in this era there are famous names in this era such as Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Howling Wolf, and of course, Bessie Smith, who is one of my favorites. Bob Dylan - Backwater blues Lyrics | Genius Lyrics Her powerful voice stands out so much in this song that the instrumental background may not even be needed as supplementation. Hi! 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). Johnson was instrumental in the development of the piano style that emerged from Harlem in the 1920s known as \"stride.\" \r\rIn the age before sound amplification and microphones, a successful singer needed to be able to project. The lyrics of the song are interpreted with respect to the events of that flood. I mean, first, it sets up a terrible storm when it rained five days and the skies turned dark as night, when it rained five days and the skies turned dark as night. Writer (s): Smith Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com. Backwater Blues Chris Fisher-Lochhead Over her ten year career, she created one hundred and sixty recordings. Song: Back-Water Blues written by Bessie Smith | SecondHandSongs Backwater Blues by Bessie Smith Chords, Melody, and Music Theory The best song poems, I believe, can live on the pages as well as in the ear. Another way of reading classic blues lyric structure is as weighted-sonic couplets. 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. Backwater Blues - Wikipedia Thematically, write about whatever you feel must be sung. 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). [Verse 5] And I went . Bessie Smith's Back-Water Blues: the story behind https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261143007001158, Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. The three most important chords, built off the 1st, 4th and 5th scale degrees are all major . "it rained five days and the sky turned dark as night". Not only did she sing, she was also an actress and comedian. 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. *Als Songtexte.com PUR User kannst du entscheiden, welche Inhalte von externen Anbietern wie Youtube, Poet, writer, teacher, and political activist Amiri Baraka was born Everett LeRoi Jones in 1934 in Newark, New Jersey. Bessie actually wrote Backwater Blues for the Cumberland River flood that hit Nashville on Christmas morning 1926. It is a flexible approach to pitch (pentatonic base)-BLUES NOTES, descending melodic lines, raw/ gritty timbres, call and response, swing or laid back/flexible approach to the . 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. Render date: 2023-05-02T09:42:40.381Z I am majoring in biology and love helping my community! She is considered by many as one of the most successful African-American females of all time. Bessie Smith "Backwater Blues" Sheet Music in C Major (transposable Leadbelly - Backwater BluesTaken from: 16 Greatest Songs (As Pictured)Track no. 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. The song "Backwater Blues" is a blues and jazz standard written by Bessie Smith. The song is called "West End Blues" and was recorded by Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five in 1928. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. 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. The call and response between vocals and piano does what? She is the author of three collections of poems, most recently Rhapsody in Plain Yellow (2002). Smith's voice not only had this quality, it also possessed a rich timbre and tremendous emotive power. La Bouche) [2023 Mix] [Extended Mix] Songtext. What are the introductory chords that illustrate this? 'Cause my house fell down. 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. 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. Bessie Smith- Back Water Blues. Youtube, uploaded by TravelerIntoTheBlue, 9 Oct 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gXShOJVwaM. . The song has a homophonic texture due to the use of instruments and vocalization in unison. Bessie Smith - Backwater Blues Flashcards | Quizlet The lyrics are in the often-used AAB blues format.
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