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 piece has a homophonic texture due to the supplementation of the instruments to the vocalization of Smith. Its musical composition entered the public domain on January 1, 2023. 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. About a thousand people lost their lives. Bessie Smith Chords & Tabs : 24 Total @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com The three most important chords, built off the 1st, 4th and 5th scale degrees are all major . She manages to escape her flooding home, only to look back and see that she will never be able to go back to it. I have sympathy towards Smith during her performance of this song because she conveys how lonesome she is. Almost a million people became homeless for a time. And I can't live there no more. 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. 04 January 2007. hasContentIssue false. Backwater Blues is written in the key of E Major. 15Label: Route 16Year: 1990This CD is from my own collection. The despair is deep, is deeply personal, but it is also metaphorical and speaks to the despair of an entire community. Billed annually at $39.99. The song "Backwater Blues" is a blues and jazz standard written by Bessie Smith. And the rain begin to pour. 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. Dazu brauchen wir deine Einwillung*. Blues on Yellow Marilyn Chin from Rhapsody in Plain Yellow. The best song poems, I believe, can live on the pages as well as in the ear. The repetition of her lyrics depict just how saddening her situation is- she is in the middle of losing everything. Thematically, write about whatever you feel must be sung. 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. 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. Not only did she sing, she was also an actress and comedian. Bessie Smith, commonly referred to as the Empress of the Blues, was born in 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Content may require purchase if you do not have access. This piece draws its material from the song "Backwater Blues" by Bessie Smith and from the historically articulated performance practice that has accrued to it. Thank you. Leadbelly - Backwater BluesTaken from: 16 Greatest Songs (As Pictured)Track no. Teach music and songwriting in ways that keep students engaged, excited, and inspired. 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 rhythm remains constant throughout the song, allowing the melody to flow peacefully during the piece. "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 had a powerful impact on future blues and Rock and Roll singers, like Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, and Janis Joplin. Total loading time: 0 Back Water Blues by Irma Thomas was written by Bessie Smith and was first recorded and released by Bessie Smith in 1927. Marilyn Chin (1955- ) was born in Hong Kong, grew up in Oregon, and received her MFA from the University of Iowa. The vocals to be the focus and the 'response' to be more complex, At times it can sounds almost 'half-spoken'. C, F7, C, C7, F7, C. 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. The Mississippi River flood of 1927 was horrific. Pro Credit Pack (3 Pro Credits) Included with first year, Your high-resolution PDF file will be ready to download in Hooktheory requires WebAudio and this browser doesn't support it. Mmm, I cant move no more. This is historically problematical because that flood began two months after Smith . There is one integral line throughout the stanza. 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). 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. I see myself as an activist Chinese American poet, and I want to show the multiple sides of my literary inheritance. Bessie actually wrote "Backwater Blues" for the Cumberland River flood that hit Nashville on Christmas morning 1926. Train with real songs. Yeah, when it's thunderin' and lightnin'. The song has long been associated with the great flood of the lower Mississippi River in 1927. What characterizes a blues performance? Mchtest du Inhalte von aktivieren? Major keys, along with minor keys, are a common choice for popular songs. The scene is set with the terrific storm by the female speaker, so depressed that she cant even get out of the door. Writer(s): Smith I make it a point to learn the African American poetic tradition. Photo credit: Carl Van Vechten, Celebrating Contemporary Books & Writers at the Library, From the Catbird Seat: The official Poetry and Literature podcast, Receive notifications about events, activities, and online resources, Marilyn Chin reads and discusses Bessie Smith's "Backwater Blues", Rhapsody in plain yellow, by Marilyn Chin, Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature. There's thousands of people ain't got no place to go. I do not believe in a fixed way to write blues poems or poetry with blues feeling. 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 . LISTENING part 1 SEIGFRIED CHAP 5. richard wagner germany Chris Fisher-Lochhead. Alle Informationen dazu findest du in unseren We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. 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. Her lyrics aid the audience in understanding why she is down. This is historically problematical because that flood began two months after Smith recorded her song. Includes 1 print + interactive copy with lifetime access in our free apps. Learn to hear chords by ear. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings. West End Blues - Louis Armstrong (Analysis) - bradpottermusic 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 . 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) 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. 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. Nonetheless, when she recorded it in 1927 Backwater Blues became an anthem for the great Mississippi River Flood. Play the music you love without limits for just $9.99 $3.33/month. Jazz- Review Questions Flashcards | Quizlet She teaches in the MFA program at San Diego State University. 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. 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. There was evidence of lynchings and unspeakable killings and terrible acts against the black community.