Blues Notes I. The Blues a. Denotation i. ii. II. Origins a. Africa b. Field Hollers i. Call & Response ii. Most famous (recorded) = c. Slaves suffered under well defined roles d. 1st generation emancipated (sons and daughters of slaves) i. Suffered under more ambiguous, still inferior, status ii. “theoretical freedom” = illusion of success iii. Reality = lack of education, money, and racial discrimination 1. led to failure and self doubt iv. no older generation = first experience 1. New Forms of Expression = Blues, Jazz, Poetry, Novels, Dance III. Message a. either autobiographical laments or “species experience” b. pattern and message i. full of suffering often punctuated by hope (heaven) or punch-line IV. Format/pattern a. Usually: A line repeated (A A) Followed by a rhyming line (B) b. Examples: i. When I picked you up, baby, you was beat just like a slave When I picked you up, baby, you was beat just like a slave You had one foot on the banana peeling, and the other in the grave -Peter Wheatstraw ii. I left my babe in Mississippi, picking cotton on her knees I left my babe in Mississippi, picking cotton on her knees She says “If you get to Chicago all right, please write me a letter if you please” -Tommy McClennan iii. Poor people is like prisoners, but they just ain’t got a ball and chain Poor people is like prisoners, but they just ain’t got a ball and chain But the way they are faring I swear it’s all the same -Walter Davis
V. Major themes/ types of lyrics a. Spirituals (Dock Reed) b. Hot Mama Blues c. Poor Mama Blues d. Train Blues e. Crossroads (Robert Johnson) f. Man-Child (Big Bill Broonzy, Muddy Waters) g. Migration h. Protest
VI. Examples: Notify the message, pattern, or theme a. Blues: i. Here My Train A Comin’ – Jimi Hendrix ii. Red House - Hendrix iii. Mannish Boy - Hendrix b. Jazz: i. Black and Blue – Louis Armstrong ii. Naima – Coltrane
Work Cited:
Tracy, Steven C. "Blues Lyrics." The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter. Lexington, Massachusetts: D.C. Heath and Company, 1994. 1722-1727. See also: http://www.pbs.org/theblues/classroom/cd.html#null
1 comment:
Blues Notes
I. The Blues
a. Denotation
i.
ii.
II. Origins
a. Africa
b. Field Hollers
i. Call & Response
ii. Most famous (recorded) =
c. Slaves suffered under well defined roles
d. 1st generation emancipated (sons and daughters of slaves)
i. Suffered under more ambiguous, still inferior, status
ii. “theoretical freedom” = illusion of success
iii. Reality = lack of education, money, and racial discrimination
1. led to failure and self doubt
iv. no older generation = first experience
1. New Forms of Expression = Blues, Jazz, Poetry, Novels, Dance
III. Message
a. either autobiographical laments or “species experience”
b. pattern and message
i. full of suffering often punctuated by hope (heaven) or punch-line
IV. Format/pattern
a. Usually: A line repeated (A A) Followed by a rhyming line (B)
b. Examples:
i. When I picked you up, baby, you was beat just like a slave
When I picked you up, baby, you was beat just like a slave
You had one foot on the banana peeling, and the other in the grave
-Peter Wheatstraw
ii. I left my babe in Mississippi, picking cotton on her knees
I left my babe in Mississippi, picking cotton on her knees
She says “If you get to Chicago all right, please write me a
letter if you please”
-Tommy McClennan
iii. Poor people is like prisoners, but they just ain’t got a ball and chain
Poor people is like prisoners, but they just ain’t got a ball and chain
But the way they are faring I swear it’s all the same
-Walter Davis
V. Major themes/ types of lyrics
a. Spirituals (Dock Reed)
b. Hot Mama Blues
c. Poor Mama Blues
d. Train Blues
e. Crossroads (Robert Johnson)
f. Man-Child (Big Bill Broonzy, Muddy Waters)
g. Migration
h. Protest
VI. Examples: Notify the message, pattern, or theme
a. Blues:
i. Here My Train A Comin’ – Jimi Hendrix
ii. Red House - Hendrix
iii. Mannish Boy - Hendrix
b. Jazz:
i. Black and Blue – Louis Armstrong
ii. Naima – Coltrane
Work Cited:
Tracy, Steven C. "Blues Lyrics." The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter. Lexington, Massachusetts: D.C. Heath and Company, 1994. 1722-1727.
See also:
http://www.pbs.org/theblues/classroom/cd.html#null
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