Blues Essays

The History of the Blues In the music world, the blues is probably one of the saddest forms of music out there. When upset, a blues artist would take their instrument of choice and start to play out their feelings and emotions. The whole point of it was to share what it is like to be ‘feeling blue’ (Blues History).But where did this come from? Who thought of sharing their feelings through music in such a way? It seems to goes all the way to the southern plantations in the 19th century. African

Blues music as a genre and form was developed by African Americans in the south of the United States at the end of the 19th century. The genre has origins in many cultures such as in African music, African-American work songs and European-American folk music. Blues music incorporates field hollers, shouts, chants, etc. The blues form, found in jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll, is characterized by the call-and-response pattern, and also the twelve-bar blues structure, which is the most common

The blues is the earliest genre of music to come from the United States. It started as the poor, often slaves, singing or playing music on whatever they could afford. Blues can trace its origins back to slaves and the poor of the U.S., who sang and played whatever acoustic instruments they could find. As the blues became more popular and mainstream, it began to take shape as a real genre. One of the first mainstream musicians was Charley Patton. He is considered by many the father of the delta

Prompt #3: “Sonny’s Blues” (James Baldwin, 1957). In the story, the characters come in conflict with the culture in which he lives. Working Thesis: The main point of this source that gives you the backstory and background and detailed of James Baldwin who is Sonny’s Blues explaining his life in a short story. The topics that we will be covering is major work, critical reception, major theme and conflict because of James being an African American. I was reading about Sonny’s Blues at work in between

falling, complex in 1harmony, uncertain in pitch, but constant in the recitative of pain.” The Blues Aesthetic is a catharsis of pain, suffering and cultural wisdom gathered from the age of slavery. It is a means of transmission of narratives that builds on the oral tradition of storytelling; a compilation of stories peppered with suffering, sacrifice and loss narrated through lyrics of songs, “The Blues arises as a late nineteenth century/early twentieth century secular thrust of African-American

Answer: Melancholy. Answer: This song fits very well in what I would consider to be blues music. It has all of the right ingredients, love, sadness, and a broken heart. It also uses instruments that are traditionally linked to blues music, the piano, and saxophone. The emotion that is heard through Bessie Smiths vocals gives the listener a true feeling of the blues. Answer: I pictured a very lively scene, with many things happening at the same time. The sounds are very sudden and unexpected

Blues and Gospel are two of the founding styles of music created in the United States. It was in the late 19th and early 20th century when these two forms of music became known. They both express emotion and tribulations that people have been through. There is no type of music similar to these two genres. They both have a religious origin, and share the same rhythms and enunciation styles.   What do you feel when you hear the word “Blues”? Many people believe that the blues is all about sadness,

What is the Blues? In the words of B.B. King, “Blues is a simple music and I’m a simple man” (qtd. in King and Ritz). From its simple and primitive origins, not only has the Blues affected culture throughout the Deep South, but Southern culture has had a strong influence on the creation of the Blues and its musicians. The Blues’ unique sound came from the slave songs, such as the work songs and field hollers of the enslaved African Americans (PBS). Nearly every song on the radio today has its roots

Marcus Campos English 102 Mrs. Jerien Rausch “What You Do Today, Will Effect You Tomorrow” Sonny’s Blues is the story of the upbringing of a African American child during a time that he was not welcomed, at a place, the Harlem ghetto, where its easier to remain a street smart child. Being, black during this time period I believe that everyone has an untold story. I would argue that in Sonny Blues by James Baldwin poverty, drugs, and living conditions eventually result with doing time in prison

What are The Blues? Where the Blues Started The Blues originated in the early 19th century as a form of a field hollers, a form of singing with quick or jumpy pitch changes, slaves would sing about their troubles, plans, and emotions while working in the fields in a call and response pattern. After the emancipation of the slaves, the genre almost completely vanished because of the lack of record keeping of African American culture during the 18th and 19th centuries. The lack of record keeping should

Blues music was an outlet for women like Alberta Hunter, Ethel Waters, Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie Smith and others to sing about their problems and feelings. The music gave them the chance to let their peers know that they weren’t alone, other women were going through the same ordeals. These songs sent the message that women could and should stand up for themselves and live their lives the way they saw fit. Women of the blues era opened the door for future female singers to express themselves through

of expression for these early human settlements. Today, music remains an expression of different cultures and human emotion. In Sonny’s Blues, James Baldwin employs music, specifically blues music, to express the emotions and inner suffering of his characters. Blues can be described as very soulful, most melodies pull at the soul and evoke a deeper emotion. Blues music, whether wordless or not, helps listeners form a deep personal connection with the music and feel the pain and and suffering of the

. “Crossroads Blues” → Robert Johnson (2:38) • This song will play briefly at the beginning of Act II, Scene I as a means to foreshadow forthcoming events. This song is ideal for Fences and this scene in particular for two reasons: 1) the soulfulness of blues music perfectly embodies the trials and tribulations that have defined Troy’s life (i.e., running away from home, going to prison, not being able to father his son Lyons, etc.). The pain that this type of music evokes is well suited to Troy’s

In the short story “Sonny’s Blues” the narrator Sonny’s brother talks about their life together and also the environment they live in. the title of the story is name after the brother of the narrator, it is through the narrator’s eyes about his brother Sonny. As a young African American male born in Harlem, sonny is aware of the limits and obstacles he faces. He struggles with the being around the same environment, so he decided by moving away from Harlem his problems will go away and he can start

Blue can not only be seen, but also felt which allows everyone to feel deeper meanings and views of experiences whether they are physically able to see it or not. Using other senses to understand blue can be hard but the word blue does not simply describe the endless meanings associated with it. Blue can be soft like fluffy cotton candy or it can be deep and dark like the piercing screech of a hawk hunting his prey at midnight. The many variations of blue that can be described through different types

Music Analysis Essay Song 1 I have selected ‘Cross Roads Blues’ written and recorded by Robert Johnson in 1936, one of the best Delta Blues singer, song-writer and musician (May 8, 1911-August 16 1938). Robert Johnson performed ‘Cross Roads Blues’ as a solo piece with his vocal and acoustic slide guitar in the style of Delta Blues, produced by Don Law. This song has become a part of Robert Johnson’s mythology because in this song he is talking about the place where he met the devil and sold his soul

The blues especially was a vehicle to explore black artists' thoughts and feelings, as an avenue of freedom. As blues singers, women played into the expectations of being more in tune with their emotions and being able to provide the emotional release that black audiences sought, and creating a rapport knowing that women do and can provide catharsis. Women acted as messengers and preachers to the spiritual release provided by the expressive nature of the blues. In her first chapter of Blues Legacies

Blue hair analysis The song “Blue Hair” was released in 2018 by TV Girl. TV Girl is an indie pop band from San Diego in California, but now based in Los Angeles (Wikipedia, 2023). The song “Blue Hair” is written from a point of view of what seem to be a parent figure narrator. The narrator is reflecting one their relationship with a girl. The girl is the protagonist in the song and comes across as the narrator’s daughter. The song tells the story of an insecure girl growing up and cutting off her

It has been shown, that blues music is music that comes from the heart. The artists tell stories through their music about bad times and good times in which they have gone through. They make these songs relatable so in which people can try to understand what the artists went through. Something that blues music does is making light out of something sad that has happened. The quality that most defines the blues aesthetic is the tragic comic portion of it. The characteristic of tragic comic affirms

“Sonny’s Blues” tells the story of two estranged brothers who lead very different lives with only one similarity: darkness. However, even the darkness was dissimilar, arising from the differences in their lives. Sonny found his passion in music, which he pursued despite his family’s disapproval, but his lifestyle led him to a drug addiction. On the other hand, his brother, the narrator, has an average life with a nice home and family. The narrator’s darkness comes from his inability to deal with