Be
Introduction
‘The blues,» primal formal structure in American popular musi, s pethaps the most
significant contribution of black 0 he musical Bertage ofthis county. Tt ad pro
found impact on the development of jazz and permested a good deal of concert mass
swell:
Although a produer of black culture, he blues san amalgamation of Afro-American
and European traditions. It makes use of elements of harmony and form from European.
musical common practice, being essentaly a stophic song set to thee line stanzas. But
the African influence is significant in many ways: 1) the melodie line consists of mostly
descending phrases, 2) she caes contain “blue!” notes (ar seveaths thirds, and HE)
5) the voice has a special open quality, employing glisandos, mesma, and falsetos:
4) there à polie Iterplay between the voice and the accompaniment.
‘The emergence ofthe blues and the closely related boogi.wooge as identifiable ent
ties is very diet to determine, manly because they were Ke alive by oral tradition.
‘Around 1900, when musicologs was ins infancy, very few eihnamusicolopst realized
‘har the musical heritage of the nonwestern world mented scene rescare We mist
rely on the memory ofthe very few musicians stl ving and other chroniclers, whose
"Vague ecollections offer ile accurate information aboot the First steps OF thi indi
‘hows American ar fo.
“The principal sources ofthe blues were Negro pics and work songs, many the
holler ng the lev: camps slong te southern sere and the elds. Fd holes
‘were nacvmpaied song In rc thy, characterized by thei waling sound, ery
Amar othe sons of the farmers nos Ati. They were “complain” aga
ele working condos, he power landlord ove problems, ete Gradually the
Freshy me hole evolved ine song with stronger mete acens and more press
formal serre. Bus the Dues crane the mest personal expression of he
depreed, dise melanchl, and roots back people of he South
From the tum ofthe century to the 1920s when he agricola South war rad
industrialized and when nern back worte found job in th nd sams OF the
norte and midwest ee, he ral vocal bacs ws asformed into an at
‘mental urban composion wih a mor dance ke character Many nern pans
payed the ble for ende hours in da jue ois ent house parte, and Deel
Fous (cheap dunking etblshmencs wih bar stacked slong the wal for sting
parpots ands dir oor for dancing. In this envionment wa rested the urlhouse
Blaye ws a quie nie pant ang, reste by self gh musicos and
dap othe rough audience an othe echnical conditions of the dpt
Inthe cary 1920, after the closing ofthe rd iii New Orleans many’
tack musicas moved now lang ie Miss ppt River and erated ne jar tete,
especial in Kana Co, Memp Se Loui and Chicago, ma Chicago tha a new
Gene of lan with muse! schooling developed cher harmon and syle
Scala introducing th bls into more pura cb eme and the recording
dio
“The Blac compose W.C. Handy played an inporan ol inthe development of
the ues He wan theft orchestrator who called melodie from the peters he
hear round him, hen harmonzc and published them inthe cat 1910s Ara eo,
mes generation of young jez musicians became fail with the bles chon quem
improved on hem, nd vested new melodies
In 1920, the fist blues record by a lack vocals appeared followed by thowsands
cof ace” records intended exclusively for black customers By the mid-1920s, the blues
‘reached a mixed audience, becoming a popular dance form which was no longs assoc
‘Sted with depression and lamentation ftruimental blues appeared in a varity of tem-