what are the four set works by bessie smith?
young woman’s blues, back water blues, alexander’s ragtime band, nobody knows you when you’re down and out (all recorded between 1926 and 1929)
when was bessie smith born?
1894 in tenessee
how did bessie start her career?
as a dancer in a travelling troupe age 18 with ma rainey
what was bessie smith’s first hit?
downhearted blues in 1923 with columbia records
what is bessie smith’s nickname?
empress of the blues - highest paid black entertainer of the day
how many recordings did bessie smith make with columbia records?
160
when did bessie’s success take a hit?
during the great depression
when did bessie smith die?
in a car accident in 1937 (delays in treatment due to racism)
what were the topics in bessie smith’s songs?
sexual liberation, female independence, racial equality, working class themes, etc
when was young woman blues recorded?
1926 for columbia records and released as a 78rpm single by “bessie smith and her blue boys” with fletcher henderson on piano
what is the structure of young woman’s blues?
16 bar sections made of 4 bar phrases, with a 10 bar intro
what is the verse refrain structure of young woman’s blues?
a verse and two refrain, 16 bars each
when was alexander’s ragtime band recorded by bessie smith?
in 1927 for columbia records
who wrote alexander’s ragtime band?
irving berlin in 1911
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haydn, mozart and beethoven22
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keyboard instruments13
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grade 6 theory101
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classical music genres (sonatas, symphonies, quartets, etc)26
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old instruments!4
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bessie smith14
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mozart's sinfonia concertante (K364)30
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romanticism context19
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mendellsohn, tchaikovsky, berlioz and liszt15
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the bops!28
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blues, jazz, and swing38
