Odetta, "Glory Glory" 1956

Odetta makes this recording of "Glory Glory" unique by using only her vocals to evoke feeling and reaction from her audience.

Instrumentation: Using her deep and soothing voice, Odetta performs, "Glory Glory" in ballad form. Odetta sings the majority of the song at a low volume and alto manner, yet hits higher and louder notes on the emphasis of the word "hallelujah," which is sung in the commonly repeated line, "Glory, Glory Hallelujah, When I lay my burden down."

Texture: Due to the recording being done only by Odetta's voice, the texture is very thin and monophonic. The lack of instrumentation add to the ballad's influence to relax and subdue the audience.

Meter: The pace of this piece is very slow. There exists a slow rhythm that naturally comes from the songs repetition. The slow rhythm makes the song move slowly and prolongs the repeated chorus, adding to a lack of movement in the song.

Lyrics/ Style of the song: The song stresses the line, "Glory Glory Hallelujah, When I lay my burden down." Out of the four verses, three of them are the repetition of this line. When the audience thinks about the meaning of the phrase they can only agree that it is always a relief to let go of the stress and burden's of life. Odetta was greatly involved in the Civil Rights Movement, and in this context we can imagine Odetta dreaming of one day when she no longer has to fight for her rights, and can put to rest the "burden" of protest and inequality.

Importance: By only using her voice to convey her message, Odetta assures her audience of her independence and prominence. Her voice and programmatic music ignited African Americans to continue to fight for civil rights.

The Marvelettes, "Please Mr. Postman" 1961.

The Marvelettes reached great fame and recognition with this 1961 US Billboard Hot 100 hit that reached #1 for the year. The catchy, upbeat song with a agreeable message to the social/political time, sung by the perfect girl group was loved by US citizens.

Instrumentation: The song is lead by the low and scratchy voice of Gladys Horton, with the three other women singing backup. The backup singers stress some of Horton's words and their clapping in the recording suggests that, in a live performance, they would offer choreography to the performance. To add a rhythm to the song I heard drums and a piano being played with lively energy to match the song's upbeat rhythm. The speed of the song is quick and lively. It allows for the teens it was targeted to, to dance and be social. It also helps express the singers desperation to get a letter from her boyfriend who is away at war. With the opening verse, Horton sets up the standard for the majority of the song. There is no large range in volume or notes, yet Horton uses melismatic singing to stress the crucial nature of the mailman to "wait."

Texture: The texture seems to be homophonic because the lead singer and chorus work together throughout the song and move at the same speed, and compliment one another. The drums and piano are defiantly in the background yet they set the beat and adds some tones to the piece. Horton and the band are working together to produce a well orchestrated, Please Mr. Postman.

The Marvelettes targeted the youth with their iconic girl group appearance, friendship, and assimilation to the socio-political era. While they experienced success with "Please Mr. Postman" it was also a hit that landed them into an industry focused on uniformity and image, and less on talent.

Joni Mitchell, "Woodstock" 1969.

"Woodstock" by Joni Mitchell has a distinct sound. With electric piano and Mitchell's unique voice, the combination adds to the songs message.

Instrumentation, Range: Electric piano, Mitchell's voice, and a small chorus of women are the instruments used in "Woodstock." Throughout the piece the piano plays continuously throughout the whole song, acting as an assistant to Mitchell's tone while Mitchell sings, and as a solo entity during the beginning and ending of the song. Mitchell's voice covers a broad range in notes and volumes. Mitchell rapidly swings from low notes to high to surprise her audience and simultaneously make the song very hard to sing along with. She sings in a mostly syllabic structure but prolongs the notes at the end of each phrase to add emphasis to the rhythm and "theme and variation" style of the song. The chorus singers only sing at the end of the chorus, "and we got to get ourselves back to the garden." The chorus women offer chant like, "hey hey" to add a very aboriginal chant sound to the song. This idea is emphasised in the last minute of the song when Mitchell begins to just sing a variation of odd and almost unappealing sounding notes.

Texture: The style of this song is homophonic. Mitchell's voice and the piano are moving rhythmically together throughout the song while also maintaining a distinct melody and accompanying harmony. The correlating movement and few instruments produces a thin texture to this piece.

Mitchell's "Woodstock" is clearly a programmatic song. She is expressing her idea for peace and "getting back to the garden" a place of growth, nature and purity. She references the Woodstock festival with its "song and celebration" and with "500000 strong" to connect directly with her immediate audience and also to connect with an audience in the future. Listeners now can use Mitchell's song to learn about the festival and about the political and social attitudes of the late 1960's. Mitchell performs a song that is relevant and powerful enough to continue to affect all generations.

Eartha Kitt, "C'est Si Bon" 1952

"C'est Si Bon" translated to mean, "It's so good" sings/talks about the pleasures of love, and makes a distinct separation of passionate love and materialistic love. The song is sung entirely in French, with the exception of a few expensive goods which are said in English. Kitt became fluent in French while traveling and performing in Europe, and often demonstrated her ability in her cabaret performances. The sound of this piece, along with a translation of the lyrics offers a clear image of a woman attempting and succeeding at forming a "sex appeal" about herself.

Instrumentation: Eartha Kitt's mezzo alto voice, a one toned male chorus group, trumpets, drums, saxophone and a bass. The majority of the song is highlighted by Kitt's slowly moving singing, with injections by loud trumpets, and the rhythmic repetition of the male chorus group singing, "Si Bon, Si Bon." The instruments have a wide variation in notes and volume. Kitt's voice also has a wide volume range, but less variation with notes due to the repetition.

Texture, Rhythm: The texture carries a homophonic set up, with a "dominant melodic voice accompanied by chorus."( Wikipedia) The male singers and the trumpets add to the chorus and repetition of the songs verses. "C'est Si Bon" has a steady rhythm, most likely 4 beats per measure.

My reaction to the lyrics: The first part of the song stresses that love does not have a price, with the line that says how times with the person you love, "are worth more than a million." Yet as the song progresses, Kitt introduces the idea of a lover "who can give me plenty of loot." Additionally she lists expensive material goods, a Cadillac, mink coats, and large jewels to add to her idea of her dream man. While talking about these items she adds these moans of pleasure to indicate how "good" it is. Over the course of the song I feel that Kitt transformed from a independent lover to was dependent on a man to make her feel beautiful. Additionally the song stuck me as a stereotypical and almost corny love song because of it is sung in French, a knowingly romantic language. I feel this song demonstrates an image of a woman that is admired not for her voice-Kitt talks throughout a lot of the song- but for her body and her possessions.

Marian Anderson, "Deep River"

A deeply soulful song, "Deep River" sung by Marian Anderson demonstrates how to invoke feeling within the hearts of the audience. The technical aspects, the lyrics, and the instrumentation add to Anderson's power as the face of this song.

Instrumentation, Volume:

The song is sung with the rich almost operatic voice of Marian Anderson, with piano accompaniment. Together the two voices work well to compliment one another, while also add to the flow of the song. The song is very strophic and the anchor verse is, "Deep river, my home is over Jordan, Deep river, Lord, I want to cross over into camp ground." The pianist and Anderson use the first verse to coordinate completely with one another while on the second and third verse the piano strays from directly playing the notes and adds embleshishment to the chorus, thus changing the reptition slightly.

Together Anderson and the pianist create the climax to the song by increasing in volume, speed and a new line of lyrics. Yet for the majority of the piece, Anderson sings slowly and softly. The piano follows the accentuates the pattern in her voice, and plays lightly and quietly. Additionally the song shares both melismatic and syllabic parts.

Texture, Rhythm, Repetition: Since the two instruments attempt to compliment the tone of the other so well in this song, the texture reflects monophony. While each holds slight variation between the other, Anderson and the pianist work to create one line of music. The rhythm is slow and steady since it follows the path of Anderson's voice. The beat speeds up for the new section at 1:35 into the song, but then settles after around thirty seconds. "Deep River" is an example of "Theme and Variations" in a song. The first verse, A, when repeated with piano embellishment becomes, A'- a variation, and then we hear a completely new verse, B. This adds to the idea of repetition and adds elements to the texture of the song.

Importance of the song: This song is very programmatic in that it evokes a story of a women away from her home, Africa, and the pain she suffers being in a place without peace. This song, when sung by Anderson once moved a musical instructor to tears. Known as “A true mezzo-soprano, she encompassed both ranges with full power, expressive feeling, dynamic contrast, and utmost delicacy.”"(Marian Anderson Biography) Although she faced prejudice, Anderson was a talented black female with a powerful voice and ability.

Research Paper Proposal For "Women in Music" class, Scripps College

Hannah Rapp

Women in Music 119

Preliminary Research Paper Proposal:

Classical blues women performers made their voice known during the rise of the blues genre. Before their talent was recognized by the masses, these women were limited to live audience performances and tours, since African American musicians had yet to be recorded. Yet when large record companies such as Black Swan records, Okeh records and Columbia Records realized that a financially successful business lay in the African American community African American blues singers, particularly women, made it into the studio to record. In my essay I plan to discover how Black Swan, Okeh and Columbia Records marketed classical blues women. First I will need to look into the history of the African American political movement. Additionally I will learn how the movement led to the record companies interest and desire to sign many female artists. I will discover how the musicians were portrayed and treated by the companies and the financial effect the black community experienced after race records were produced. The following questions will be answered in my essay:

I. Harlem Renaissance

1. What was it? Who did it affect/inspire? Who did it produce?

2. Music from Harlem Renaissance

II. Structure of the Companies

1) What were Black Swan, Okeh, and Columbia Records like?

2) Who was Fletcher Henderson?

3) What role did race play in recording companies, all white, all black, white men in control of black singers?

III. Role of the Companies

1) How did they represent Classical blues women, Ma Rainey, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, etc.

2) How did they make their clients famous

3) How and why were records produced?

4) Race Record. Its purpose, and public reaction.

5) What were the profits?

IV: Conclusion

1. Was their gender discrimination in the portrayal of women?

2. Or were the recording of the blues a real attempt to break down social barriers?

Sources

Internet:

Boyer, Paul. "Blues". The Oxford Companion to United States History. 10/12/2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-Blues.html>

Calliope Film Resources. "The Classic Blues and the Women Who Sang Them."Copyright 2000, 10/08/2009<>.

Weusi, Jitu. "The Rise and Fall of Black Swan Records". 10/12/2009 .

Video

Billie Holiday: The Ultimate Collection: Universal Music Company, 2005.

Books:

Anderson, Paul. Deep River: Music and Memory in the Harlem Renaissance Thought. London: Duke University Press, 2001.

Baraka, Imamu. Blues People: Negor music in White America. New York, 1967.

Dixon, R.M.W., Godrich, J. Recording the Blues. New York: Stein and Day Publishers, 1970.

Ed. Kelley, Norman. Rhythm and Business: The political economy of Black Music. New York: Akashic Books, 2002.

O’Brien, Lucy. She Bob II. London, New York: Continuum, 2002.

Oliver, Paul. Songsters and Saints; Vocal traditions on Race records. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984.

Spencer, Jon. The New Negroes and Their Music: The success of the Harlem Renaissance. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press, 1997.

Stewart, Earl. African American Music: An Introduction. New York: Schirmer Books, 1998.

Sutro, Dirk. Jazz for Dummies. New Jersey, 2006.

Tracy, Steven. Write me a few of your lines; a Blues reader. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1999

Weissman, Dick. Blues; the Basics. New York and London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2005.

"God Bless the Child," by Billie Holiday, 1941

Instrumentation: Vocals (Alto), piano, saxophone, trumpet, and drums.

Texture: The texture between all the instruments is thick. No one instrument follows or assists the other. The piano embellishes throughout the song, and the drums offer a constant beat, while the saxophone provides a deep tone, and the trumpet gives power and a unique tone.

Range: Very limited vocal range. However the piano covers a large part of the piano, with many scales.

Tempo: Relaxed, and slow but with a movable speed.

Meter: The meter is duple, and allows for one to envision couples slowly dancing at the venue in which this song was performed.

Volume: The song has a medium range. She has a few bursts of louder volume, yet for the most part Holiday remains in a soft projection to encourage a relaxed audience.

Repetition: The song follows the 12 bar blues style. With frequent repetition. The first two verses are both, A, A'(A with different lyrics), B (new notes and lyrics), C(A) (new lyrics to same beat as A), and D. C(A) and D are repeated four times throughout the song. "mama may have, papa may have, But God bless the child that got his own, thats got his own."

Meaning: Holiday is singing about how money will not buy happiness, and friends. Yet she realizes that money is crucial for survival, and so she blesses, "the child that got his own." Holiday was an extremely successful female blues singer and clearly has first hand experience in the troubles that money can bring.

Prove It on Me, Ma Rainey 1928

Instruments: Ma Rainey's vocals, piano, trumpet, sax possibly. The combination of instruments work together as a sort of conversation. Rainey's soothing and swooping voice works together with the other instruments to tell her story.

Volume: Ma Rainey has a very full, loud voice, and the message of her song which carries controversial issues, definitely should be sung in the loud volume presented. The recording is very poor, due to society's lack of support, but one can imagine the large woman dancing around the stage blasting her message.

Tempo: While Rainey sings the tempo is slow and even, while during the instruments section, around 1:30, the speed increases and becomes less predictable adding new elements of style.

Meter: The meter is a duple meter, and could slowly be marched/danced to.

Range: Due to the repetition of the song, Rainey's voice covers a limited number of notes. However, Rainey has the ability to blend notes and slide to the next one which creates a very different sound. The other instruments follow her, adding embellishment during their 30 second solo.

Texture: The song follows a very repetitive style. A, A'-with little variation, B-new line with different lyrics, C (A) new lyrics with the same rhythm of line A, and D-the chorus line, "Sure got to prove it on me." The instruments follow the same changes, since the song is written with two lines of music, the vocals, and the instruments. The thin texture line emphasis's the simplicity into performing the song, and does not require effort from the audience.

Meaning: This song defies many social practices. By openly singing about her bisexuality, "I went out last night with a crowd of my friends, It must’ve been women, ‘cause I don’t like no men," Rainey is being honest about who she is, and not trying to please everyone in her audience. The rise of feminity was only beginning, yet for Rainey, she already knew who she was.