Free Paper on Blues Music: Shaping Identity and Community Bonds Through Song

The Blues describe a music genre whose emergence was towards the end of the 19th century from the Deep South black communities. The first forms of the music genre and later iterations included a performance by one artist accompanied by either a banjo or a guitar. The identification of sets of music as a unit pre-identifies it under identified genre constructs. The term identifies arbitrary designations for music products by record companies to appeal to a targeted audience. The establishment of genre constructs establishes how various audiences relate and identify with music products. The widespread appeal that led to the Blues' fame was from its simplistic structure, performance spaces, and highly relatable themes for the audience. The association of such context influences the identity of the audience, both consciously and unconsciously. The context of this paper seeks to provide various elements of the blues that either reinforce or challenge particular aspects of identity.

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The debut of Blues to the American population was in the 1920s through the works of a vaudeville performer by the name of Mamie Smith. The music was originally and formerly played by African American artists. The Blues led to widespread appeal in the nation such that it formed a common ground for both Black and White American audiences. Race records gained fame, previously only marketing to the Black community. The 'Father of the Blues,' W. C. Handy, is iconic because of his recognition as the first person to popularize the music genre. Though the artist was not the first to publish Blues, he was an iconic figure in transforming the music genre's popularity from regional to more awareness and popularity. His very first publications include 'Memphis Blues' in 1912, 'and St. Louis Blues' in 1914. Other figures made it ideal for the performance of Blues in musical theatres. To date, musicals in theatres still embody the appeal of Blues, which influences most audiences in terms of identity (Cohen, 2013). The venues and the Blues' storytelling traits provided communal settings that the audience related to in appreciation of the context.

The form of blues music generally involved 12 bars, divided into three segments of 4 bars. The stanza follows a poetic pattern composed of three parts, with the first and second lines repetitive. The third segment appealed as more of a response to the first two repetitive ones. Later iterations and versions of Blues varied in the number of segments but characteristically maintained the call-and-response structure. The value of such a structure hails from its use by African Americans in the ages of slavery as work songs. The slaves' perception was that it was a significant heritage from the birthplace of their ancestors – Africa. The academic merit of call and response is its influence of bringing about a sense of community for various parties (Kennan, 2009). The artist relates to both the audience and his fellow singers using the same technique. It attenuates and symbolizes that the performers have an intention to keep the cultural information alive (Kennan, 2009). The audience significantly appreciates the gesture and reciprocates in kind by spreading the lyrics.

There are four essential characteristics of Blues music; text, form, the role of the instrument, and blue note. In the text context, most involved an artist sounding their lyrics in the first person, full of feelings and emotions. The songs tried to provide realistic content, but more often than not used exaggeration as a tool to amplify their perception of essential truths. The context of the songs had information on very serious matters. The element of the text characteristics in Blues is the depiction of a vast range of human feelings, such as the ups and downs in daily life. The textual element that comprised the lyrics provided messages that the African Americans used at the time to endure the oppressive adversity of life. The entirety of the black experience through pain and suffering provided valuable context for artistry expression (Wald, 2010). The content facilitated the formation of socio-cultural and political bonds in their hope and struggle for acceptance, which reverberated through the audience. It also provided a platform by which the African Americans rebelled against the whites' supremacy, albeit in a foreign land. The blues' social and political significance reinforced African unity and challenged oppressive prejudice (Wald, 2010).

The use of instruments was highly encouraged, mostly because of their appeal as a second voice. Artists also vocalized their lyrics to highlight a form of dialogue between the vocal and instrument parts. Over time, the performances of the Blues varied into the incorporation of other tactics and tools. Blues' performance usually embodied descriptive language, assigning traits to someone or something (Dabback, 2010). The context expanded and became the central element of country music to date. Such descriptive tone influences the audience's perception of the tool under description. The recurring theme engages the audience and facilitates the development of mental images of the object. Similar to how Blues became the basis of other music genres, the type of music also influenced Rhythm and Blues (R & B). Rock n' Roll, and Jazz. Each of the consequential genres has a profound impact on how Americans and audiences around the globe. They provide an object of either common or diverging interest, which may either influence or hinder a bond's formation, respectively (Dabback, 2010).

Musical characteristics are fundamental to assessing the appeal of the same in any study. The context also provides a mine of information on how the Blues genre relates and shares similar values. The context of familiarity creates a precedence of the formation of a society which is a form of identity. Moreover, such characteristics also influence appeals and ideologies in their audience. Theatres also provide a platform for association between the singers and their audience.

References

Cohen, S. (2013). Musical memory, heritage, and local identity: remembering the popular music past in a European Capital of Culture. International journal of cultural policy, 19(5), 576-594.

Dabback, W. M. (2010). Music and Identity Formation in Older Adults. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education, 9(2), 60-69.

Keegan, N. (2009). Call-and-Response: An Ancient Linguistic Device Surfaces in Usher's" Love in This Club." Elements, 5(2).Wald, E. (2010). The blues: a very short introduction. Oxford University Press.