What I Hear When I Listen to Billie Holiday’s “Billie’s Blues”

Tyler Brady
Intro to Music: Term Paper
Dr. Burns

In the 19th century, a very prominent genre and musical form emerged from the Deep South of America; often defined as a repetitive and poetic music structure derived from jazz, blues music became an influential role in the astounding American identity. On the basis of originality and artistry, Billie Holiday is noted as one of the most influential jazz and blues singers. Throughout a dark life of poverty, drugs and adversity that arose from sexism and racism, Billie Holiday turned to her passion of music and singing. One of “Lady Day’s” most well-known pieces was recorded in 1936 and was titled “Billie’s Blues” This piece is structured as a 12-bar blues piece with a short introduction and six choruses. Throughout this blues song, there is a repetitive and invigorating harmonic pattern present. “Billie’s Blue’s” reflects a very laid back style through Holiday’s signature “lazy” style using many jazz embellishments such as blue notes; moreover, these melodies sung by Billie Holiday, as well as the two improvised solos performed by Bunny Berigan and Arty Shaw, are extremely artistic and original. In despite of a poverty stricken life filled with drug abuse and adversity, Billie Holiday was able to establish herself as a prominent blues and jazz singer; she was able to display this in “Billie’s Blues,” a 12-bar blues piece, with exceptional use of harmony and melody. Before Billie Holiday took on her stage name, the blues sensation was born as Eleanora Fagan in Baltimore, Maryland where she spent most of her young life. Holiday’s family was so poverty stricken, Billie cared for her great-grandmother being both her nurse and housekeeper. According to the book Giants of Jazz by Studs Terkel, “The family was too poor to afford doctors or hospitals… It was the child’s job to see that her great-grandmother, who was ill for years, was as comfortable as possible” (Terkel 124). Due to such extreme poverty, Holiday resorted to desperate measures in order to make money and help support her family. Her first attempt to make money consisted of going door to door looking for work. Often times, if a family in Baltimore couldn’t afford to pay a maid, they would hire young children, like Billie Holiday, to clean their steps (Terkel 125). As a young child, Holiday would be going around her neighborhood getting on both her hands and knees scrubbing porches clean for nickels. By the fifth grade, Holiday had already dropped out of school and even resorted to finding work running errands for brothels. Holiday and her family then moved to Harlem where she eventually was arrested for prostitution (PBS). In Harlem, Holiday’s mother searched for work as a housekeeper; however, by 1920, The Great Depression set in. The family would go days without a meal; in pure desperation, Holiday resorted back to knocking on doors looking for work. Out of desperation, Holiday decided to go to a night club called Log Cabin in search of work at only the age of 14. Upon entering, she asked owner, Jerry Preston, for a job as a dancer. After admitting she couldn’t dance, she admitted she loved to sing. According to Giants of Jazz, “Billie began to sing ‘Body and Soul.’ The customers at the bar put down their books. They slowly swung around in their stools and watched” (Terkel 130). After performing at Log Cabin and making more money than her family has ever seen off tips, it didn’t take long for word to get out about her. By 1933, Billie Holiday was discovered by producer Joe Hammond; it was through his assistance she was able to perform at prominent clubs in NYC and even collaborate with Benny Goodman, and eventually she became a huge jazz and blues vocalist sensation (Nicolson 30). Through her career, she faced the hardships of sexism and racism; she inspired many men and women by overcoming these hardships and revolutionizing the great American music style of jazz and blues. However, her ending years would be tainted by extreme alcohol and narcotic use. Her music throughout the 1950’s become proof of her deteriorating personal life through her voice (Pendle 292). Nevertheless, in 1959 Billie Holiday died with a legacy as one of the best vocalists in blues history. Blues music doesn’t just refer to a genre, but it also refers to a musical form. Form is the principle describing the songs organization. “Billie’s Blues” by Billie Holiday embodies not only the mood of a typical blues song, but it also follows a 12-bar blues musical form. 12-bar blues is arguable the most widespread and widely recognized musical form used in contemporary music. One of the three basic elements of form is repetition which is very common in blues music. Music that contains repeated music for each stanza of text is called strophic; therefore, 12 bar blues is often strophic. 12-bars refers to the amount of measures used to express the theme within the song. “Billie’s Blues” is divided into three segments of four bars in a 4/4 time signature which classifies it as a simple quadruple. The song starts out with a short six bar intro which features piano and bass; the song then makes its way to the 12 bar theme in the first chorus which is instrumental and includes the ensemble playing. This first chorus is typical of blues text and includes the typical three line strophe; however, the choruses there after are freer and unique (Norton 351). The second, third and sixth choruses are then all vocal and include lyrics from Holiday; aside from the first chorus there are two other instrumental choruses. The fourth chorus includes an improvised clarinet chorus played by Artie Shaw; the fifth chorus then includes a trumpet solo also using improvisation played by Bunny Berigan (Norton 351). Billie Holiday’s “Billie’s Blues” is unique song which follows the 12-bar blues form; moreover, through deeper analysis within this form you can recognize Holiday’s invigorating use of harmony. Harmony is a term used to describe the vertical events in music. The analysis of harmony includes the construction of chords through simultaneous pitches together as well as chord progressions. In Holiday’s piece “Billie’s Blues,” there are repeated harmonic progressions. The chord progression that occurs per 12 measures of this piece are as follows: I-V-IV-V-I (Norton 350). The first chord of the progression is the tonic chord. The tonic chord is the center, or the home base, of the progression. The tonic chord needs to be “resolved” by the active chords otherwise known as the subdominant and the dominant chords (Norton 20). Through modulation the composer of this piece develop the home key, then changes to a related key, which in this case is the dominant. In doing this, there becomes tension and in order to resolve it, the composer must return to the home key. In other words, the harmonic progression in Holiday’s piece goes from the tonic (I) to the dominant (V) to the subdominant (IV) back to the dominant (V) and finally back to home base, the tonic chord (I). The combination of the chords in Holidays piece create a very pleasing sound to the ears. The chords emit the sound of tones agreeing with each other; this creates a harmony that is very consonant throughout the entire piece. Due to this “Billie’s Blues” is a very relaxing piece much like most jazz and blues pieces tend to be. “Billie’s Blues” contains a very invigorating and refreshing harmony that creates a relaxing a consonant feel throughout the majority of the piece; over this repetitive harmonic patter, there a very intricate use of melody. Melody is often sound the pitches that interact directly with the listeners. “Billie’s Blues” contains an awfully catchy melody with certain pitch inflections. Billie Holiday shines on this piece showing her ability to dip and bend notes. In blues and jazz songs, it is common for singers to sing tones at a slightly lower pitch than that on the major scale; this embellishment of blues music is known as a blue note or sometimes the worried note. This is something Billie Holiday is especially known for. She wasn’t known for having a beautiful voice; she was known for how she used her voice. According to Women and Music by Karin Pendle, the author states “Holiday, a singer of uncommon expressive power, lacked a naturally beautiful voice. Yet she created a dynamic, individual world of expression… At the same time her singing was colored with tonal inflections” (Pendle 293). This use of tonal inflections creates more emotion and color to her singing and make the melodies even that much more intricate. In “Billie’s Blues,” the melodies she sings contain syncopated melodies which are accents placed on less important beats, in a measure, deliberately. This is vitally important to this piece because it also prevents the piece from becoming monotonous. On top of Holiday’s stimulating melodies, during the two improvised solos, there was a very free melody present. During these solos, there was a very wide range as well as wide intervals between notes at times. These solos can be described as disjunct. From the talented melodies sung by Billie Holiday to the exciting improvise trumpet and clarinet solos, the melodies in “Billie’s Blues” are extraordinarily breathtaking. Billie Holiday was able to proclaim herself as one of the most talented jazz and blues vocalists using intricate melodies and invigorating harmonies; this is proven evident through her 1936 classic “Billie’s Blues.” Growing up, she was poverty stricken living in a broken home; she turn adversity to ambition and turned to her passion of music and left her legacy even after succumbing to a life filled with drug abuse. The piece “Billie’s Blues” is a type of blues specifically known as 12-bar blues. Within this piece, the harmonic progression is repetitive, yet it is very refreshing and consonant. As well as harmony, the song displays unique melody; Holiday shines on this piece using syncopated melodies with pitch inflections to add not only emotion, but it keeps the listener excited. Although there is no true explanation of the blues, it is clear there is much more to it than musical structure, melody or harmony which in return gives us a style of music that adds to the great American culture.

Bibliography

Nicholson, Stuart. Billie Holiday. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1995.

Pendle, Karin. Women and Music. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1991.

Terkel, Studs. Giants of Jazz. New York: The New Press, 2002.