The Life Of Billie Holiday Essay Research — страница 2

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a gradual downhill slide. In 1954, Billie set out to tour Europe but in less than two years she was arrested again for yet another drug charge. This time she entered a drug rehabilitation clinic but the treatment would not last long. Her unhappy relationships distracted her, the narcotics use and excessive drinking continued and by 1956 she was way past her prime. Billie Holiday, at the age of 44, died on July 17, 1959 most likely of a heroin overdose. In a sad finale, she was arrested on her deathbed for possession of narcotics. Despite a lack of technical training, Holiday’s unique diction, inimitable phrasing, and emotional intensity made her the outstanding jazz singer of her day. The first song I will describe is God Bless the Child , #8 off of Billie Holiday s Greatest

Hits. It begins and ends with soft chorus by a choir followed by a poignant flute melody. As Billie begins singing, the background music involves soft background music involving a piano and cello. At certain points throughout the song, the choir softly hums behind Holiday. The harmony, rhythm, and tempo is very simple, but effective in conveying a melancholy, depressed mood. Although the instrumental part of the song isn t very dynamic, Billie s voice shows its subtle erratic shifts in range. The story behind the song is that Holiday had been giving her mother money for a restaurant she wanted to open. One day in 1941 Holiday showed up at the restaurant and requested some cash from her mother. She was refused and harshly responded God bless the child that s got his own! . She

stormed out and ran into Greenwich Village to piano player Arthur Herzog. The second song I chose to describe was Strange Fruit , #11 off Billie Holiday: the billie holiday song book. The instruments in this song include a trumpet, a piano, guitar, bass, and drums. There is about a 20 second introduction with an active trumpet at the forefront. Holiday s voice then engages itself in its usual wonderful combination of husky, hearty, and low but Billie especially shows off her vocal talents in such places when she will suddenly reach a high note and come back down to a medium range. The entire song is fairly soft with a slow moving tempo, with a simple melody and harmony, except for the sharp outbursts of the trumpet. Bibliography http://www.cmgww.com/music/holiday/index.html O

Meally, Robert G. Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday. New York, New York: Da Capo Publishing, 2000.