Download Morton/Handy/Smith - Pottstown School District

Name________________________________________
5. Jelly Roll Morton (1885 – 1941)
Jelly Roll Morton was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on October 20, 1890. By the age
of fifteen, Morton was making a living as a piano player. He played the popular ragtime
tunes of the era, he played blues, and he could improvise in a new style – jazz. A gifted
composer, he developed a way of writing music that captured the spirit of jazz
improvisation. Morton’s masterful use of dynamics, different grooves, unusual
combinations of instruments, and original melodies made his compositions fresh and
exciting. He taught musicians all over the United States that New Orleans jazz was an
art form worthy of serious study. A great pianist, composer, storyteller, and battler for
musicians’ rights, Morton died in Los Angeles, California, on July 10, 1941.
Listen to: Black Bottom Stomp (3:03) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVUyvwtHTnw
As you listen to the music, answer the following questions. Short answers are fine.

What are the instruments used to make the music?

How does this music make me feel?

Is there a singer?

In what genre does this music best fit?
6. W. C. Handy (1873 –1958)
Composer and conductor William Christopher “W. C.” Handy was born on November 16, 1873,
in Florence, Alabama. He was the son and grandson of ministers. After attending Teachers
Agricultural and Mechanical College in Huntsville, Alabama, Handy worked as a schoolteacher
and bandleader, and conducted his own orchestra from 1903 to 1921. During the period in
which ragtime music was evolving into jazz, Handy used elements of the blues in his orchestral
arrangements. Two of his best-known pieces are “Memphis Blues,” composed in 1911, and “St.
Louis Blues,” composed in 1914. One of the first people to write down and publish blues music;
he is often called the father of the blues. Handy died in New York City on March 28, 1958.
Listen to: St. Louis Blues (3:03) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTPEDODqmJU
7. Bessie Smith (1894 – 1937)
Nicknamed “The Empress of the Blues”, Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the
1920s and 1930s. She is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and, along
with Louis Armstrong, a major influence on other jazz vocalists.
Listen to: St. Louis Blues (3:15) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rd9IaA_uJI
As you listen to the music, answer the following questions. Short answers are fine.
 What are the instruments used to make the music?

How does this music make me feel?

Is there a singer?

In what genre does this music best fit?