Composer Notes
The social, economic, health, and educational disparities that already existed within our communities are now exposed and exacerbated by the pandemic. People of color and those with underlying conditions were found to be more vulnerable to the effects of the pandemic and therefore more likely to die. Issues of social injustice— particularly acts of police brutality—dominated the news headlines and social media platforms as much of the world’s population remained confined to their homes.
This section begins with a 12-bar blues. A descendent of the spiritual, this secular style developed in the rural South as freed African Americans faced poverty, discrimination, and an overall diminished quality of life. It seemed appropriate to set this portion of the poem in a blues style, for the words reflect elements of a dark past that continue to linger in the present.
Musical Content
The words “eight minutes and forty-six seconds” are set in a layered fashion (mm. 129-146), with symbolic metric
shifts from 8/8 to 4/4 to 6/8. As the voices sing “in extremis,” the metric pattern shifts from 9/8 to 2/4 and back to
9/8, marking the actual number of minutes and seconds (9:29) in which George Floyd lay suffering under “the full
weight of a man in blue.”
In measures 158-180, the words “I can’t breathe” are sung 27 times—the same number of times George Floyd
uttered these words as he struggled for air. Each time the expression “huh” is found in the score, singers and
instrumentalists should exhale with the mouth open in the manner of a pant or a gasp.
Suggested Questions for Discussion
Consider the line, "information held back." How do we access information? How does access to information impact issues of social justice and public health? What kind of information is "held back"? How might certain populations disproportionately be "held back" by the pandemic and racial injustice?
How might your racial identity shape how you how you hear this section as a listener? How does the history and development of the blues align with the text in this section of the music?
Suggested Reading, Listening, Watching
Blues and Spirituals Annotated Bibliography
Brooks, T. (1984). America’s black musical heritage. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
The section on the blues is found on pp. 51-60.
Chenu, B. (2003). The trouble i’ve seen: The big book of negro spirituals. Valley Forge: Judson Press.
Some background and context are provided for the spiritual “We’ll Stand the Storm” on pages 114, 127, and 282.
Cone, J.H. (1991). The spirituals and the blues: An interpretation. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books.
In particular, chapter 6 outlines the origins of the blues and its relationship to the spiritual.
Floyd, S.A. (1995). The power of black music: Interpreting it’s history from Africa to the United States. New York: Oxford University Press.
From pages 74 – 86, the author discusses the history of the blues.
Jones, L. (1963). Blues people: Negro music in white America. New York: Harper Collins.
In chapters 6 & 7, the author, LeRoi Jones (a.k.a. Amiri Baraka), describes and makes the distinction between “primitive” and “classic” blues traditions.
Southern, E. (1983). The music of black Americans: A history. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
The chapter entitled “Precursors of Jazz” provides a description of the blues.
Southern, E. (ed). (1983). Readings in black american music. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
A profile of W.C. Handy and the blues tradition can be found in Chapter 27.
Visual artist Sietu Ken Jones created a community art project entitled "Blues for George." Through this project, Sietu Ken Jones provides stencil templates and instructions to create a portrait of George Floyd using the blues (in this case, visual blues) as a way to pay tribute to the memory of George Floyd.