BluesWomenTriptych by rlburkh

BluesWomenTriptych
Performed by Ross Winter, violin; Julia Bullard, viola; Hannah Holman, cello
Live premiere performance on 3-8-19 at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, University of Northern Iowa
1. Mamacized (Willie Mae Thornton, 1926-1984) 00:00
2. Holidaze (Billie Holiday, 1915 -1959)03:45
3. Pearling (Janis Joplin, 1943-1970) 07:45

This triptych began as a request from Trio 826; the second movement, composed in 2015, commemorated the 100th anniversary of Billie Holiday’s birth. The other two movements were completed in 2018-19.
I was intrigued by representing the styles and music of these blues artists through the medium of a string trio because the portato and glissando techniques unique to string instruments most effectively emulate the sliding, bluesy quality of the voice. I chose these three women to portray because of their importance in the history of rhythm and blues, for their contributions to composition in that genre, and for their iconic vocal styles. All three died early under tragic circumstances. “Big Mama” (Willie Mae) Thornton had the longest career, but didn’t reap large rewards for her writing and recording. She was most famous for her rendition of Hound Dog, written for her by Leiber and Stoller (before Elvis Presley did it), and wrote and performed Ball and Chain, which Janis Joplin made famous in the rock and roll mainstream. The second movement is a tribute to Holiday’s contribution to blues and jazz in the early days of recording and is informed by two of her most popular tunes: What a Little Moonlight Can Do, written by Harry Woods and recorded in 1935; and Fine and Mellow, written by Holiday and first recorded in 1939. The final movement, “Pearling,” is a play on Joplin’s nickname (Pearl) and her constant, energetic motion on the stage. The initial call of Big Mama’s tunes and the final Ball and Chain punches, the opening and closing scratch of Holiday’s 78-rpm recordings and the full-throated shout chorus, and the nonstop motion of Joplin’s performances (along with a few familiar tunes) are all meant to be an homage, albeit a deconstructed one, to three of the greatest women in blues.