Which motif is closely associated with blues in the songs discussed?

Which motif is closely associated with blues in the songs discussed?

• A. Blue notes
• B. Counterpoint fugues
• C. Sprechstimme
• D. Picardy third

Answer: (A)

Blue notes give blues its distinctive sound. In blues singing and playing, performers bend and lower certain scale degrees to add expressive color—most notably the third, fifth, and seventh degrees. Those lowered or bent notes create the characteristic blues pitch inflection that gives the music its emotional edge and immediacy. This melodic color, repeated and varied across phrases, is the motif most closely tied to blues in the songs discussed. The other ideas don’t align with that blues feel: a fugue’s structure relies on interweaving independent voices; a Sprechstimme style involves speaking-pitched singing; and a Picardy third changes harmony in minor pieces at cadences.

Blue notes give blues its distinctive sound. In blues singing and playing, performers bend and lower certain scale degrees to add expressive color—most notably the third, fifth, and seventh degrees. Those lowered or bent notes create the characteristic blues pitch inflection that gives the music its emotional edge and immediacy. This melodic color, repeated and varied across phrases, is the motif most closely tied to blues in the songs discussed.

The other ideas don’t align with that blues feel: a fugue’s structure relies on interweaving independent voices; a Sprechstimme style involves speaking-pitched singing; and a Picardy third changes harmony in minor pieces at cadences.