Compare And Contrast Bessie Smith And Sun House

Bessie Smith and Sun House were icons for their own genre of Blues. Both demonstrate common concepts of the broader genre, but key elements in both styles separate Classic Blues from Country Blues. Smith and Son House demonstrate individuality in their music through singing techniques such as drawn out vowels, long vibrato notes, shifting between octaves, and a gritty voice texture at certain times. Both singers use improvisation as a stylistic tool although it may be unnoticeable upon the first hearing. However, much of the time, Smith’s sliding notes are more connected and subtle; an example of this is present in the very beginning from 0:15 seconds to 0:57 seconds. House has more raw slides (like at 4:30 minutes) and naturally shifts timbre