An unidentified announcer introduces and plays a recorded excerpt from Rimsky-Korsakov's Dance of the tumblers.

(Web audio begins here)

A recorded excerpt from a blues song is played as announcer Rex Benware introduces the program.

Host Irving Deakin talks about the blues before he introduces Langston Hughes. He talks about the blues as being largely nostalgic and about homesickness, "the perennial human longing for Eden and its vanished ease and warmth and peacefulness. "The American Negro first found the contemporary childish-primitive musical idiom voicing and stilling the ancient nostalgia with its sensuous plaintiveness. But the whole world, never entirely free of the recessive yearning, and wearied, disappointed, and demoralized, promptly chimed in with him and joined him in some of his practical efforts to recapture the lost paradise. Harlem arose, a city such as vision could have never conceived."

Langston Hughes describes the blues as "songs folks make up when their heart hurts." He goes on to say that the blues and spirituals are "the two great Negro gifts to American music." He talks about both genres before getting into blues singers, the famous Smiths: Mamie, Clara, and Bessie. He also mentions Georgia White, Midge Williams, Lonnie Johnson, Jimmy Rushing, and Lead Belly. Hughes says he looks forward to the day when Marian Anderson and Paul Robeson include blues songs as part of their programs.

Deakin then introduces Felicia Sorel who talks about folk songs, including spirituals, blues, and ballads, and dance as well as her own choreography set to blues music, and blues songs written by Langston Hughes.

Deakin introduces Herbert Kingsley and several blues songs, which Kingsley plays and sings as an accompaniment to Sorel's dancing. The songs are Sing Sing Prison Blues, The Rainy Weather Blues, Perilous Love by W.C. Handy, and the Blues Trio by Langston Hughes. The Hard-Luck blues, The Young Gal Blues, and The Hard Daddy Blues are also heard. There are closing remarks and announcements.

(ca. 39 min.)

Audio courtesy of the NYPL Dance Division

WNYC archives id: 152548