Deep South
Preserved but no longer current.
Usually consists of 12 bars, made up of three 4-bar phrases in 4/4 time. Both the words and accompaniment (which form an antiphonal) should be improvised, though many famous Blues have been written down; the subject matter is usually love, the troubles which have beset the singer, or a nostalgic longing for home. The best-known Blues singer was Bessie Smith (d. 1936).
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Deep South” mean?
Usually consists of 12 bars, made up of three 4-bar phrases in 4/4 time. Both the words and accompaniment (which form an antiphonal) should be improvised, though many famous Blues have been written down; the subject matter is usually love, the troubles which have beset the singer, or a nostalgic longing for home. The best-known Blues singer was Bessie Smith (d. 1936).
Is “Deep South” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.