Nathaniel Dett - In the Bottoms - Honey: Humoresque (1913)

This is Honey: Humoresque, the third movement of In the Bottoms, a 1913 piano suite written by Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943). Dett was born in Canada, but he was descended from formerly enslaved people who had escaped from the United States. He spent most of his professional life in the United States, and drew heavily from folk music, especially spirituals.

The composer's note:
"In the Bottoms is a suite giving pictures of moods or scenes peculiar to Negro life in the river bottoms of the southern sections of North America.
...
No. 3, Honey—Literally, "honey" is a colloquialism—the familiar term of endearment (in the South). It may mean much, little, everything, or nothing; the intimation here is one of coquetry."

You can hear me play this piece and all the others from this suite live on Twitch:   / suikunkun  

For more information about Nathaniel Dett, you can visit: https://nathanieldett.org