the great american songbook
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There are few things more precious and interesting than a Golden Age. There was a Golden Age of a particular kind of music that ran from the twenties through the fifties: the golden age of popular standards; the songs that constitute The Great American Song Book. These tunes were written by dapper, creative giants like Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, the Gershwins, Johnny Mercer, Hoagy Charmichael, Jerome Kern, and Dorothy Fields. Urbane sophisticated talents who created a body of work that effortlessly captures that urbanity and sophistication. They created tunes focused on the subject of romantic love and exploring all the stages and aspects of the arc of a great love affair: from the initial “walking on air” to the jaded ennui of “never again”. They were obsessed with this theme and subject. Describing, exploring, and driving deep into all its mysteries. These composers and lyricists were in love with Love. These tunes wed lyrics and music into songs that were crafted by songwriting teams originally centered around Tin Pan Alley; The Brill Building on Broadway in Mid town Manhattan. These songwriting teams in many cases split the composing tasks along functional lines: one writing the music and on writing the lyrics. The composers were writing vehicles for others to perform and usually pitched the tunes in the context of a Broadway or Hollywood musical. They were cranking out tunes for the Hollywood and Broadway dream factories at a prodigious pace. They really worked! Cranking out so many songs, they have a tossed off, effortless quality and a guileless directness. They feel unpretentious and casual: genuine and authentic. But their craft and genius raise these songs to high art. Many of these tunes became popular hits in their own right, lifted out of the shows and movies, and have been recorded by all the great performers. Fred Astaire debuted many of these tunes and was a favorite of the writing teams. He was known as much for his singing as his dancing! Diana Krall, Harry Connick Jr. and Michael Buble are some of the latest to pay homage to the songbook.TRANSCRIPT
The Great American Songbook
John Cousins
Resources
The Golden AgePopular Standards
• Musicals• American Musical Theater• Tin Pan Alley• Musicians and Singers• Big Bands• Arrangers• Jazz Musicians• Sheet Music and pianos• Phonograph and Radio• Records and Broadcasting
The Great American Songbook
• The Shows• The Movies• The Songwriters• The Performers• The Songs• The Repertoire
Broadway & Hollywood
• Theater and Film• Fred Astaire• Revues• Musical Theater• Movie Musicals
Hollywood & Broadway
Songs:Words & Music
Music Fundamentals
• Beat and Tempo• Meter• Rhythm• Pitch • Melody• Intervals• Harmony
Music
• 32 bar form• AABA• A section: Chorus• B section: Bridge or
Release• Verse: Rubato intro• Melody• Rhythm and tempo• Harmony
Melody
• The part that is sung• Catchy• Hooks• Range• Tessitura• Key of Song•
Lyrics
• Witty• Urbane• Wordplay• Scansion• Rhyme• Internal rhyme• Double rhyme• Rhyming Dictionary
Composition• Piano based• Piano is orchestral in range• Role of the piano in home
and entertainment• Entry of guitar/drum
based music; and the rise of the iconic performer
• Sheet music and home performance – recorded music
The Songwriters
Irving Berlin 1888-1989
• God Bless America• Easter Parade• White Christmas• Cheek to Cheek (from
Top Hat)
Jerome Kern 1885-1945
• Show Boat• The Way You Look
Tonight – Academy Award– Lyrics Dorothy Fields– Fred & Ginger– Swing Time 1936
• The Song is You• Bing Crosby• Oscar Hammerstein II
Billy Strayhorn 1915-1967
• Sweet Pea• Duke Ellington’s
collaborator• Take the A Train• composer, pianist,
lyricist, and arranger• Lush Life
Hoagy Carmichael 1899-1981
• Jazz performer• Appeared in 14 films• To Have and Have Not– Bogey & Bacall
• Star Dust• Skylark• Johnny Mercer lyrics
Johnny Mercer• Autumn Leaves• Too Marvelous• Midnight Sun• Fools Rush In• In 1961, he wrote the lyrics to "Moon
River" for Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's and for Days of Wine and Roses, both with music by Henry Mancini, and Mercer received his third and fourth Oscars for Best Song.
• He wrote the lyrics to more than fifteen hundred songs, including compositions for movies and Broadway shows.
• He received nineteen Academy Award nominations, and won four.
The Gershwins
• George 1989-1937• Ira 1896 – 1983• S’Wonderful• They Can’t Take That
Away From Me• Summertime• A Foggy Day• Our Love is Here To Stay
George and Ira
Michael Feinstein• Born 1956• is an American singer,
pianist, and music revivalist. He is an interpreter of, and archivist for, the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook.
• Feinstein is also a multi-platinum-selling, five-time Grammy-nominated recording artist.
Feinstein
Rodgers & Hart
• Mountain Greenery• Falling in Love with Love• Isn’t It Romantic• Blue Moon• Manhattan• My Romance
Richard & Lorenz
• They worked together on 28 stage musicals and more than 500 songs from 1919 until Hart’s death in 1943.
List of Well-Known Songs• (1925) "Manhattan", "Mountain Greenery" (from The Garrick Gaieties)• (1927) "Thou Swell" (from A Connecticut Yankee)• (1928) "You Took Advantage of Me" (from Present Arms)• (1930) "Spring is Here", "Yours Sincerely" and "With a Song in My Heart" (from Spring Is Here (film))• (1932) "Lover", "Mimi", "Isn't It Romantic?", (from Love Me Tonight)• (1933) "You Are Too Beautiful", from Hallelujah, I'm a Bum• (1934) "Blue Moon" (from Manhattan Melodrama)• (1935) "Little Girl Blue", "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" (from Jumbo)• (1936) "There's a Small Hotel" (from On Your Toes)• (1937) "Where or When", I Wish I Were in Love Again", "My Funny Valentine", "Johnny One Note", "
The Lady is a Tramp" (from Babes in Arms)• (1938) "This Can't Be Love", "Falling in Love with Love" (from The Boys from Syracuse)• (1939) "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" (from Too Many Girls (musical))• (1940) "It Never Entered My Mind," (from Higher and Higher)• (1940) "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered", "I Could Write a Book" (from Pal Joey)• (1942) "Wait Till You See Her", "Nobody's Heart", "Ev'rything I've Got" (from By Jupiter)
Cole Porter 1891-1964
• Night and Day• What is this Thing
Called Love• Every Time We Say
Goodbye• Begin the Beguine
Cole Porter
Cole Porter
New York Nightlife
Homes
Paris Venice
Wake Up and Dream 1929
Gay Divorce 1932Gay Divorcee 1934
Performers
Fred Astaire
Fred
Ella
• Songbook Records• Nelson Riddle Arranger
Ella Fitzgerald
Jazz
• Use of Standards as “blowing vehicles”
• Miles• Bill Evans– trio
• Keith Jarrett– Standards Trio
Today
• Alive and Well• Diana Krall• Michael Buble • Michael Feinstein• The Carlysle • Oak Room• Keith Jarrett• Jazz at Lincoln Center
Thank You!
• Email address for future music events