Great American Composers
If you walked into your favorite restaurant today and randomly asked people who they thought should be on this list, I can promise that their list wouldn't look like this list. When our daughters were about ten years old (back in the 90s), we were assigning seats in parents' vehicles for a group field trip, and one boy refused his seat. "I don't want to ride with those two girls. All they do is sing those old show tunes." The story is still good for a laugh, even now!
If that boy only knew what he was missing. The opening clarinet smear in Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue". The plaintive moan of the riverman in Kern's "Ol' Man River". The toe-tapping, flag-waving pace in Cohan's "Over There" or Berlin's "God Bless America". How about the lonely sound of hope in Arlen's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"?
From 1920-1960, some of the greatest American songs were written by some of the greatest American composers and lyricists of all time. Great songs, worth your time to know. 10 of these 13 men came from immigrant families. Hard work and perseverance were their constant companions, and the legacy they left should cause us all to stand a little prouder. In a time of much self-centeredness . . . when few even know what "work ethic" is, and laziness abounds, we have much to learn from these men who achieved the American Dream. It's why you ought to know them and their songs. It's why they're on this list.
Whether you only have time in your study for one resource, or you'd like to explore a little more fully, we recommend that you begin with the PBS program, "The Great American Songbook". It's a fabulous overview of the first 50 years of American popular music. Loads of original recordings and film clips are woven together in a captivating presentation. Definitely a must-see, if you're interested in this topic. If this is your first encounter with this unforgettable music, you're in for a treat. For the rest of you, just sit back and be refreshed. Oh, by the way, be careful, or you might find yourself humming a chorus or two. Then no one would want to sit next to you . . .
Quote to Remember
Irving Berlin has no place in American Music. He is American music!
Jerome Kern, Composer
(When asked to define Berlin's postion in American Music.)
Hollywood Bio Pics of American Composers
Till the Clouds Roll By (1946, Robert Walker as Jerome Kern)
Words & Music (1948, Tom Drake as Richard Rodgers)
Rhapsody in Blue (1945, Robert Alda as George Gershwin)
Night & Day (1946, Cary Grant as Cole Porter)
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942, James Cagney as George Cohan)
Deep in My Heart (1954, Jose Ferrer as Sigmund Romberg)
The Great Victor Herbert (1939, Walter Connolly as Victor Herbert)
