“The Surrey with the Fringe on Top” may sound like cowboy music but is entirely the product of Rodgers’ imagination.Ī musical in the “integrated” manner of Show Boat, Oklahoma! began its record-breaking Broadway run on March 31, 1943, to the strains of one of Rodgers’ signature waltzes, “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning.” Characteristically, Hammerstein had spent weeks on the lyric before showing it to Rodgers, who marched to the piano and wrote the tune in a matter of minutes. Rodgers and Hammerstein created an Oklahoma of the imagination to counter the grim images of uprooted Okies fleeing the “dust bowl” in the Great Depression. It surprises people to learn that Oklahoma! was written by two New Yorkers who had never been to that state but had a gloriously optimistic vision to share. Rodgers and Hammerstein were the blue-chip brand on Broadway from Oklahoma! in 1943 through The Sound of Music in 1959. And where Rodgers and Hart set store by irony and wit (rhyming “romance” with “those ants that invaded my pants” in “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered”), the later partnership favored the full-throated sentiment of “If I Loved You” and “Some Enchanted Evening.” With Hammerstein, the order was reversed. Working with Hart, Rodgers had written the music first. With Hart’s decline and untimely death in 1943, Rodgers commenced the collaborating with Oscar Hammerstein (1895-1960) that produced five landmark Broadway musicals and an Oscar-winning Hollywood movie. At the same time, there isn’t anything I’ve ever done that I didn’t want to do better.” – Richard Rodgersįor two decades, Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) wrote songs in an exclusive partnership with Lorenz Hart (1895-1943). “There isn’t anything I wanted to do, that I haven’t. and the American Library Association Public Programs Office I’m surprised that Ella didn’t ever record it on any of her many live albums – it’s a song that doesn’t seem to have made it into her touring book.A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs, 1910-1965įeaturing text from "A Fine Romance" traveling exhibit curated by David Lehman, andĭeveloped by Nextbook Inc. Nevertheless, the song is displayed in its best light with this interpretation, and it’s the perfect place to start in interpreting this song. Ella’s interpretation doesn’t include any displays of virtuosity, or even dramatic displays of emotion – she simply and honestly interprets the song, with only slight variations on the final half-chorus after the interlude. Her Rodgers & Hart Songbook was two LPs, interpreting 34 songs by the great songwriting team with orchestral accompaniment arranged by Buddy Bregman. Instrumentation: Full orchestra and rhythm sectionĮlla’s Songbook series eventually comprised some 16 albums covering eight songwriters. Of course, this malleability means there have been more forgettable pop versions of this song than perhaps any other with great pop singers expanding their repertoire into standards ( Carly Simon, The Supremes, Kenny Rogers, James Taylor, Seal, etc.).ĭefinitive Version: Ella Fitzgerald (1956 from Ella Sings the Rodgers & Hart Songbookįorm: Intro | Chorus | Orchestral Bridge | Half-Chorus The song is infinitely variable – it can be effectively interpreted as a ballad, a swing tune (at various tempos), a Latin jazz number, a waltz, an odd-meter tune, and more. The C section reflects some of the harmonic material of the B section (starting by tonicizing the IV) but uses the rhythm and melodic shape of the A section. It is unique in not being in the standards AABA form, instead having an entirely new third section to end the form. It has been interpreted hundreds of times by jazz artists ever since, and remains a vital part of the repertoire. “My Romance” was premiered in 1935 as part of the Rodgers & Hart musical Jumbo, starring Jimmy Durante. You can read more about the project here. Welcome to Week 9 of The Definitive Version, a new weekly feature of my website.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |