Songs Without Words- Some Listener Feedback: To even mention the very idea of songs without words may cause semantic deliberation. If one thinks of songs, there is an implicit assumption that someone will be singing words set to music. However, can a musical composition that has no accompanying lyrics technically be called a song ? For our purposes, we will use the term instrumental composition to distinguish between music either with or without words. On to the music.
In addition to the initial focus group survey asking listeners to choose one of two Frank Sinatra versions of " Night & Day" we also asked listeners to indicate specific reasons for their choices, one important dimension being the impact of lyrics or the story-telling aspect of the song.
Those results are in the process of being summarized as the initial research report.
Having acquired some interesting comments on lyrics and their significance on listener assessment of a song, it occurred to me to ask how would listeners respond to a composition without lyrics. I decided to provide a composition that was relatively unknown to the general public, with a reasonably discernible tune or melody.
Why ? Without previous memory association of either a melody or any lyric cues, the listener would have to engage in some free association to describe their instinctive reaction upon hearing the composition. " Lotus Blossom" by jazz artist Billy Strayhorn is a short piano piece that is played pretty well as written without the normal jazz improvisational treatment that can sometimes make it difficult to hear the unadorned melody. (Rodgers & Hart did write a song called " I Like to Recognize the Tune." )
Some very preliminary findings indicated that , in the absence of any previous connection or association with the piece, listeners had no choice but to engage in some free association responses.
One group of listeners went to brief one word descriptions of what they felt the melody
evoked in them. This would include this statement " Soothing, calming,charmingly simple"
Another more detailed response was " It produced a sad feeling that gradually turned
positive as the melody was musically resolved , ending on a satisfactory high leaving me
with a sense of relief." This could be considered an argument for music as therapy.
One respondent felt that the melody was pretty but that there were too many chord
changes producing a rambling effect, in fact, it was musically unresolved.
Finally, one interesting response was the listener's desire to keep wanting to add his
own lyrics , ones with which he was familiar , in this case " I Only Have Eyes for You.."
One thing does seem clear: When listeners hear a melody with which they are not familiar
and which has no lyrics, they have no choice but to free associate their responses so that
the exercise becomes a king pf projective psychological device, like a musical Rorschach
Test. We will continue to explore this interesting subject area for which there seem to be little
available research data.
Wednesday 26 June 2013
Sunday 23 June 2013
SONG LYRICS-TOO OFTEN THEY PLAY SECOND FIDDLE TO THE MELODY
Song Lyrics-Too often they play second fiddle to the melody: Songwriters-the people who create the music that we hear seem to have a more dominant role in the public eye than the wordsmiths who actually tell the story. Why is it that one always hears people say " Hoagy Carmichael's Stardust ? Is Mitchell Parish chopped liver?
A Tin Pan Alley urban legend has someone mention that Richard Rodgers wrote " Oh What a Beautiful Morning" for " Oklahoma." Mrs. Oscar Hamerstein, wife of the illustrious lyricist Oscar Hammerstein Jr. ,tartly reminded the speaker that " Richard Rodgers wrote DOH RAY ME ETC--just a bunch of black and white notes on a piano.. My husband wrote " Oh What a Beautiful Morning, Oh What a Beautiful Day, I've got a wonderful feeling, Everything's going my way." Point taken. Even the most sweeping and engaging melody needs the companionship of words to present the story that singers tell.
Harold Arlen, one of the great songwriters of the Twentieth Century, said " Words make you think a thought.
Music makes you feel a feeling but a song makes you feel a thought." A well crafted song represents an artful combination of feeling provided by the music and meaning conveyed by the words.
In my recent focus group study of listeners to the Great American Songbook repertoire, they emphatically stated that the lyrics to Cole Porter's " Night & Day" were the dominant factor in their appreciation of the song. They pointed out that one Frank Sinatra version did not use the powerful verse or introduction. These are those powerful and repetitive rhyming phrases:
" Like the " beat,beat,beat of the tom,tom
When the jungle shadows fall
Like the tick,tick.tock of the stately clock
As it stands against the wall
Like the drip,drip,drip of the raindrops
When the summer shadows" through
A voice within me keeps repeating
You,You You!
Even if one just reads these lyrics, the intensity of the emotions is quite evident.
When combined with the equally forceful melody, with its own repeated notes, the verse foreshadows the impassioned lyrics that state " Night and Day, You are the one !"
Without that verse introduction, the refrain or chorus does not convey what one focus group respondent felt that Cole Porter was trying to convey-the total abandonment of oneself to a loved one.
On a related note, Alec Wilder , in discussing Arlen/Mercer's famous song story One More For My Baby said that " Marvelous as is the musical setting, I believe the honors must go to the lyric." One rarely hears the song as an instrumental so strong is the sad story of the man drowning his tears. Frank Sinatra almost creates a dramatic scenario when performing live so convincing is the story that Mercer unfolded.
Lyricists, if they were to form a militant union ,would surely bargain for equal recognition with tunesmiths.
Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Frank Loesser , Noel Coward, Jerry Herman and Stephan Sondheim luckily escape the anonymity of the lyric writer since they write both words and music.
We will devote more attention in future blog posts to the contributions of these storytellers in song.
A Tin Pan Alley urban legend has someone mention that Richard Rodgers wrote " Oh What a Beautiful Morning" for " Oklahoma." Mrs. Oscar Hamerstein, wife of the illustrious lyricist Oscar Hammerstein Jr. ,tartly reminded the speaker that " Richard Rodgers wrote DOH RAY ME ETC--just a bunch of black and white notes on a piano.. My husband wrote " Oh What a Beautiful Morning, Oh What a Beautiful Day, I've got a wonderful feeling, Everything's going my way." Point taken. Even the most sweeping and engaging melody needs the companionship of words to present the story that singers tell.
Harold Arlen, one of the great songwriters of the Twentieth Century, said " Words make you think a thought.
Music makes you feel a feeling but a song makes you feel a thought." A well crafted song represents an artful combination of feeling provided by the music and meaning conveyed by the words.
In my recent focus group study of listeners to the Great American Songbook repertoire, they emphatically stated that the lyrics to Cole Porter's " Night & Day" were the dominant factor in their appreciation of the song. They pointed out that one Frank Sinatra version did not use the powerful verse or introduction. These are those powerful and repetitive rhyming phrases:
" Like the " beat,beat,beat of the tom,tom
When the jungle shadows fall
Like the tick,tick.tock of the stately clock
As it stands against the wall
Like the drip,drip,drip of the raindrops
When the summer shadows" through
A voice within me keeps repeating
You,You You!
Even if one just reads these lyrics, the intensity of the emotions is quite evident.
When combined with the equally forceful melody, with its own repeated notes, the verse foreshadows the impassioned lyrics that state " Night and Day, You are the one !"
Without that verse introduction, the refrain or chorus does not convey what one focus group respondent felt that Cole Porter was trying to convey-the total abandonment of oneself to a loved one.
On a related note, Alec Wilder , in discussing Arlen/Mercer's famous song story One More For My Baby said that " Marvelous as is the musical setting, I believe the honors must go to the lyric." One rarely hears the song as an instrumental so strong is the sad story of the man drowning his tears. Frank Sinatra almost creates a dramatic scenario when performing live so convincing is the story that Mercer unfolded.
Lyricists, if they were to form a militant union ,would surely bargain for equal recognition with tunesmiths.
Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Frank Loesser , Noel Coward, Jerry Herman and Stephan Sondheim luckily escape the anonymity of the lyric writer since they write both words and music.
We will devote more attention in future blog posts to the contributions of these storytellers in song.
Monday 17 June 2013
WHO SAYS WHAT IS A GREAT AMERICAN POPULAR SONG ?
Who says what is a great American popular song ? The Classic American popular song tradition and its continued popularity is based on a great many songs written beginning in the 1920's. That tradition is maintained even today despite the banality and crudeness of much of what is heard over the airwaves today. I have often referred to Alec Wilder's monumental research culminating in American Popular Song The Great Innovators 1900 -1950. He played over 17,000 songs written in that time period and the breadth of his study cannot be questioned. It resulted in criteria that he maintained represent the best of American popular song. He insisted on the importance of " The singing line and including the elements of intensity,unexpectedness,originality,sinuosity of phrase,clarity, naturalness, control, unclutterdness, sophistication and honest sentiment." Quite a laundry list. Only occasionally did he refer to the lyrics of the songs he considered great but listeners hear both words and music and are well aware of the lyrics because that is what the singer provides. One may disagree with any number of conclusions Wilder espouses and he certainly has some very strong opinions about individual songs. However,one should respect the effort involved in producing such a comprehensive study,
However, does anyone ask the average listeners making them proudly explain " I really love that song ? " Knowledgeable critics certainly help define musical excellence but ,ultimately, they too are prisoners of their own prejudices, likes and dislikes.
Following Wilder, and building on his initial period for analysis, David Jenness and Don Velsey examined songs written from 1950-2000 in their excellent book " Classic American Popular Song The second Half-Century, 1950-200. Picking up where Wilder left off, the authors felt that Wilder took too narrow a view with his insistence on the primacy of " the singing line " finding it " Too limiting" and that " A great song has simultaneously two or more " predominant aspects.----the horizontal contour that is a tune, the movement through time that is a tempo or meter, the gait that is rhythm AND the color and vertical density that harmony provides. " The authors maintain that music should be viewed as a gestalt or combination of elements rather any single factor. Most importantly , they believe that " A good song has an emotional impact in the very moment it is heard." This is a very important point and one with which I most wholeheartedly agree. Theoretical analysis of a song may be relevant and technically informed but it pales in comparison with the emotional reaction by a listener to a song that is always greeted by the words" I really love that song !
I have embarked on my own research into finding out from the listener, the reasons people cite when they exclaim" I really love that song !" We need to acknowledge the very serious scholarship and analysis of songwriting by knowledgeable musicologist but they are still opinions albeit by informed writers.
Some initial focus group survey results reveal some surprising reasons people mention for their response to songs. They have little in common with what Wilder, Vanness and Velsey have established as their criteria for excellence in the popular song . Listener's criteria d do provide evidence of listener based opinions and they will form the foundation of our ongoing survey design, Surprisingly, musical " experts" and everyday listeners do agree on what they believe is a great song.
BUT THEY DO HAVE DIFFERENT REASONS FOR THINKING THAT A SONG IS GREAT
Stay tuned for further evidence from our pursuit of what listeners like about great popular songs.
'
However, does anyone ask the average listeners making them proudly explain " I really love that song ? " Knowledgeable critics certainly help define musical excellence but ,ultimately, they too are prisoners of their own prejudices, likes and dislikes.
Following Wilder, and building on his initial period for analysis, David Jenness and Don Velsey examined songs written from 1950-2000 in their excellent book " Classic American Popular Song The second Half-Century, 1950-200. Picking up where Wilder left off, the authors felt that Wilder took too narrow a view with his insistence on the primacy of " the singing line " finding it " Too limiting" and that " A great song has simultaneously two or more " predominant aspects.----the horizontal contour that is a tune, the movement through time that is a tempo or meter, the gait that is rhythm AND the color and vertical density that harmony provides. " The authors maintain that music should be viewed as a gestalt or combination of elements rather any single factor. Most importantly , they believe that " A good song has an emotional impact in the very moment it is heard." This is a very important point and one with which I most wholeheartedly agree. Theoretical analysis of a song may be relevant and technically informed but it pales in comparison with the emotional reaction by a listener to a song that is always greeted by the words" I really love that song !
I have embarked on my own research into finding out from the listener, the reasons people cite when they exclaim" I really love that song !" We need to acknowledge the very serious scholarship and analysis of songwriting by knowledgeable musicologist but they are still opinions albeit by informed writers.
Some initial focus group survey results reveal some surprising reasons people mention for their response to songs. They have little in common with what Wilder, Vanness and Velsey have established as their criteria for excellence in the popular song . Listener's criteria d do provide evidence of listener based opinions and they will form the foundation of our ongoing survey design, Surprisingly, musical " experts" and everyday listeners do agree on what they believe is a great song.
BUT THEY DO HAVE DIFFERENT REASONS FOR THINKING THAT A SONG IS GREAT
Stay tuned for further evidence from our pursuit of what listeners like about great popular songs.
'
Sunday 9 June 2013
"THEY DIDN'T BELIEVE ME"-JEROME KERN BEAKTHROUGH
"They Didn't Believe Me"-Jerome Kern Breakthrough: Jerome Kern is generally regarded as the composer who led American popular song away from its European/Viennese operetta roots. It was something more genuinely reflecting what Alec Wilder thought was " More American -sounding songs like being heard in vaudeville, music halls and on records....and the new music growing out of ragtime." Kern had deep roots in English musical comedy roots having started his professional theater career in London in 1902. In 1914, in " The Girl From Utah" , he introduced They Didn't Believe Me" , a song quite different from what he had earlier written. Wilder commented that " The melodic line is as natural as walking and It is evocative, tender, strong,shapely.' " I can't conceive how the alteration of a single note could do nothing other than harm the song." His comments reflect what he maintained as a key criterion in establishing what was excellent and innovative in American popular song writing, namely the importance of " the singing line." Although Kern's later works like " All The Things You Are" were harmonically quite sophisticated and advanced, his reputation was firmly based on his supreme melodic gifts, something Stephan Sondheim has also confirmed in television interviews. Kern was now embarked on a new American influenced musical direction that led to what is generally called The Great American Songbook or Classic American Popular Song.
The version offered here is sung by Margaret Whiting. an excellent ballad singer who had a particular relationship with Jerome Kern. Her father, Richard Whiting, was a fine composer and friends with Jerome Kern who urged young Margaret to call him " Uncle Jerry." He would often play his latest songs for her asking for her reaction which was always positive.
Her smooth, unforced singing fits perfectly with the effortless melody created by Kern with lyrics by Herbert Reynolds.
LINK: http://youtu.be/McCRXL91B0w
The version offered here is sung by Margaret Whiting. an excellent ballad singer who had a particular relationship with Jerome Kern. Her father, Richard Whiting, was a fine composer and friends with Jerome Kern who urged young Margaret to call him " Uncle Jerry." He would often play his latest songs for her asking for her reaction which was always positive.
Her smooth, unforced singing fits perfectly with the effortless melody created by Kern with lyrics by Herbert Reynolds.
LINK: http://youtu.be/McCRXL91B0w
Friday 7 June 2013
A CHILD IS BORN: THAD JONES & ALEC WILDER MASTERPIECE
A Child is Born: Thad Jones & Alec Wilder Masterpiece. Thad Jones was a highly regarded Jazz trumpet player, composer and co leader of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis big band that played for a number of years in the NYC area. Jones wrote a pure ballad as an instrumental. Alec Wilder, himself an accomplished composer and avid student of American Popular Song, added poignant lyrics to the song. It has been cherished as an instrumental number by any number of jazz artists as well as vocal performances by singers of American popular song. Alec Wilder was a dedicated lifelong bachelor with no children of his own.but he did capture the miracle of birth and which some speculate was related to the birth of Jesus since Wilder referred to a boy child in his lyrics. Regardless of any specific reference as to the subject mentioned in the song, this is a wonderful example of the synergy that has always existed between the jazz community and the broader arena of American Popular Song. Jazz musicians often require more advanced musical knowledge and training in order to perform their particular musical alchemy and they have long supported the best of the Great American Songbook tradition.
In this instance, the music is what Wilder has described as wonderful " singing line" or pure melody and Wilder's own words that Jenness and Velsey have described that use " sounds that chime in a slightly oblique way, for example, now and new, and later, warm and more, and only a few vowel sounds,all of them relaxed."
The vocal version is by Tony Bennet who echoes the reverence of the birth experience and he is accompanied by the sensitive piano arrangement of Bill Evans, the inflential jazz paianist who previously had recorded American popular songs with Bennett, Their great musical compatibility is very much in evidence.
LINK: http://youtu.be/qnIjND_R7IY
I have added an instrumental jazz version by Bill Evans to demonstrate the jazz player's ability to both respect the essential nature and form of the classic popular song while adding the improvisational elements that make jazz such an endlessly creative art form.
LINK: http://youtu.be/nVtdhPkDopQ
In this instance, the music is what Wilder has described as wonderful " singing line" or pure melody and Wilder's own words that Jenness and Velsey have described that use " sounds that chime in a slightly oblique way, for example, now and new, and later, warm and more, and only a few vowel sounds,all of them relaxed."
The vocal version is by Tony Bennet who echoes the reverence of the birth experience and he is accompanied by the sensitive piano arrangement of Bill Evans, the inflential jazz paianist who previously had recorded American popular songs with Bennett, Their great musical compatibility is very much in evidence.
LINK: http://youtu.be/qnIjND_R7IY
I have added an instrumental jazz version by Bill Evans to demonstrate the jazz player's ability to both respect the essential nature and form of the classic popular song while adding the improvisational elements that make jazz such an endlessly creative art form.
LINK: http://youtu.be/nVtdhPkDopQ
Monday 3 June 2013
HENRY MANCINI'S BEST -TWO FOR THE ROAD
Henry Mancini's Best -Two for The Road : Henry Mancini has written a great deal of music for films,including " Moon River" " The Days of Wine and Roses" " Charade" and " Dear Heart."
Mancini has a strong melodic gift and orchestrating skills that complement his own compositions. " Two for the Road" , with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse was written for the 1967 film with the same name as the title song.
The song echoes the bittersweet tale of a couple's courtship, marriage, break up and reconciliation with the leading characters played to perfection by Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney.
The song closes in a descending pattern of notes with the lyrics concluding on a positive note that states that " " I know that we'll be two for the road and........ That's a long,long while."
This performance is by Nancy Lamott, a highly cherished NY cabaret artist who unfortunately died at a fairly young age but leaving a legacy of artful interpretations of the best of the Great American Songbook catalogue. She is accompanied only by a piano which provides the intimacy of performer and supporting musician that is so important in cabaret performances which rely on sensitive interpretation of the message created by the composer and lyricist.
LINK: http://youtu.be/r-ULtacF-34
BONUS PERFORMANCE: Here is Henry Mancini on piano playing an orchestral version of his song which also has images from the film itself. Please enjoy the marriage of picture, words and music.
MANCINI PIANO LINK: http://youtu.be/qi4lyHmOBHE
Mancini has a strong melodic gift and orchestrating skills that complement his own compositions. " Two for the Road" , with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse was written for the 1967 film with the same name as the title song.
The song echoes the bittersweet tale of a couple's courtship, marriage, break up and reconciliation with the leading characters played to perfection by Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney.
The song closes in a descending pattern of notes with the lyrics concluding on a positive note that states that " " I know that we'll be two for the road and........ That's a long,long while."
This performance is by Nancy Lamott, a highly cherished NY cabaret artist who unfortunately died at a fairly young age but leaving a legacy of artful interpretations of the best of the Great American Songbook catalogue. She is accompanied only by a piano which provides the intimacy of performer and supporting musician that is so important in cabaret performances which rely on sensitive interpretation of the message created by the composer and lyricist.
LINK: http://youtu.be/r-ULtacF-34
BONUS PERFORMANCE: Here is Henry Mancini on piano playing an orchestral version of his song which also has images from the film itself. Please enjoy the marriage of picture, words and music.
MANCINI PIANO LINK: http://youtu.be/qi4lyHmOBHE
Sunday 2 June 2013
LOTUS BLOSSOM-A BILLY STRAYHORN SONG WITHOUT LYRICS
Lotus Blossom-Billy Strayhorna A Song Without lyrics: Billy Strayhorn wrote a number of songs like " "Take the A Train" ' Lush Life" and " Satin Doll" co-written with Duke Ellington. For many years, Strayhorn was Ellington's closest collaborator , arranger, composers and all -round musicaL amanuensis.
Unlike other songs posted on this blog site, " Lotus Blossom" is an instrumental composition without lyrics.
It is played pretty well as written by the excellent jazz pianist Fred Hersh. Even Ellington would play this piece without improvisation respecting the melody as written by Strayhorn.
Although the piece does not have lyrics that would make it a true song ( one that could be sung),I believe it is worthy of inclusion in this blog as an example of a superbly crafted melody in the tradition of superior popular music which is the focus of classicamericanpopularsong.blogspot.com.
Please listen and form your own opinion as a song divorced from the lyrics that usually accompany songs we have been featuring.
LINK: http://youtu.be/N3lzKxt20Zo
Unlike other songs posted on this blog site, " Lotus Blossom" is an instrumental composition without lyrics.
It is played pretty well as written by the excellent jazz pianist Fred Hersh. Even Ellington would play this piece without improvisation respecting the melody as written by Strayhorn.
Although the piece does not have lyrics that would make it a true song ( one that could be sung),I believe it is worthy of inclusion in this blog as an example of a superbly crafted melody in the tradition of superior popular music which is the focus of classicamericanpopularsong.blogspot.com.
Please listen and form your own opinion as a song divorced from the lyrics that usually accompany songs we have been featuring.
LINK: http://youtu.be/N3lzKxt20Zo
Saturday 1 June 2013
TIME AFTER TIME-THE BEST OF JULE STYNE & SAMMY CAHN
Time After Time-The Best of Jule Styne & Sammy Cahn: In 1947, Jule Styne and lyricist Sammy Cahn wrote Time After Time for the film " It Happened In Brooklyn." Alec Wilder in " American Popular Song-The Great Innovators 1900-1950 " believed it was Styne's best song. Wilder stated that the song was " A strong , pure, dramatic,uncluttered, un-selfconscious melody" and that " It bespeaks personal involvement and great warmth. I know of no other ballad by Styne equal to it. I'd have been proud to have written it." Strong praise from a very tough critic of popular songwriting having himself written 3 standards like" I'll Be Around" " While We're Young" and " It's So Peaceful In The Country" In writing his groundbreaking book, Wilder examined over 17,000 popular songs written between 1900 and 1950 so his opinions are based on intensive scrutiny and a lifelong passion for this musical tradition.
The melody reaches increasingly higher notes and is matched by the intensity of Cahn's lyrics ending with the tender words " I'm So Lucky to be Loving You ."
Tony Bennett provides a very sensitive and heartfelt interpretation of the song singing, as he always does, with personal conviction and belief in the story being told through the lyrics. This is his tribute to Frank Sinatra who first introduced the song in the film.
LINK: http://youtu.be/rAAgXRGHrqU
The melody reaches increasingly higher notes and is matched by the intensity of Cahn's lyrics ending with the tender words " I'm So Lucky to be Loving You ."
Tony Bennett provides a very sensitive and heartfelt interpretation of the song singing, as he always does, with personal conviction and belief in the story being told through the lyrics. This is his tribute to Frank Sinatra who first introduced the song in the film.
LINK: http://youtu.be/rAAgXRGHrqU
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