Description
Celebrate singers who put their stamp on some of the greatest songs ever written—by composers ranging alphabetically from Arlen and Berlin to Syracusan Jimmy Van Heusen, “Fats” Waller and Harry Warren working with such lyricists as Al Dubin, Dorothy Fields, Oscar Hammerstein, “Yip” Harburg, Lorenz Hart and Andy Razaf. Featured vocalists also range alphabetically from A [Adele & Fred Astaire with Gershwin at the piano] to W [Ethel Waters] with other legendary names—Crosby, Jolson, Merman, Robeson, et al.—in between. This course will place the songs within their musical, cultural, technological and political contexts while analyzing what made these pioneering singers’ interpretations key to the songs’ enduring appeal. It will also compare some of these early performances with those of later artists, including the acclaimed team of William Bolcom and Joan Morris.
