Overview

"A founding father of the modern American musical, Jerome Kern (1885-1945) was the composer of legions of popular songs, including such standards as ""Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"" and ""'Ol' Man River"". His 1927 ""Show Boat with Oscar Hammerstein II"" helped to set a new standard for musical theatre. This book is the first to provide a critical overview of Kern's musical accomplishments throughout his career. Stephen Banfield ranges from Broadway, to Hollywood, and to London's West End, drawing on unpublished manuscripts and scores to assess the composer's extraordinary oeuvre. Kern's life, personality, and working methods are given due attention, as is the development of his work from the early musical comedies through the collaborations with Hammerstein and P. G. Wodehouse up to the later film scores. Banfield focuses especially on the musical and lyrical structures of Kern's compositions, illuminating beloved works and shedding light on compositions often overlooked."

Full Product Details

9780300110470

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Reviews

Banfield's book is heroic in its scope and coverage of a neglected but essential American music icon. --Michael Feinstein, Singer, Music Historian<br><br>--Michael Feinstein

Stephen Banfield has written a book thats intelligent and authoritative but also a vivid evocation of early twentieth century show business. This lively study not only conjures Kern and his world but lays out clearly why this music is of value and why it will last. Mark Steyn, author of Broadway Babies Say Goodnight -- Mark Steyn

With P.G. Wodehouse, Jerome Kern wrote some of the first, funniest, and most charming American musical comedy songs; with Oscar Hammerstein, he wrote the great musical epic of the Broadway stage, Show Boat ; with Dorothy Fields, he wrote the most enduring jazz and pop standards of the American songbook, including 'The Way You Look Tonight' and 'I Won't Dance.' He did all this and more without ever swimming into either biographical or musicological focus the way Gershwin, Porter, and others did. Stephen Banfield has now rectified both omissions with a book that's intelligent and authoritative but also a vivid evocation of early twentieth-century show business. This lively study not only conjures Kern and his world but lays out clearly why this music is of value and why it will last. --Mark Steyn, author of Broadway Babies Say Goodnight <br>--Mark Steyn

Author Information

Stephen Banfield is Stanley Hugh Badock Professor of Music, University of Bristol, England.

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