Great American Songbook

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The term Great American Songbook encompasses an unspecified number of outstanding songs in American popular music from the 1930s to the 1960s. They are part of the stylistically and chronologically extended Classic Pop or Traditional Pop (for which Grammy Awards are given), ie the "classic" pop music that is still unaffected by rock 'n' roll and starts in Tin Pan Alley . The term Great American Songbook expresses the view that this was the artistic climax of popular (sung) music creation in the USA.

The following composers / lyricists are considered the classic representatives of the Great American Songbook :

The songwriter duos were also very important

The era of the Great American Songbook coincides with the predominance of radio as a mass medium and with the Golden Age of Hollywood of the studio system , which significantly favored the production conditions for the composers / lyricists and the marketing opportunities for their works. The songs were often written for Broadway or Hollywood musicals and are characterized by catchy melodies and sophisticated arrangements and texts that are tailored to the music. The influence of jazz is evident, but the swing genre is in the foreground. The works of the Great American Songbook have become standards; Because of their continued popularity and quality, they have been and are included in compilations by many singers, starting with Ella Fitzgerald's influential Sings the ... Songbook series on Verve Records from the 1950s and 1960s through Tony Bennett to the present day, like Queen Latifah and Rod Stewart .

The most important interpreters of the Great American Songbook include: Louis Armstrong , Fred Astaire , Tony Bennett , Betty Carter , Rosemary Clooney , Nat King Cole , Ray Conniff , Chris Connor , Bing Crosby , Blossom Dearie , Billy Eckstine , Percy Faith , Michael Feinstein , Ella Fitzgerald , Judy Garland , Billie Holiday , Shirley Horn , Lena Horne , Etta Jones , André Kostelanetz , Diana Krall , Al Jolson , Lester Lanin, Peggy Lee , Dean Martin , Carmen McRae , Mabel Mercer , Bette Midler , Liza Minnelli , Joni Mitchell , Carly Simon , Nina Simone , Frank Sinatra , Barbra Streisand , Mel Tormé , Rudy Vallée , Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington .

See also

literature

  • Ken Bloom: The American Songbook - The Singers, the Songwriters, and the Songs - 100 Years of American Popular Music - The Stories of the Creators and Performers . New York City, Black Dog & Leventhal, 2005 ISBN 1-57912-448-8 )
  • Philip Furia, Michael Lasser: America's Songs: The Stories Behind the Songs of Broadway, Hollywood, and Tin Pan Alley . Taylor & Francis, 2006
  • Michael Lasser: America's Songs II: Songs from the 1890s to the Post-War Years. 2014
  • Max Morath: The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Popular Standards . New York: Perigee Books, 2002
  • Marvin E. Paymer, Don E. Post: Sentimental Journey: Intimate Portraits of America's Great Popular Songs. 1999