Prelude to a kiss

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Prelude to a Kiss is a song that Duke Ellington composed in 1938; the text is by Irving Mills and Irving Gordon . The song has become one of the most important jazz standards .

The song

The melody of the song is partly based on motifs by Ellington saxophonist Otto Hardwick . In addition to enormous interval jumps (first sixth down, ninth up in measure 5/6 and sixths and septa in the B part), the chromatic lines hba-a-flat-g, g sharp-g-fis-fe in the A part, and g -as-ab in the return line of the B part. The chromatic creates “a sultry atmosphere in connection with an opulent harmony”. The song is in the song form AA'BA '.

The song describes the love that never dies and can be understood as a prelude or prelude to a kiss. In the lyrics of the song, the lyricists reflect the musical structure of Prelude to a Kiss by adding the following text to the B part (in which the musical structure of the song changes significantly): Although it is a simple melody, it is called in the lyrics of the song, love could transform it into a Schubert symphony with a touch of Gershwin .

First recordings

On August 9, 1938, the Duke Ellington Orchestra played with the soloists Johnny Hodges and Wallace Jones Prelude to a Kiss for the Brunswick label in an instrumental version. A sung version was recorded fifteen days later for the Vocalion label under the name Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra . The composer sat at the piano of the band, which essentially consisted of the members of his orchestra. The singer was Mary McHugh.

Impact history

As a pop song, the song initially had no real success in either version; it reached number 18 on the charts. Ellington's I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart stood in his way, which dominated the American charts for a long time in 1938 , both in the version by the Ellington Orchestra and then by Benny Goodman . Ellington later recorded the song several times until 1973; Here the photo from 1957 deserves special mention.

Although the B part in particular has high vocational demands, singers such as Billie Holiday , Ella Fitzgerald , Carmen McRae , Sarah Vaughan or June Christy have subsequently adopted the song in their repertoire. Billy Eckstine recorded Prelude several times. The Singers Unlimited also interpreted the song.

Development as a jazz standard

The song developed an effect as a jazz standard, especially as an instrumental title. So "some tenor ballad experts" like Archie Shepp (1965, 1966, 1977), Bennie Wallace (1987, 1998), Günther Klatt (1990, 1993) or Harold Ashby (1987 with Wallace) "surpassed themselves in interpretations of Prelude ". The piece was also suitable for avant-garde interpretations, as shown by the recordings by Red Norvo with Charles Mingus and Tal Farlow , by Jaki Byard , Michele Rosewoman , Sun Ra , the World Saxophone Quartet and COWWS .

The song in stage plays

The song in movies

See also

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. cf. the representation at jazzstandards.com
  2. a b H. J. Schaal Jazz-Standards , p. 401
  3. Text of the song
  4. HJ Schaal Jazz Standards , p. 402