Famous Composers Praise Harold Arlen: Scholars of Classic American Song generally agree that there are 6 songwriters who were most influential in shaping what is often called The Great American Songbook. Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George Gershwin & Richard Rodgers are the first five so noted. The sixth is Harold Arlen who is wholly praised by the five in their own words.
In Praise of Harold Arlen
* " He is the most original of us all." GEORGE GERSHWIN
* " He wasn't as well known as some of us but he was more talented than most of us & in a nutshell, no one has written better songs than Harold Arlen." IRVING BERLIN
* " I realized that he was the greatest new talent in years. He has a real valid talent, it is his own and completely original."
RICHARD RODGERS
* " A distinguished personality in music and I have admired him
' for years,: COLE PORTER
* " His songs are almost, without exception, genuine musical creations, not experiments in limitation." JEROME KERN
Recognizing Arlen's originality is the essence of their praise.
Despite his relative anonymity ( even though his songs are well known) " Harold Arlen accumulated one of the most impressive catalogues in the history of American popular music, not merely lucrative Hit Parade material ( although there are plenty of those)
but evergreen songs that have long outlived their original films and stage presentations."
Edward Jablonski Arlen biographer and personal friend.
No comments:
Post a Comment