February 6, 2025: Jerome Kern: Stage Musicals, 1920-1939
Class Preparation
Recommended Reading:
- Broadway: The American Musical: "Look for the Silver Lining" (Marilyn Miller), pages 76-79
- Stephen Sondheim, "Jerome Kern: The Simplicity of Artfulness" (2012) I found Sondheim's comments useful in understanding the distinctiveness of Kern's music.
Links & Playlists
Playlists:
- Jerome Kern: Broadway Songs, 1920-1939 (performances of each of the songs in "Selected Lyrics" handout above)
- The Land Where the Good Songs Go (2012 studio recording of a revue of 31 Kern songs from throughout his career. Loosely plotted, it features three couples, played by Rebecca Luker, Matthew Scott, Kate Baldwin, Philip Chaffin, Heidi Blickenstaff, and Graham Rowat.)
- Jerome Kern Overtures (1988 Recording of overtures to eight Kern shows in chronological order from 1915 to 1939. Played by the National Philharmonic Orchestra, John McGlinn, conductor.) Overtures relevant to this class are the ones for Sitting Pretty (1924), Sweet Adeline (1931), The Cat and the Fiddle (1931), and Very Warm for May (1939)/
- Class 2 Videos (Contains extra performances!)
- Covers of "All the Things You Are" (A collection of performances of my favorite Kern song)