THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK: FROM THE END OF WORLD WAR II THROUGH THE FABULOUS FIFTIES (30) Congress Hall Prestwick Chase, 100 Saratoga Blvd., Saratoga Springs
Wednesdays, 10:00-11:30am, STARTS FEBRUARY 4, Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25 March 4, 11
Following the end of World War II, America entered a period of optimism, prosperity, and profound cultural change. This six-week session of The Great American Songbook explores how popular music reflected and shaped this new era. We’ll trace the evolution of the classic songwriters, the emergence of new Broadway and Hollywood voices, and the rise of performers who became cultural icons. Two live cabaret sessions will highlight the enduring artistry of the music and lyrics from this “golden” period.
1: A New Era: America in Song After World War II
?Postwar optimism and nostalgia in music; decline of the big bands and rise of the solo vocalists including :Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Peggy Lee, Jo Stafford, Nat King Cole, Doris Day, Gene Kelly
2.The Golden Age of Songwriters Continues
?Broadway and film as the cultural heartbeat of postwar America
?Composers and lyricists: Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lerner & Loewe, Frank Loesser, Jule Styne
3.Cabaret Performance I: “The Postwar Songbook”
A live performance illustrating the transition from wartime sentiment to postwar sophistication, featuring works by Harold Arlen, Jimmy Van Heusen, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, Irving Berlin
4.The New Sounds of the 1950s: Cool Jazz and the Crooners
?The blending of jazz and pop: Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Mel Tormé, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole; the modern crooners and great arrangers
5.Broadway and Hollywood: The Great Integration
?The explosion of the musical theater: Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady, West Side Story, The King and I and songwriting duos who defined the decade
6.Cabaret Performance II: “The Fabulous Fifties”
A celebration of the vitality and romance of 1950s American song, before the rise of rock & roll.
Suggested Reading: David Lehman- “A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs”, (hardcover) ISBN:978-0-8052-4250-8, published 2009, Amazon $24.59
Leader: Ken Blatt has devoted the past thirty-five years to the study and practice of singing, theater performance, piano, songwriting, directing, and lecturing on the performing arts. His passion for music encompasses the Great American Songbook, jazz and swing, classic rock and roll, Broadway show tunes, movie songs and pop hits from the 1930’s to the present. Ken has served on the faculty of several colleges and universities: Michigan State, Florida Atlantic, University of Colorado, Pikes Peak Community College, Miami-Dade College, Broward Community College and Touro College. He has taught a variety of classes in theater and speech to students of all ages.