OSHER 479 - American Songbook

Discover the appeal and longevity of American music created from 1925 to 1955, drawn mostly from the Tin Pan Alley, musical theater, and jazz repertoires. The course is designed for a broad spectrum of music lovers, emphasizing the music and lyrics of such master song writers as Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer, and Duke Ellington. The format of this cultural appreciation course will be a mixture of lecture, demonstration, and performance, defining what lends a song permanence and highlighting the elements one so admires in a great song. The teacher will frequently perform and students will be invited to sing along. A songbook created expressly for this course will be available for purchase but is not mandatory.