On Jul 7, 12:12=A0am, MaryLyon <MaryL...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> I'm really surprised that "War Bride" has only one verse and chorus -
> it seems like the kind of song that might go on and on with the
> military references...
As I recall, this was a throwaway song in STRIKE UP THE BAND for a
minor character (somebody's secretary in the show, and I seem to
recall, someone's girlfriend in actuality) who otherwise had no
singing. And when she left the show early in its run, the song was cut
from the show, and Gershwin didn't include it in the published score.
So apparently nobody cared to expend much effort on it.
> I am fond of the "I Got Rhythm" dummy lyrics,
> wherein Ira experiments with two different rhyme schemes:
They're fun, aren't they. But Ira is pretty clear in the book that
these are his imaginary dummy lyrics that he just made up while
putting the book together, not any kind of original dummy lyrics
created during the original writing of the song.
> On another note, why are these songs so short, with just one verse and
> chorus? Am I correct in envisioning a dance break or instrumental part
> in the middle to lengthen them when performed?
Sure. Listen to any of the recordings of the whole shows, with the
original production routines reconstructed. "I Got Rhythm" is 3:08 to
which the encore adds 1:27; and "Fascinating Rhythm" (admittedly a
more conjectural reconstruction) is 7:31 what with several vocal
refrains and a second verse interspersed with a ukelele refrain and
several dance refrains.
JAC
|
