Good Morning all.
As promised way back on June 22nd, today we will attempt to plant an earworm by means of this fiendishly designed post which will masquerade as a bit of Ethno-musicological dissertation.
I know there are probably only a few of you blog followers - you know who you are - will have the time or the inclination to listen to all the cuts, all the way through, but trust me, there are a few in here that are most entertaining. You have all weekend.
What follows below the jump is a little study - an e-monograph if you will - of "The Song is Ended" from 1927 through 9 decades. The song is presented on Edison Diamond Disc phonograph, a Player Piano Roll, 45, 78, 331/3 Vinyl, and MP3, the youtube poster's digital format.
As promised way back on June 22nd, today we will attempt to plant an earworm by means of this fiendishly designed post which will masquerade as a bit of Ethno-musicological dissertation.
I know there are probably only a few of you blog followers - you know who you are - will have the time or the inclination to listen to all the cuts, all the way through, but trust me, there are a few in here that are most entertaining. You have all weekend.
What follows below the jump is a little study - an e-monograph if you will - of "The Song is Ended" from 1927 through 9 decades. The song is presented on Edison Diamond Disc phonograph, a Player Piano Roll, 45, 78, 331/3 Vinyl, and MP3, the youtube poster's digital format.
So if you have headphones or ear buds put 'em on and let's jump!
Just think, in 7 short years it will be the Twenties again. Wonder if they will roar twice as much, because it will be the Roaring 2020's!
Soundtracks are gleaned from the interwebs by your recovering Armchair Musicology-Anthro-apologist. Sorry about the ads on YouTube. A Right click and "open in new window" should keep you on this page whilst the music plays.
To introduce the worm we have as today's soundtrack Mose Allison's very sparse version of
The Song is Ended, but the Melody Lingers On Just think, in 7 short years it will be the Twenties again. Wonder if they will roar twice as much, because it will be the Roaring 2020's!
Soundtracks are gleaned from the interwebs by your recovering Armchair Musicology-Anthro-apologist. Sorry about the ads on YouTube. A Right click and "open in new window" should keep you on this page whilst the music plays.
First, a quick look at the composer, Irving Berlin, and his transposing piano.
 |
| .( May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) |
Arguably, Berlin was one of the most influential and prolific song- smiths of the 20th century, riding the wave from Ragtime, and Burlesque to Jazz and Tin Pan alley, to stage productions, and film pre and post talkies.
In the course of his 60-year career he wrote at least 1,500 songs, including the scores for 19 Broadway shows and 18 Hollywood films. He wrote Yip Yip Yaphank when he was drafted into WWI. (headline: Army Takes Berlin) Camp Yaphank later became Brookhaven National Laboratory, just a few miles from where I grew up.
White Christmas, God Bless America, Blue Skies, There's no Business Like Show Business, to name a few.
Yet,
Yet,
That is right, Irving Berlin was not "paper trained" - he never learned to read or write in musical notation. So take heart all of you who play by ear, and there are no excuses for you singer -songwriters.
He used one of these cool pianos, It is a custom-made Weser Brothers piano with a transposing lever which shifted the hammers laterally so they hit different strings and thus change keys. See and hear it here, in a rare video of him demonstrating it. Irv employed professional transcribers who wrote out the sheet music.
source the straight dope
 |
| note the mechanism on the bottom end of the keyboard |
What started in his favorite key of F# ( because it uses the most black keys) he could transpose to say, the key of F of “Puttin’ On the Ritz” or the key of C for “ Dancing Cheek to Cheek”.
The Lyrics:
The lyrics to this number are in some dispute.
Irving Berlin wrote most all of the lyrics for the songs attributed to him. In this case it may have been a collaboration with Beda Lohener, an interesting character - an author as well as a lyricist - who died at Auschwitz in 1942
1927 The Song is Ended but the Melody Lingers On was written by Irving Berlin, in 3/4 time as a Valsa Moderato.
The earliest band recordings I can find are faithful to the 3/4 waltz tempo. But as we will see, it wasn't long before the song was squeezed into 4/4, presumably to make it more danceable in the later 20's and early 30's. And as with so many of the songs of this period that have enjoyed enduring popularity, the opening verse(s) got lost, and the chorus became the song.
In all the fake books now it looks like this:
In all the fake books now it looks like this:
It has stayed in Eb, but changed to 4/4, and Beda Loehner is rarely credited for the lyrics.
Verse
My thoughts go back to a heavenly dance
A moment of bliss we spent
Our hearts were filled with a song of romance
As into the night we went
And sang to our hearts' content
Chorus
The song is ended
But the melody lingers on
You and the song are gone
But the melody lingers on
The night was splendid
And the melody seemed to say
"Summer will pass away
Take your happiness while you may"
bridge
There 'neath the light of the moon
We sang a love song that ended too soon
The moon descended
And I found with the break of dawn
You and the song had gone
But the melody lingers on
Simple lyrics, no fancy chord changes, in short a typical Berlin song. If in fact the lyrics are by Beda Loehner , he certainly captured a recurrent Berlin theme with the philosophy of "take your happiness while you may" juxtaposed against the melancholy "You and the song are gone" .
OK here we go- 100 years of The Song is Ended
1927
 |
| Directed by Bob Haring (1896-? ) |
It was picked up the same year by by Norah Blaney, who sings the Verse.
Starts an interpretive departure from waltz time.
Billed as Annette Hanshaw and her Sizzlin' Syncopaters
 |
| (October 18, 1901 – March 13, 1985) |
1928
A pensive and expressive rendition, slipping away from 3/4 time.
Good Bio here :Whispering Jack Smith, the forgotten Crooner Jack shared quarters with Irv and for a while was his principal " Song Plugger".
Good Bio here :Whispering Jack Smith, the forgotten Crooner Jack shared quarters with Irv and for a while was his principal " Song Plugger".
 |
| May 31, 1899 - May 13th 1950 (more numerical inversion ) |
Piano and Violin, parlor music, little slower, sappier, more melodic.
 |
| (November 23, 1897 – September 24, 1978) Yet more numerical asymmetry!
She is posing with a rare 5 string Baritone Mandolin/Banjo like the one Gil Frei used to have.
|
Also in 1928 The Edisonians version,
Note, the verse is played, but not sung.
This you have to see - the player. The youtube poster Victrolaman writes:
"This is a 1928 Edison (Electrically) recorded Diamond Disc record and it is being played with an earlier Edison Diamond Disc reproducer from about 1913 that came originally with this A-250 model. Much of the surface noise you hear is a the result. If this record had been played with an Edison "Dance" reproducer or one of the more technically advanced "Edisonic" type reproducers, designed to play the new Edison Electric records, this record would sound exceptional.
"In September of 1928 Edison's first Electric Radio and Electric Phonograph (the model C-1) made its' appearance. The amplifier used two R.C.A. 250 tubes and two oversize Peerless Dynamic Speakers with single-turn voice coil. The electric pickup played all types of hill & dale and needle cut records, and was designed by Edison's son Theodore M. Edison."
Without getting sidetracked into the history of recorded sound, suffice it to say Edison, who's original intention was intended as a Dictaphone for stenography, was quick to cop to the music application, and had the Edison Concert Band, recording "Laughing Water" by 1903
The Edisonians was evidently a band that Edison recruited in his quest for quality, and monopoly too, for the Diamond disc records would only play on his machine..And he was not keen on paying musicians.
Remember too, this was contemporaneous with the transition from Silent Movies to Talkies, big doings in the audio world.
1930's
Piano Roll Version Circa 1930 recorded by one Pauline Alpert on a very clean Duo Art Piano Roll for an Aeolian Player Piano.
Watch this great video of the player piano roll, which has the lyrics written on it. It is fun to watch the perforations of her glissandi go by. She puts the verse in the middle of her arrangement, and does three or four variations, all in waltz time.
Watch this great video of the player piano roll, which has the lyrics written on it. It is fun to watch the perforations of her glissandi go by. She puts the verse in the middle of her arrangement, and does three or four variations, all in waltz time.
Old Player Pianos are arguably the first band in a box, just pump and sing! Look Ma, no Hands! And it will work off the grid, batteries not even needed.
Want a modern Player Piano?
Check this out from Rick Jones Pianos ( an ipiano ! )Let's get this party started! We're talking about the new state of the art QRS PNOmation II system, which can be installed in ANY grand piano we sell for $6,700 including installation. This revolutionary new system is entirely wireless and can be operated easily and intuitively from any iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, or similar smart phone or tablet without the need for a visible control box on the piano or a conventional remote control.
By the mid 30's the Mills Brothers had dropped the opening verse, and were jazzing it up - not only some patter - but with a Tenor and their famous "Mouth Trumpet" harmonies, and guitar backing track from what is probably a Gibson L5 Guitar.
1940's
Joe Bushkin 1947 -1950 Nice New Orleansey version
 |
| (November 7, 1916 – November 3, 2004) |
Also in the 40's , The Mills Brothers again, with Satchmo and some real horns.
1950's
I love Nellie's Version. And I love Nellie, so she gets three pictures. Born in Lake Charles Louisiana, Nellie started singing in father's band at 14. Full Bio Here
 |
| (October 15, 1912 in Lake Charles LA, died– June 8, 2007 in LA) |
Also from the 50's, Nat King Cole - The Song Is Ended 1957.
50's Orchestration, the dying gasps of the Big Band Era show up here,
.jpg) |
| (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965) |
1960's
Sam Cooke took a shot at it on his Album "My Kind of Blues
 |
| December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) |
1970's Golson'ss
A cut off one of Gleason's instrumental "Mood Albums". How Schweet it is.
 |
| February 26, 1916 – June 24, 1987 |
Peanuts Hucko has a Clarinet version here.
Natalie Cole's version
 |
| April 7, 1918 - June 19, 2003 |
 |
| Still Swinging |
1980's
1990's
From Japan!
A very nice slow rendition by an Oriental Duo, Guitar and Accordion. Further departure from Waltz time on the bridge.I am guessing the 90's from the 80's equipment.
Pay close attention at :52 ,:The Night was Sprendid"
Clarinet, Uke, Bass, Guitar, Drums , Pedal Steel.. Great Uke Solo
Skip ahead to 1:12
Crick on rink berow
明るい表通りで / バンバンバザール 藤井康一 2010/12/12
They cover many early jazz numbers like" Your Feet's Too Big" and "Honeysuckle Rose"
Find them on I tunes
2000's
Pay close attention at :52 ,:The Night was Sprendid"
Sidebar/Digression
Here is another Japanese band , Ban Ban Bazar. They are not doing The Song is Ended, But a Killer Version of Sunny Side of the Street First in Japanese and then in English with a great Louie Armstrong imitation. Amazing !!!!Clarinet, Uke, Bass, Guitar, Drums , Pedal Steel.. Great Uke Solo
Skip ahead to 1:12
Crick on rink berow
明るい表通りで / バンバンバザール 藤井康一 2010/12/12
They cover many early jazz numbers like" Your Feet's Too Big" and "Honeysuckle Rose"
Find them on I tunes
2000's
at the July 2005 Bix Memorial Jazz Festival in Davenport, Iowa.
Very Smooth, cross between New Orleans and Chicago styles.
Midwestern laid back summer jazz.
Midwestern laid back summer jazz.
Nice Uke and Harmonica version, back to waltz time with the Verse, so we have come full circle.
2010's
Recent Covers
So there we have it. Almost 100 years of an Irving Berlin classic. One wonders how many of the songs written today will still have artists covering them in 2113.
Oh yeah,
Got an earworm yet?
OK, go here to get rid of the malingering melody.
Chris
Sprendid!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovley page! A true internet beautification. :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful tribute to a beautiful song, made more so for knowing more about the song and its writers particularly "Beda", whose life and work I was ignorant of till now, thank you very much.
ReplyDelete