Jerome Kern was born 130 years ago today. A composer of musical theatre and popular music, Kern was one of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century. He wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works, including such classics as Ol Man River, Cant Help Lovin Dat Man, A Fine Romance, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, All the Things You Are, The Way You Look Tonight, Long Ago (and Far Away) and Who?. He collaborated with many of the leading librettists and lyricists of his era, including George Grossmith Jr., Guy Bolton, P. G. Wodehouse, Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II, Dorothy Fields, Johnny Mercer, Ira Gershwin and E. Y. Harburg. A native New Yorker, Kern created dozens of Broadway musicals and Hollywood films in a career that lasted for more than four decades. His musical innovations, such as 4/4 dance rhythms and the employment of syncopation and jazz progressions, built on, rather than rejected, earlier musical theatre tradition. He and his collaborators also employed his melodies to further the action or develop characterization to a greater extent than in the other musicals of his day, creating the model for later musicals. Although dozens of Kerns musicals and musical films were hits, only Show Boat is now regularly revived. Songs from his other shows, however, are still frequently performed and adapted. Although Kern detested jazz arrangements of his songs, many have been adopted by jazz musicians to become standard tunes. On November 5, 1945, at 60 years of age, Kern suffered a cerebral hemorrhage while walking at the corner of Park Avenue and 57th Street. Identifiable only by his ASCAP card, Kern was initially taken to the indigent ward at City Hospital, later being transferred to Doctors Hospital in Manhattan. Oscar Hammerstein was at his side when Kerns breathing stopped. Hammerstein hummed or sang the song Ive Told Evry Little Star from Music in the Air (a personal favorite of the composers) into Kerns ear. Receiving no response, Hammerstein knew Kern had died. Here, Lena Horne performs Kern’s “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” in the 1946 film, Till The Clouds Roll By.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 06:07:21 +0000
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