Philip Furia (1943–2019)

Furia's focus is the time between the beginning and end of the two World Wars: 1914-1945; and the American popular song centered in Tin Pan Alley. He is particularly interested in the lyrics (prosody) and the literary / musical world of the songs, their peculiar character, and not upon the biography of the songwriters responsible for them, or even for the musical tradition except insofar as it influences these lyrics. This focus is a strength, though inevitably it means many popular songs of the time are not treated, and the emphasis upon songs results in spotty coverage of songwriter's themselves.

Song characteristics
-- influence of Vers de société or light verse: urbanity and flippant tone, with an ironic and casual manner
-- introduction of colloquialisms (rag) over arch poetic scansion (ballad) of European tradition
-- list songs were favourites, the placename list a specific variety of same
-- clever rhyming a hallmark: Porter, Hart, Gershwin
-- emphasis upon "singable" aspects: sonority of vowels, alliteration of consonants as important as rhyme
-- integrated songs could do without rhyming by linking to plot, character, or regional style of show; uncommon until Oklahoma! (1943)

Industry inflection points
-- stooge singers placed in audience of variety shows, to boost popularity of specific songs (was Iggy aware of this use of the term?)
-- interpolated songs took popular songs and placed in unrelated variety show, single song could be placed in several shows; "hot show" was one with a strong hit
-- 1940s saw recording sales outsell sheet music for the first time; Tin Pan Alley used Broadway as a marketing delivery system, the point was to sell sheet music
-- battle between ASCAP (publisher of sheet music) and BMI (publisher of recordings) came to a head with ASCAP's radio contract set to expire in January 1941; radio shifted over to BMI before ASCAP could negotiate new contract, and when it was finally ready there was already a shift to "hillbilly" or "roots" recordings from BMI, which ASCAP had avoided
-- Tin Pan Alley format: 32-bar, AABA (with 3 strophes, 3 refrains in 4x8 structure?)
-- Blues standards format: 12-bar, AAB (in 3x4 structure?)… (mehr)

What's in a subtitle?

In the case of this book, it's an unfulfilled promise. The subtitle is "A History of America's Great Lyricists." But when you get to the preface, you'll learn that the book is mostly about a particular era (between the two World Wars). Then, when you get to the actual book, you'll learn that it's not a history of lyricists -- it's more a history of lyrics. Or maybe even individual words. Author Furia can go on at great length about how Lorenz Hart can rhyme "well met" with "spell met" with "helmet," or Cole Porter can play off a rose of Dante and the nose of Durante -- but he can't tell us when or where Hart was born, or what the songs had to do with the musical in which they were placed. Or he can casually mention that Porter was homosexual and had some sort of accident -- and tell us nothing about how those facts affected his life and his work. Porter wrote both words and music -- but you can't even find out if he had musical training!

For a class on twentieth century American popular poetry, this book probably has a place -- it points out things I would never, ever have thought of, such as the use these lyricists made of internal rhyme. But it isn't history and it isn't biography. And that means it isn't what it claims to be.

If you read it with that warning in mind, you may like it. I came away only mildly educated, and thoroughly irritated. Indeed, I felt like I had been lied to.… (mehr)