Jerome Kern (1885-1945), United States of America
Jerome Kern was born on January 27, 1885 at 411 East 56th Street in
New York. From the beginning, he grew up in an atmosphere of musical stimulation
and personal freedom of expression. His family gave him the sort of attention,
support, and education that allowed him to blossom into a remarkable man and a
remarkable composer.
The most important factor in Jerome Kern's musical
career was his connection with the stage. For most of his career, Kern was
directly involved with the theater.In fact, all of his over 1000 songs (with the
exception of "The Last Time I Saw Paris" were intended for movies or
theater.
At the age of ten, Kern began to attend Broadway shows and was
instantly enthralled by what he saw. He wanted to be a part of it. Although he
was young, he was already able to come home and play tunes from the score by
ear. A few years later he began to attend music school in Europe, but dropped
that in favor of a Job writing songs for London Theater. Many of these songs
were not of lasting importance, but these years had a great influence on Kern's
musical values and style. He worked as a rehearsal pianist and wrote individual
songs to be used in productions. This line of work served at least three
purposes. The constant playing kept him up to par on his piano skills. The
direct involvement in productions made him appreciate the connection between
music and dance. And finally, the almost instant feedback made him aware of
audience reaction. He had to keep things simple enough to be easily understood
by an audience who had never heard these songs before. Yet he had to make them
interesting enough to keep the audience's (and his!) attention. In essence, the
whole experience made him good at writing hits.
These characteristics sum
up the essence of what a Jerome Kern tune is. It is lighthearted (generally),
and it is characterized by a simplistic genius. He was very creative with
relatively basic tools. This made his melodies sound natural yet at the same
time spontaneous and creative. Since he saw the connection between music, song
and dance, his songs were imbued with an infectious quality that makes them
stand out years after his death.
Patrick Wade
Dr.
Estrella's Incredibly Abridged Dictionary of Composers
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