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Online course registration remains available, and our offices will reopen January 2 if you need assistance.
LIB537
The Great American Songbook and All That Jazz
We will survey the ‘Great American Songbook’ by looking closely at the compositions of its best-known songwriters. Each week we will examine three to five songs by these composers and listen to a number of performances of each tune showing how jazz musicians used each to contribute to the development of jazz. In the process, we will also reflect on how each composer and performer contributed to and/or reflected North American culture.
Note: Musical examples will include recordings and performances by the instructor. Knowledge of music theory is not required. Song selections may change from week to week.
This course is offered in person.
A $50 discount is available during check-out for adults 55+.
Overview
Location: Vancouver
Duration: 6 weeks
Tuition: $180 plus GST
Can be applied to:
Liberal Arts for 55+ Certificate
Upcoming Offerings
- Wed, Feb 25, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Wed, Mar 4, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Wed, Mar 11, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Wed, Mar 18, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Wed, Mar 25, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Wed, Apr 1, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
Course outline
- Week 1: What is the ‘Great American Songbook’?
Featuring music by George and Ira Gershwin: “I’ve Got Rhythm,” “Summertime” (and Porgy and Bess), “Lady Be Good.” An overview of the influence of jazz on the Great American Songbook and the songbooks influence on jazz. - Week 2: Racial issues
Featuring the music of Irving Berlin: “Blue Skies,” “How Deep Is the Ocean,” “Russian Lullaby,” and featuring the music of Thomas ‘Fats’ Waller and Andy Razaf: “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue.” - Week 3: The heyday of Broadway
Featuring the music of Jerome Kern: “A Fine Romance,” “Yesterdays,” “Old Man River,” “The Way You Look Tonight,” “All the Things You Are.” - Week 4: The Broadway sophisticate
Featuring the music of Cole Porter: “All of You,” “I Love You,” “What Is This Thing Called Love?” - Week 5: The importance of Harlem
Featuring the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn: “Take the ‘A’ Train,” “Sophisticated Lady,” “Mood Indigo,” “Black and Tan Fantasy.” - Week 6: The development of the ‘modern’ musical
Featuring the music of Harold Arlen: “Blues in the Night,” “That Old Black Magic,” “Stormy Weather,” “Ill Wind,” and featuring the music of Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein: “Thou Swell,” “My Romance,” “This Can’t Be Love,” “There’s a Small Hotel,” “Falling in Love with Love,” “Surrey with the Fringe on Top.”
What you will learn
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
- Appreciate the ‘Great American Songbook’ and its importance to American music
- Identify commonalities and differences between Great American Songbook and what are labelled ‘jazz standards’
- Recognize songs and their composers that have influenced the development of both jazz and musical theatre
- Explain how the broader cultural events in North America and the world influenced the songwriters and jazz performers of the first half of the 20th century (and vice versa)
- Identify differences in how musicians interpreted specific songs from the Great American Songbook in different eras
- Describe stylistic changes of various jazz performers and songwriters
How you will learn
- Lectures
- Participation in discussions
- Supplementary resources accessed through Canvas
- Reflective essay (applicable only to certificate students)
Learning Materials
No textbook is required. We will provide all course materials online.
Technical Requirements
Handouts and other course resources will be available on Canvas, SFU’s online learning system.
To access the resources, you should be comfortable with:
- Using everyday software such as browsers, email and social media
- Navigating a website by clicking on links and finding pages in a menu
- Downloading and opening PDF documents