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Welcome everyone to today's podcast. This was George Gershwin from one of his piano rolls. He's actually playing that, of course. Now, this role has been 20 years ago, probably more than that has been reissued on a on a modern piano.

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That's how it sounds so bright and so clean, but that's himself at the piano, playing a tune called “Singing the Blues”.

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Today, exactly. I wanted to talk about one of my favourite American composers, George Gershwin. We will be looking at a song called do it again and through a little bit of analysis, a little bit of insight in how this song is composed, we will see.

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How Gershwin styles is so remarkable and unique. Do it again. Is one of the many songs that the composer wrote in his life. We are talking about.

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Possibly hundreds of songs. The song particularly premiered in the 1922 Broadway show called “The French Doll”. Just to give you a sense we know Gershwin has a composer of piano.

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Works, orchestral works and of course a lot of a lot of musicals, but he his interest and dedication to vocal music is outstanding. He wrote two operas, around 20 musical.

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He wrote music scores for five movies, movies.

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And roughly 10 orchestral works, including Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris and others. He is the quintessential contemporary American composer. His ability to merge music and lyrics is what

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Makes his music timeless. I will say that.

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Compared to European opera, composers of his.

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Time. Perhaps you can point out that a couple of aspects in the case of Gershwin tradition doesn't seem to press upon creativity. What do we mean? Gershwin knows his listener is the common person. Is The New York.

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Is the.

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American person, the American worker who wants it, wants to be entertained, inspired, but also has bills to pay. And it sounds like to me the there is a striking difference between the target audience.

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Of operas written until this time in Europe from, I don't know. We're talking about the Italian operas to German operas, Puccini, Mozart, the Verdi and all the other ones. There seems to be a.

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A kind of a pressure, a comparison that each new composer has to draw between himself or herself and the.

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And the tradition, particularly this very high literary tradition of the Italian and German opera. But with Gershwin, this seems all to disappear. Of course there are social economic factors. Cultural, of course, where in America. But I keep thinking.

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That that there is such a liberating

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Joyousness in all of his music that is impossible to find in any of his European contemporaries. This applies to the instrumental music, but also to all the songs that he wrote and the musicals as a matter of fact, he believes.

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And I'm quoting that “true music must reflect the thoughts and aspirations of the people.

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Time my people are Americans. My time is today”. This is just to say how intrinsically intertwined is his work with contemporary Americans of the 20s and the 30s. It, it is worth noting, however, that.

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He felt some sort of pressure of comparison with composers such as Ravel, Schoenberg, Stravinsky in the mid 20s. In fact, Gershwin stayed in Paris for a short period during which he applied to study composition with.

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The noted Nadia Boulanger, famous composer and composition teacher, who, along with several other prospective tutors such as Maurice Ravel, turned him down. Afraid they were afraid that this the rigorous classical study.

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Would ruin his jazz influence style.

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Maurice Ravel wrote a rejection letter saying why becoming a second-rate Ravel when you are already a first-rate Gershwin. This is quite a famous quote. There is another interesting quote from the same.

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Ravel that goes like this. George Gershwin asked to study with Rachel. And when Ravel heard how much Gershwin was earning with with his music, Ravel replied. “Well, you should give me lessons” and not.

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Be the other way around.

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So looking at Gershwin general style, we can totally see that if he doesn't take from the European classical tradition, he steals from other musical tradition and there is plenty at this time.

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America, he seems to be learning to process, he, processing, repackaging. He merges and distils he rests, ties a lot in his.

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Music particularly, I'm thinking of tin pan. Tin Pan alley. What is Tin Pan alley? Is is the name of a road. I think in New York.

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That was represented a collection of music publishers, songwriters and composers. So.

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This collection of music creatives dominated popular music in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century. You can imagine in the transition between music being just performed and.

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Transferred orally from generation to another. This is the century. This is the moment in history where things start becoming sold as not just as the recordings, but also as scores and so.

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Tin Pan Alley represents this also, I think symbolically represents this collaborations between composer, music publishers, musicians and writers in a city that, as we all know, was pulsating with the new.

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Creativity, new music.

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This place, Tin Pan Alley came to define a particular style of music that became hugely popular and was a mixture of all the styles they were around in America at the time. Other things that we find in this music are like time as the example.

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We just we just heard Blues of course sang Blues and played instrumental Blues, but even possibly more important to Gershwin, interest in vocal music is the.

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Genre called Vaudeville, which is a theatre called Jara of Variety Entertainment, which began in France at the end of the 19th century of Vaudeville, was originally a comedy without any psychological or moral intention based.

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On a comical situation.

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Dramatic composition, or light poetry interspersed with songs or ballet. It became very popular in the United States and Canada from the 1980s until the early 1930s, although it changed over time.

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So all of this influence come to meet at the piano.

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Under Gershwin's hands and I wanted to look at this tune. “Do it again”. Well, for a variety of reasons. First, because it's gorgeous. Second is because it's one of these tunes that he has written to be sung in a musical and later on he republished these piano arrangements. Now there are roughly.

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20 short piano arrangements from his songs that he published himself, but they have become part of the, let's say, repertoire even of classical pianist and as a matter of fact this came.

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In class with a student. So I I've been looking at it again because I was studying this long time ago and as I'm practising with my students I discovered a lot of interesting, interesting things. So it originated in a funny way. It was in the office of.

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A certain music publisher called Max Dreyfus, where Gershwin was and and one day the lyricist called.

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Buddy de Silva walked in, but the silver who wrote the lyrics of this tune.

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De Silva said jokingly to Gershwin. George, let's write a hit. And of course George went at the piano and started playing. He came up with a with a theme that was composed on the spot. So, but they listened to it for a few minutes.

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And then began chanting the title. Oh, Do it again.

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Which was perfectly fitting the musical fame. The theme is sounds like this.

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OK so.

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You can already have a sense through these few notes how lush and harmonically reach these pieces. Before I continue playing and we talk more specifically about the music, I just wanted to read you the words cuz we are going to discuss.

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How the music fit those? So there is a verse and the verse goes tell me. Tell me what did.

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Due to me, I just got a thrill that was new to me. When your two lips were pressed. Mine when you held me, I wasn't snuggling. You should know I really was struggling. I've only met you and I shouldn't let you. But then the song starts. Do it again.

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I may say no. No, no, no, no. But do it again. My lips just ache to have you take the kiss that's waiting for you. You know, if you do, you won't regret it. Come and get it. So.

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The sound continues, but we understand already the the context. This is a lady, probably a girl, who has just been kissed. Surprisingly, and there is a sort of inner dialogue. She's conflicted because she can't say.

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Want another one? But she really wants another.

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And then continues. Oh no one is near. I may cry. Oh, oh, but no one will hear. My mom will scold me cause she told me that it's naughty. But then, oh, do it again. Please do it again. So.

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This is not certainly high classical poetry, but it reflects a life context that perhaps many of us, many of the listeners, will can possibly reflect themselves in so.

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Musically speaking, we find so many interesting little.

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Pearls of style and I would say, even genius. So.

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First of all, the verse, let's see here how the verse goes. I Can't Sing it I'm afraid, but I will make out the melodies.

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Clearly as possible.

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And then the song starts.

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OK, So what did we hear? The verse has quite typically in opera and vocal vocal music. The verse has a sort of suspended feel.

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It's moderato, but also it doesn't really seem to want to go anywhere, particularly. So tell me. Tell me. Tell what you did to me. I just got a thrill. That was new to me.

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Your two lips.

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Where Prince to me.

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The the strategy here the musical strategy is quite common. I was saying because we don't really want to give up a particularly strong trajectory anywhere. This sensor suspension is functional so that when the song does start.

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We are already carrying all the tension that we have been following through.

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The through the.

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Years, but even more importantly, this sense of suspension in the lyrics is given by her. The main character describing the what's happening or wondering what's happening, it's quite, let's say, an outward.

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Look into it. So tell me. Tell me what you did to me. I just got a thrill. That was new to me. When your two lips were pressed to mine when you held me, I wasn't snuggling. I was snuggling. You should know I I really was struggling. I've only met you, and I should let you.

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But and this is where the magic starts, all of this talking all of this hardware talking is for a moment broke and suspended, interrupted by the now inside talk. And here we go. That's the magic. That's the dream, the, the.

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Inner conversation starts.

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OK, I'm going to continue, but before I do, I want you to notice a couple of details. The first lyric.

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Of the chorus of the refrain, it's on a long note.

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Do it again.

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What is it? What's that word? It's a oh. Oh, oh, oh.

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It's a no world. It's a site. It's a it's just an expression of emotion and how interesting the in in this phrase. It's 3 bars, motive 3 bars, melody made of five notes.

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This difference between a very long note that has no actual word to it and.

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The urge do it again from her coming at the end as a sort of down, or please do it again. I can't. I can't wait. There is there is a sort of letting letting yourself in this other person's arms and we can see it.

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In the way the melody draws down loses the initial input to.

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And then I may say, no, no, no, no, no.

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Do it again, so it's extremely simple, just from here down.

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Back to here and down again.

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And then we can also notice.

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The next phrase goes my lips just ache to have you take the keys that's waiting for you so.

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The melody is set like this.

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Once again, we have pretty much just scale up and down. There isn't a real sophisticated melodic contour, ill just like she's just talking to herself in a very, you know, kind of a personal sweet lament and.

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At the same time she's describing, in the words the little little sorrow, the little anguish, my lips just ache to have you take this kiss that's waiting for you. And how does the music represent this one? First of all, as we say in this slow raise my lips.

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Just pay to have you take.

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The case is waiting.

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And the harmony also is very chromatic, which is in music in general. Chromatics is tends to be used by composers to enhance maybe emotional emotions and sometimes physical feelings. In this case the chromaticism.

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Or just language sensual by chromaticism. By the way, if you're not, you know the musician we intend.

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Movement by this half steps and combination of these will turn out to sounds like.

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Right.

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Or of course, in the other way around.

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And here this melody, my lips just take, etcetera, is harmonised by gesture in this way.

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So you can see how this phrase is how the lyrics are expressing the anguish through the chords that Gershwin wrote.

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I find also beautiful this what happens right after the lyrics say. You won't regret it. Come and get it. There is a sort of moment of courage and and. And she dares to to say possibly she doesn't say it out loud. She says it only in in her.

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But the version that Gershwin the musical version that Gershwin uses to underline this goes like this. So you.

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Regret it.

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Come and get it.

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Interestingly, come and get it goes on the high note on the on the highest note so far.

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That's where you know the big breath is needed. Where the courage comes out. And of course the music stops for a minute, stops for actually a bar. The, the, the the accompaniment somehow stops and the voice just spreads out. So I'm going to play you the entire.

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Phrase I'm not going to say you sing it, but you now you have the you have the you have them in your mind.

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Etcetera. There is another interesting chromatic moment that adds once again, this language, the feel in the second verse of the in the second part in the second verse of the of the song she sings, I may cry.

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Ho ho, ho ho.

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Ho, but no one will hear and the music goes.

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You hear this?

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It's another touch of sensual sorrow that has been expressed right here. So there, there are so many little stylistic.

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Touches of genius, and this is the reason why I really enjoy to.

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Gershwin piano music. Although I wish the piano sometimes would be able to say the words as well. So certainly Gershwin knew how his music was, how his melody and his composition were expressed.

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Really intense. And so he was convinced, I think later years, as I mentioned earlier, to record and to publish their arrangement for piano solo. He now are actually quite easy to find and they are.

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I mean, if you don't know the lyrics, I must.

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Say you can still play fantastic music. This piano scores are so rich, so filled with details, and knowing the lyrics makes it perhaps much more meaningful perhaps.

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But however, there is plenty here to discover. For example, we mentioned earlier that the very first lyric of the song is just sigh. Oh, do it again. Right. And what happens?

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During that, that lyric, that the word, it's actually 6 bits of music.

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Did you hear what happened?

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You have these long notes and then.

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What is this?

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Well, there is some chromaticism there. It's it's an actual interesting melodic line.

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That happens right when the singer is holding this note.

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OK.

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As I often say in my classes, these are emotional comments.

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This little melody here is supposed to represent or support or enhance or put the spotlight not on the lyrics itself themselves, but on the emotional content. What's happening as I am singing these words, there is this turmoil of emotions and.

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Same soul sorrow that's happening so.

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And then.

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Then more chromaticism my lips.

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This last final chord are the the dating sentence you where it goes. You won't regret it.

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Come and.

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More chromatis is powering the.

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How interesting we have.

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All this, all these details, the sounds like right. It's an orchestral piano, just colour. It's just the nuances, extra sounds that are fine. Composer as Gershwin is can add to make the music to embed this tournament. But if you look into the exact choice that he's making.

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He is just reflecting in sound emotional content.

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Particularly notice this when it goes.

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There is the typical three over 2. 123-123-123 and in the in the left hand we have 12-12.

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This seems to be just a little detail, but the rhythmical the rhythmical say idea.

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Is just a simple effective way to represent some turmoil in it, some inside psychological turmoil and the words go. That's it. All right, turmoil.

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And then.

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You have the the line going down. Certainly something like the melody. Sounds like he's giving up perhaps a little bit, losing a bit of courage. He's losing the impetus.

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And at the same time, the emotion goes up.

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Your result.

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There is another internal voice that echoes.

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All right. And then a little bit more courage.

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Wow, so much chromaticism.

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OK, this is just two pages of music and so much going on. It's in a similar manner as we found few months ago on Mozart. We see how much theatre there is in it. It's a theatre more inward. In this particular case.

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We have the inner dialogue, the the inner conflict of the main character, so that that is displayed musically. So in in a manner.

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The the the the action is somehow psychological, but at the same time very, very common. Who hasn't desired to give or to receive a kiss, and who has not ever conflicted with themselves about whether it's?

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Good or not to give it or to receive it?

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In Mozart, we used to think a theatre as something very I would say outward, while with Gershwin and with, of course, modern time. This is something that, of course we can find. Similarly in in Verdi, but even more in Puccini, and all the all the models.

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Modern opera composers.

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Nevertheless, in this case it seems to be compacted in a just just a song. There is so much economy of means and at the same time richness of outcomes of expressive results. This music can be.

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Just taking as a song is a melody in chords you can find easily lead sheets, but in his original arrangements you will be able to find many more expressive details.

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So I'm going to play again the whole thing, and then we're going to listen to the.

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A nice recording by a great singer.

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All right. Thank you very much for being with me today in this little journey into Gershwin's creative mind and genius and expressive musical ideas, I'm going to leave you with a set of all the great.

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Jazz singer interpreting the same song, and I'm going to see you next.

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Time you will find links in the episode description about the piano roles that we heard in the beginning. The collection of this and and perhaps even a link to this if I find it a link to the scores of it so.

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Thank you for being with me once again and I will see you the next time here. Now do it again by Sarah Vaughan.

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Tell me. Tell me, what did you do to me?

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I just got a thrill.

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That was new to me when you're 2.

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Were pretty.

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To my.

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When you help me, you should know I really was struggling.

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I've only met you.

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And I should let you oh oh.

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I may say no.

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No, no, no.

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No, let's do it again.

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My lips just ain't.

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The kiss that's waiting for you.

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You you know it, you do you.

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Won't regret it.

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Ohh no, what is near?

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I may cry.

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But no one.

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My mommy told me.

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She told me.

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Do it again.

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Please do it.

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Please tell it again.