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Now that the Schumann recital is done, is there any interest in planning another recital? The next ABF quarterly recital is May 15, so June or July would be good choices.

One thing that we have not done yet is popular music. There is a wide selection of pieces and genres to choose from, in all skill levels. One thing I thought might be interesting is a recital based on the "Great American Songbook". This is a loosely defined category that includes popular music of the 1920s to 1950s - in other words, before rock music. There is some outstanding music in that era, most of it still played today. Here is a wikipedia article that attempts to define the term. One advantage of this type of recital is that even those who play by ear could participate. Unlike the classical canon, attention to the printed score is not so important, as long as you capture the spirit of the music.

We can also discuss other options too - let us hear your thoughts!

Sam

A good choice really, for as with the Joplin recital there is room for easy to hard versions of the great standards. However with a multitude of different arrangements the hardest thing will be settling on which one.

I'm in Sam. Most likely with my sig-line piece since I'm preparing it for live recital anyway.

Although I don't know any of the pieces (as I am not American), I'd happily participate.

Looking through the excel spreadsheet that lists and ranks pieces from grades 1 to 8, the following composers stand out as having quite a few compositions at a variety of levels.

Bach
Beethoven
Bartok (intriguing)
Chopin? (not very many easy pieces!)
Debussy
Handel/Haydn
Mendelssohn
Mozart
Prokofiev
Scarlotti
Shostakovich

Quoting from the article that you linked.

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"The Great American Songbook is the canon of the most important and most influential American popular songs of the 20th century – principally created for Broadway theatre, musical theatre, and Hollywood musical film in the United States. Written from the 1920s to the 1950s, recorded and performed by a wide range of musicians, these songs are considered of enduring popularity."

"The following writers and songs are often included in the Great American Songbook:"

"Since the late 20th century, there has been renewed interest in the Songbook, with performances and recordings by artists generally considered part of the rock and pop music scene. In addition, various jazz artists continue to perform these songs. Many commentators believe that certain songs by late 20th century composers should also qualify to be included in the Songbook, even if circumstances of the musical environment have changed."


Harold Arlen (with E.Y. Harburg "Over the Rainbow", "It's Only a Paper Moon"; with Ted Koehler "Stormy Weather", "I've Got the World on a String", "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues", "Let's Fall in Love"; with Johnny Mercer "Blues in the Night", "That Old Black Magic", "One for My Baby", "Come Rain or Come Shine", "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive"; and with Ira Gershwin "The Man that Got Away")
Irving Berlin ("Alexander's Ragtime Band", "When I Lost You", "How Deep Is the Ocean", "God Bless America", "White Christmas", "Always", "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody", "Blue Skies", "Cheek to Cheek", "Puttin' on the Ritz", "Let's Face the Music and Dance", "There's No Business Like Show Business", "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm")
Nacio Herb Brown with lyricist Arthur Freed ("All I Do Is Dream of You", "Broadway Melody", "Pagan Love Song", "Paradise", "Singin' in the Rain", "Temptation", "You Stepped Out of a Dream", "You Were Meant for Me", "Good Morning")
Hoagy Carmichael ("Stardust", "Georgia on My Mind", "Lazy River", "The Nearness of You", "Heart and Soul", "Skylark")
J. Fred Coots ("I Still Get a Thrill (Thinking of You)", "Love Letters in the Sand", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", "For All We Know", "A Beautiful Lady in Blue", "You Go to My Head")
Walter Donaldson, mostly with lyrics by Gus Kahn ("My Baby Just Cares for Me", "My Blue Heaven", "Love Me or Leave Me", "Carolina in the Morning", "My Mammy", "What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry?", "Yes Sir, That's My Baby", "Makin' Whoopee", "You're Driving Me Crazy", "Little White Lies"")
Vernon Duke ("April In Paris", "Autumn In New York", "I Can't Get Started", "Taking a Chance on Love")
Duke Ellington ("In a Sentimental Mood", "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)", "Satin Doll" (with Billy Strayhorn and Johnny Mercer), "Mood Indigo", "Sophisticated Lady", "Take the 'A' Train", "I'm Beginning to See the Light")
Sammy Fain ("I'll Be Seeing You", "That Old Feeling", "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing", "April Love", "Tender is the Night")
Dorothy Fields ("I Can't Give You Anything But Love", "Exactly Like You", "On the Sunny Side of the Street", "A Fine Romance", "Pick Yourself Up", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Big Spender", "If My Friends Could See Me Now")
Fred Fisher ("Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)")
George and Ira Gershwin ("Someone to Watch Over Me", "'S Wonderful", "Summertime", "A Foggy Day", "But Not for Me", "Embraceable You", "I Got Rhythm", "Fascinating Rhythm", "The Man I Love", "They Can't Take That Away from Me", "Love Is Here to Stay", "Strike Up the Band")
Ray Henderson ("Alabamy Bound", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "I'm Sitting on Top of the World", "The Birth of the Blues", "The Thrill Is Gone", "The Best Things in Life Are Free", "Sonny Boy", "You're the Cream in My Coffee")
Herman Hupfeld ("As Time Goes By", "Let's Put Out the Lights (and Go to Sleep)")
Bart Howard ("Fly Me to the Moon")
Arthur Johnston, with lyrics by Johnny Burke ("Pennies From Heaven")
Isham Jones with lyrics by Gus Kahn ("It Had to Be You", "I'll See You in My Dreams")
Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields ("A Fine Romance", "Pick Yourself Up", "The Way You Look Tonight"; with lyrics by Ira Gershwin "Long Ago (and Far Away)"; with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II "All the Things You Are", "The Folks Who Live On the Hill", "Ol' Man River", "The Song Is You"; with lyrics by Otto Harbach "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "Yesterdays")
Frank Loesser ("If I Were a Bell", "Slow Boat to China", "Standing on the Corner", "Baby, It's Cold Outside", "Luck Be a Lady")
Jimmy McHugh ("Don't Blame Me", "Exactly Like You", "I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby", "I'm in the Mood for Love", "It's a Most Unusual Day", "On the Sunny Side of the Street")
Glenn Miller with lyrics by Mitchell Parish ("Moonlight Serenade")
Johnny Mercer (4-time Academy Award-winning lyricist: "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe", "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening", "Moon River" with Henry Mancini, "Fools Rush In", and "Days of Wine and Roses"; wrote music and lyrics for "Dream", "Something's Gotta Give", and "I Wanna Be Around"; wrote lyrics for "Midnight Sun", "Day In, Day Out", "Laura" and "I Remember You")
Cole Porter ("Night and Day", "I've Got You Under My Skin", "Begin the Beguine", "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love", "What Is This Thing Called Love?", "Too Darn Hot", "Love for Sale", "You're the Top", "Just One of Those Things", "All of You", "I Get a Kick Out of You", "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye", "In the Still of the Night", "It's De-Lovely", "My Heart Belongs to Daddy", "I Concentrate on You", "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To", "So in Love", "Anything Goes", "You Do Something to Me")
Rodgers and Hart("Slaughter On 10th Avenue (ballet)", "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered", "With a Song in My Heart", "Falling In Love With Love", "My Romance", "Have You Met Miss Jones?", "My Funny Valentine", "Blue Moon", "Blue Room", "I Could Write a Book", "It's Easy To Remember", "It Never Entered My Mind", "Manhattan", "The Lady Is a Tramp", "Little Girl Blue", "Mimi", "My Heart Stood Still", "Spring Is Here", "A Ship Without a Sail", "Thou Swell", "Lover", "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World", "I Didn't Know What Time It Was", "Isn't It Romantic?", "Where or When", "Glad to Be Unhappy", "You Took Advantage of Me", "This Can't Be Love", "Mountain Greenery")
Rodgers and Hammerstein ("You'll Never Walk Alone", "Hello, Young Lovers", "Younger Than Springtime", "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'", "People Will Say We're in Love", "It Might as Well Be Spring", "If I Loved You", "Happy Talk", "Some Enchanted Evening", "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top", "I Have Dreamed", "Shall We Dance?", "My Favorite Things", "Something Wonderful", "Climb Every Mountain", "Edelweiss", "I Enjoy Being a Girl","The Sound of Music", "A Wonderful Guy")
Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar ("Who's Sorry Now?", "Thinking of You", "I Wanna Be Loved by You", "Three Little Words", "Nevertheless", "A Kiss to Build a Dream On")
Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz ("Dancing in the Dark", "You and the Night and the Music", "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan", "Alone Together", "Haunted Heart", "That's Entertainment!")
Al Sherman ("Dew-Dew-Dewey Day", "For Sentimental Reasons", "He's So Unusual", "Lindbergh (The Eagle of the U.S.A.)", "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight", "Nine Little Miles from Ten-Ten-Tennessee", "Ninety-Nine Out of a Hundred", "Now's the Time to Fall in Love", "On a Little Bamboo Bridge", "On the Beach at Bali-Bali", "Over Somebody Else's Shoulder", "Pretending", "Save Your Sorrow", "You Gotta Be a Football Hero")
Jule Styne ("Time After Time", "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry", "I Fall in Love Too Easily", "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend", "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", "People", "Don't Rain on My Parade", "Just In Time", "Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week)", "The Party's Over")
Jimmy Van Heusen, mostly with lyricists Johnny Burke and Sammy Cahn ("All the Way", "Swinging on a Star", "Darn That Dream", "Polka Dots and Moonbeams", "But Beautiful", "Come Fly with Me", "Imagination", "Like Someone in Love", "Call Me Irresponsible", "I Thought About You", "Here's That Rainy Day", "It Could Happen to You", "(Love Is) The Tender Trap", "Ain't That a Kick in the Head")
Fats Waller("Ain't Misbehavin'", "Honeysuckle Rose", "Squeeze Me")
Harry Warren ("At Last", "There Will Never Be Another You", "An Affair to Remember", "I Had the Craziest Dream", "The More I See You", "42nd Street", "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", "Lullaby of Broadway", "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me", "I Only Have Eyes for You", "This Is Always", "Jeepers Creepers", "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby", "September in the Rain", "Lulu's Back In Town", "You're My Everything", "Chattanooga Choo Choo", "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe", "This Heart of Mine", "You'll Never Know", "My Dream Is Yours", "I Wish I Knew", "Serenade In Blue", "Nagasaki", "(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo", "That's Amore", "Innamorata")
Richard A. Whiting ("Till We Meet Again", "The Japanese Sandman", "Miss Brown to You", "Louise", "He's Funny That Way", "Ain't We Got Fun", "Guilty", "Breezin' Along with the Breeze", "When Did You Leave Heaven?", "Ukulele Lady", "Sleepy Time Gal", "Honey (Rudy Vallée song)", "I Can't Escape from You", "My Future Just Passed", "Hooray for Hollywood", "Beyond the Blue Horizon", "My Ideal", "On the Good Ship Lollipop", "Too Marvelous for Words")
Jack Yellen, with Milton Ager ("Ain't She Sweet", "Happy Days Are Here Again", "Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)", "Glad Rag Doll", "Hard Hearted Hannah (The Vamp of Savannah)", "Louisville Lou (That Vampin' Lady)"; with Lew Pollack, "My Yiddishe Momme")
Vincent Youmans ("Tea for Two", "Time on My Hands", "More Than You Know", "(The) Carioca", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Without a Song", "I Want to Be Happy")
Victor Young ("I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You", "Stella by Starlight", "Love Letters", "My Foolish Heart", "When I Fall in Love", "Around the World")


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Whew - that's quite a list! There are a lot of charming pieces in there.

And learning a Cole Porter Song and a George Gershwin song are both in my MUST DO list!

I think a recital on 'older modern' music would be a lovely idea. I for one would like to participate, especially if it wasn't limited to American music.

I don't know how you'd define exactly the era or style, but I think we all know what type of music is meant.

Or how about maybe 'film, musical, theater' not limited to a particular country or period.

I like the idea as well. I am not familiar with the Great American Songbook, but I have lots of the pieces in other books. I could participate if the date was July or later. I have a full plate right now.

I am actually planning on playing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" as one of my ABRSM grade 6 exam pieces in the fall, so I would love to do that one if we decide on doing this.

I think this sounds like a fantastic idea!

I like the idea of a "popular music" themed recital, but given the world-wide nature of this forum I would suggest adding no more constraints. That would guarantee a fascinating collection of music.

I think Tom's suggestion of an non-restricted 'popular music' recital sounds great. Should prove very interesting

It could still be listed up front, like you've done with the other themes recitals, to ensure there's only one entry of each particular piece of music.

I don't think "Great American Songbook" is limited to music from the US, it is just an ethnocentric way of describing popular music from the 20th century.

Personally, I think another 'theme' would be interesting too at some point in time: Traditional or folk songs/melodies from all over the world. With the wide spread of people here there's a good chance we'd really make a world-wide collection

I LOVE the "Great American Songbook" idea. I'm in.

As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't need to be restricted to American songwriters -- there were other writers of more or less the same genre and period writing in a number of countries.

It's kind of a "know it when you hear it" test, and I'd be inclined to defer to the pianist in making his or her own decision on whether a song fits the general description.

But that's just me....

This would be great. Would love to do this but my keyboard isn't expressive enough and I don't think I have enough keys either.

People shouldn't get hung up about the "Great American Songbook" label. Other terms used (in all cases loosely) to describe this music are "show tunes" (most of the famous Gershwin, Porter, and Kern songs, and probably others, were written for long-forgotten shows). Or "popular songs" (meaning pre-Rock & Roll popular songs).

The genre is far from exclusively American, and even many of the American writers were born elsewhere.

Yes, sounds like a great theme Sam. I am in too. After August would be preferred for me.

I'd love this - Great American Songbook is fine with me. And yes, anything from that era around the world. It might be interesting to hear what was happening in other countries during the rise of the jazz and swing eras in much of the west - kind of a history lesson.

It would only be the second themed recital I'd participated in, since I don't play any classical. Any theme you choose is going to not be someone's taste or experience. So I'd love some more non-classical to go with the Joplin.

Thanks, Sam, for the suggestion.

Cathy

I would also have no problem with more than person playing a particular piece. In the Joplin recital there were dupes at different skill levels. In a GASB there wouldn't be a need to even specify levels since they are almost never played in the same arrangement anyway. And even if they are, it doesn't bother me -there will be different and fun interpretations.

So I'd let people play whatever they want within the theme.

Cathy

Agree completely.

When iPods first came out, my brother collected seventy or more renditions of "Bye Bye Blackbird." There were all different, mostly wonderful, and almost all worth listening to.