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Lyrics on Several Occasions: A Selection of Stage and Screen Lyrics Written for Sundry Situations, and Now Arranged in Arbitrary Categories, to Which Have ... Whom-for, Their How, and Matters Associative
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Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #1084278 in Books
- Published on: 1997-11-01
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 424 pages
Editorial Reviews
Synopsis
This is a great deal more than just a collection of lyrics. Gershwin groups them under such headings as 'The Not Impossible He', 'The Important Male', 'The Important Female', 'Euphoria Revisited', and many others. Then he follows each lyric with a commentary that is at once scholarly, witty and of the greatest historical interest. While the lyrics have remained with us ever since they were first sung, they are enriched by these other words that are, happily, available once again.
Customer Reviews
The One Essential Gershwin Book
Although Ira Gershwin was capable of lyric sloppiness -- you'd have to rate his work a tick lower overall than that of Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, Yip Harburg, Alan Jay Lerner and Stephen Sondheim -- at his best his lyrics sparkle. In LYRICS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, Ira wittily sets the conditions that lead to some of his best work. For the most part he wisely allows the words to speak for themselves, grouping his lyrics under charmingly appropriate headings and occasionally describing why one works (or doesn't) and what it took to get there. It's both a delightful compendium of Ira's best songs and a crash course in lyric writing that may make you wish the late Mr. Gershwin had conducted classes to aspiring song-writers.
