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Post by mikef6 on Sept 7, 2017 18:42:09 GMT
TGAS does not have a canon. There is no sacred scripture that tells me what is in and what is out – although some authors and musicologists have tried. Generally speaking, it consists of songs of American (United States) song writers that continue to be played and covered down to the present day, songs from popular records, musical theater, and movie musicals. The usual dates limiting the Songbook are 1920-1960 but those are flexible. The advent of rock ‘n roll tends to signal the end of the Songbook period for most compilers. Perhaps because rock songs are so closely identified with their first performers and are difficult for others to interpret adequately. Composers like George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Jerome Kern are universally accepted into the Songbook.
My question is: if we expand the time period, what song writers between the 1960s and the second decade of the 21st century might be included. If there were a Great English Language Songbook then defiantly Lennon & McCartney and Andrew Lloyd Webber, but, alas, they must be omitted.
My first choice for inclusion is Bob Dylan whose career spans almost six decades and whose songs have become a part of the culture and covered by many, many artists. Here is a great performance of Dylan’s 1964 song “Chimes of Freedom” by Bruce Springsteen from 1988. This could be the official anthem of the Trump Resistance.
Think about it and share your choices for outstanding and lasting American songwriting.
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