Berry Irving Berlin Dynamic Introductions the Affective Role of Melodic Ascent

8/8/2019 Berry Irving Berlin Dynamic Introductions the Affective Role of Melodic Ascent

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David Carson Berry, Dynamic Introductions: The Affective Role

of Melodic Ascent and Other Linear Devices in Selected Song Verses

of Irving Berlin, Intgral13 (1999 [publ. 2001]): 162.

ABSTRACT

Irving Berlin (18881989) was one of the few popular songwriters of his timeto write both melody and lyric, and he integrated both talents in crafting his songs.

The author demonstrates one facet of Berlins ingenuity by addressing an aspectof melodylyric coordination common to some songs that consist of a verse

refrain complex. These contrasting sections are examined in terms of large-scalelinear/melodic features, employing analytic procedures adapted from Schenkerian

techniques.In each song studied, the verse melody is found to enact a large-scale ascent to

the songs primary tone, which occurs at or near the beginning of the refrain. Suchascent well represents the dynamics of the verses lyric: just as it prepares or sets

up the arrival of the refrain (which begins the main lyrical idea), so does theverses structural melodic line anticipate the refrain by ascending to its primary

tone (which begins the main musical idea). Just as the verses melodic ascentserves psychologically to create anticipation, so does its lyric employ the

language of preparation, its main function being to lead the listener to the hookline of the refrain. Berlins verse melodies are thus revealed to be dynamic

constructs; they provide a metaphorical inhalation that can only be releasedwith the refrainthe exhalation.

Several songs are considered from the above perspective; other significantelements of text painting are also canvassed, as are relevant, idiomatic features of

the repertory. In the concluding sections, the author reflects upon the connotationsof the analyses for the aesthetic issues of form and balance, as well asperformance.


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NB: This copy has correctedthe following errors found in the print edition:

p. 14 (Figure 1c): In the bass, under G, vi [V9] should be only [V9].

p. 21 (Figure 3c): In the bass, Bf to D should be slurred (as was G to Bf

beforehand).

p. 23 (Figure 4a): In the treble, the initial beam connecting G4, C5 and Bf4,should be extended to the subsequent Ef5 (as indicated by the label, 4-26 {

7T03} ).

p. 27 (Figure 5b): The figure caption should read ...verse (foreground), not...verse (middleground).

p. 34 (Figure 6b): In the bass, the initial C should be within parentheses.

p. 50 (Figure 10b): In the final two measures of the refrain graph, Df4 and C4

(i.e., those with small noteheads) should also have small downward stemsattached, the first (that on Df4) with a flag

p. 52 (Figure 11a): In the treble, under m. v15, the open-notehead C5 should not

be within parentheses, but under m. r3 the C5 shouldbe within parentheses (i.e.,the two C5s should be identical to their forms in m. r15 and r19). In the bass,

the first and second F should be connected underneath by a slur (as they are in m.r3). Also, the I under m. r29 should be deleted; instead, the cadential-6/4

label should begin there, with its 5/3 resolution occurring under m. r30 (thecadential-6/4 is now fully placed under m. r30). Correspondingly, in m. r29,

the parenthetical bass C should be tied to the subsequent C.


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Dynamic Introductions: The Affective RoleofMelodic Ascent and Other Linear Devicesin Selected Song Verses of Irving Berlin

David Carson BerryIrving Berlin (1888-1989) played a leading role in the

development of popular song in the U.S., and enjoyed arecognition and success that was perhaps unparalleled. He madehis songwriting debut (as a lyricist) in 1907 and activelycomposed for at least six decades thereafter, contributing to theworld approximately 900 copyrighted songs 1 and becoming oneof the few artists of his time to write both melody and lyric.2Despite his influence and talents, however, his music has seldombeen treated to analytic or theoretic attention; Charles Hammhas engaged in extensive historiographic work on Berlin and hisoeuvre,3 but Allen Forte is one of the few who has analyzed thesongs in explicitly musical terms. 4 The dearth of analysis is

lA song listing is provided in Steven Suskin, Berlin, Kern, Rogers, Hart, andHammerstein: A Complete Song Catalogue Oefferson, NC: McFarland & Co.,1990). Although some (especially early) songs may have been lost, the actualnumber of Berlin's copyrighted songs-which surely includes most of what heever wrote, even birthday songs for his grandchildren-contradicts frequentlyencountered exaggerations which place his output as high as 2000-3000 songs.Such elevated numbers may be pardy attributable to the show-business boasts ofBerlin himself, who once claimed to have composed as many as five songs a day(see Laurence Bergreen, As Thousands Cheer: The Lift of Irving Berlin [NewYork: Penguin Books, 1990],58).J.cole Porter is another notable example. Yet others who wrote both music

and lyrics include Noel Coward, Jerry Herman, Frank Loesser, Harold Rome,and Meredith Willson.

3See Charles Hamm, Irving Berlin: Songs from the Melting Pot (New York:Oxford University Press, 1997), which subsumes and/or refers to the author'searlier Berlin investigations.

4Allen Forte, The American Popular Ballad of the Golden Era: 1924-1950(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1995). Chapter 9 (86-116) is devoted tothe "Ballads of Irving Berlin" and offers analyses of six songs: "Blue Skies,"*"How Deep Is the Ocean," "Isn't This a Lovely Day," "Now I t Can Be Told,"*"Say It Isn't So," and "They Say It's Wonderful." Forte does not analyze thesongs' introductory verses, which are the focus of the present essay (two of his


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2 Intlgral

unfortunate, as many of Berlin's songs are ingeniously crafted,especially in terms of their melody-lyric coordination anddesign. These properties will be the focus of this essay. Ofparticular interest will be introductory verses in which there is anaffective complementation of large-scale melodic ascent and thegeneral meaning and purpose of the lyric. I will examine severalsongs from this perspective, addressing other significant elementsof text painting and defining idiomatic features of the repertoryas I progress. I will then consider the connotations of the analysesfor the aesthetic issues of form and balance, as well as forperformance.I.Regarding UrtextsI begin with comments about the musical texts to be

examined. What constitutes the "Urtext" of a Berlin song, thepurest representation of the songwriter's own intentions andcontributions? Berlin was a self-taught songwriter who could notread or notate music, and he was not a proficient pianist. Hewould compose his own melodies and lyrics, perhaps working atthe keyboard, remembering every alteration as he shaped a songinto the form he wanted. But afterward he had to rely on one ofhis "musical secretaries" to help harmonize, arrange, and notatethe material. Helmy Kresa had by far the longest tenure in thiscapaci ty: beginning in the late 1920s, he assisted Berlin for sixdecades, retiring from Berlin's publishing company only a yearbefore Berlin's death (roughly two decades after Berlindiscontinued active composition). 5 Many others were brought inselections, marked with asterisks, were published without verses anyway). Anearlier examination of Berlin's songs is found in Alec Wilder, American PopularSong: The Great Innovators: 1900-1950, ed. James T. Maher (NewYork: OxfordUniversity Press, 1972), 91-120.

5Kresa was an occasional songwriter himself: his "That's My Desire" topped"Your Hit Parade" in 1947. Given the importance of Kresa to Berlin over such along period of time, he deserves much greater treatment than the literature onBerlin has accorded him thus far.


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Melodic Ascent in Song Verses of Berlin 3

from time to time, including musical luminaries such as JohnnyGreen (the songwriter of such standards as "Body and Soul") andRobert Russell Bennett (a composer best known as the leadingBroadway orchestrator of the 1920s-60s). They and others haveoffered strong anecdotal evidence that Berlin was very involved incrafting the piano-vocal scores that introduced his new songs tothe world.6 He would, for example, request constant changes ofharmonization until his arranger seized upon the accompanimentthat Berlin felt was "correct" for his melodies. Berlin'sjudgements about harmony were at least of a general kind-thatis, whether or not he thought the given chord (or chordsuccession) "fit" the melody well; his attention to and influenceover bass-melody coordination and chord voicings has beenattested to less strongly. Accordingly, one may be tempted toassert that the "authentic musical text" of a Berlin song consists ofmelody, lyric, and basic harmonies, in "leadsheet" fashion. 7However, the simple fact is, Berlin (through his musical

secretaries) rarely released any leadsheets; even the versions ofsongs he submitted for copyright tended to be completepiano/vocal scores. One may craft leadsheets "in reverse," basedupon the completed sheet music, but this is precarious as there isno way of knowing exactly what Berlin's conception was ofparticular harmonies-i.e., did he tend to think in terms ofchords per se, or at rimes was he accepting (or rejecting) anarrangement due to bass-melody interaction (e.g., as per linearintervallic patterns) or other factors that might not be adequatelyexpressed in typical leadsheet notation? Whatever the case, weknow for a fact that Berlin himself highly privileged thecompleted sheet music: it was not only published by his owncompany, under his authority and supervision, but it even servedas the basis for subsequent arrangements made with Berlin'sblessing. As Jay Blackton, conductor of Berlin's post-World WarII musicals, affirmed: "When Irving wrote a song and dictated it

Gsee, e.g., Wilder, 93; and Bergreen, 476-77.7A leadsheet consists of just those elements: melody, lyric, and chord

symbols; the last are notated alpha-numerically (e.g., "G7" for G dominantseventh, "Om7" for 0 minor-seventh).


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4 Integral

to Helmy Kresa, that piano part was sacred, that was the wayIrving wanted the orchestra to play it.... "8There is also an addit ional reason for sanctioning the original

sheet music, a lthough it transcends the issue of authorship: formost of Berlin's career, sheet music was widely circulated andenjoyed by many for its own merits; it was a (and often the)major format in the dissemination of popular songs. Several ofBerlin's songs sold a million copies or more of sheet music each{"Always," "Blue Skies," "What'l l I Do?," et al.),9 and frequentlyhis songs were among the weekly and yearly best-sellers as listedin Variety. Accordingly, to study the sheet music issued byBerlin's company is to examine his songs in forms that wouldhave been familiar to countless people at the time, above evencertain recordings. 10All things considered, and despite lingering uncertainties as to

the extent of Berlin's input, the originally published sheet musicwill, of necessity, serve as the "Urtexts" for the present essay.Given that the primary goal of the essay is to investigatemelody-lyric coordination as effected by Berlin-and that

8Mary Ellin Barrett, Irving Berlin: A Daughter's Memoir (New York: Simon& Schuster, 1994), 238-39.

9Specific (and accurate) sales figures for per iod sheet music are diff icult tofind. As part of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the American Society ofComposers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), Variety devoted one page to alist of "Million Copy Songs, Authors, Composers and Publishers," compiled bySam Kopp (31 July 1940, p. 71). Berlin had 10 entries: "All Alone," "Always,""Blue Skies," "Marie," "Remember," "Russian Lullaby," "The Song Is Ended,""What Does It Matter," "What'll I Do," and "You'd Be Surprised." His listing isclearly incomplete: not only are these songs drawn from only 1919-28(beginning a dozen years into Berlin's career, even though earlier songs by othercomposers are listed), but such notable best-sellers as "Alexander's RagtimeBand" (1911) are omitted. Alexander Woollcott has provided sales figureswhich add two additional Berlin songs to the million-seller list: "All By Myself'and "Nobody Knows" (Woollcott, The Story of Irving Berlin [New York: G.P.Putnam's Sons, 1925], 147).l00uring Berlin's time, concurrent competing recordings of hit songs werecommon. In cases where there were numerous recorded versions on themarket-as opposed to the wide disseminat ion of a single version of sheetmusic-it is possible that more people were familiar with the sheet music thanwith any single recording.


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melodies and lyrics are elements of the sheet music that areindisputably his-the use of these texts will be more thanadequate.Regarding Formal Design

The songs to be considered consist of two principal parts: averse and a refrain, a familiar schema in works of the U.S. musicaltheater and Tin Pan Alley. The verse occurs first. In songs of the,period under investigation (Le., those of the second quarter of thetwentieth century), relative to the refrain, the verse is usuallyshorter (often 16 measures in length) and not as distinctivemelodically (frequently being in a declamatory style). It serves anintroductory role: lyrically, it sets up the scenario of thesubsequent refrain, which is considered the main section; and thisopen-endedness is often reinforced harmonically by a finishinghalf cadence. The refrain is melodical ly more memorable thanthe verse and provides the musical "hook," which typicallycontains the title phrase. Conventionally, the refrain is 32measures long; if there is a melodically contrasting section it iscalled the "bridge" (or "release") and is often the third of foureight-bar phrases, thus forging an AABA design. One may findmany exceptions to the defined formal scheme. For example,Berlin's well-known "Cheek to Cheek," introduced in the 1935film To;:, Hat, includes no verse, and is cast in anA16A16B B8C8A16 form (the superscripted numbers denote themeasure lengths of each section). In this case, the patter-like Bsections offer a break from the more melodically-interest ing Asections, 11 and the C section, dramatically set in the parallelminor and featuring a return to longer melodic note values,assumes the role of a bridge and presages the final A section.Despite such alternative forms, however, most songs of the periodinclude verses which serve introductory roles. 12

IIIndeed, these B sections are melodically similar to the section explicitlylabelled "Patter" in "Heat Wave," a song to be analyzed later.

12Songs from earlier in the century often had multiple verses (i.e., multiplestanzas of lyric set to the same verse melody); in the second decade of the


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6

P u r p o s ~ s and P r o c ~ d u r ~ s

Intlgral

Thinking about melodies in terms of their general contours,one commonly perceives descent (especially if by step) as a moremusically conclusive motion, while ascent is thought to increasetension. 13 Accordingly, it is both intriguing and meaningful' toconsider how these different stimuli are used in Berlin's songs,and how they can influence the expectations of the listener.Small-scale rising and falling motions can be of local importanceand may relate to certain words or short segments of the song'slyric. Especially interesting are large-scale manifestations of thesemotions, and their relation to the conveyance of an entiresection's lyric. As mentioned, the songs presented in this essayconsist of a verse and a refrain, each different in terms of thefunction of its lyric. I will show that these sections differ as well intheir underlying melodic structures, and that, moreover, there is acomplementation of melody and lyric within each section thatsupports its overall objective.

This essay utilizes Schenkerian analytic graphs to illustrate howattributes of Berlin's melodies match the implications of thecorresponding section's lyric. To summarize, in the songs Iexamine, the primary tone (Schenker's Kopfton) occurs at or nearthe beginning of the refrain-a logical location due to the greatermelodic import given the section, which is sometimes performedalone (sans verse) and may be thought of as "the song" (in toto) bycentury, two verses were standard for the sheet music (although more might beadded in performance). Also, in earlier songs the verse and refrain might be ofequal length (often 16 bars each), or the verse might even be longer. Despite theredistribution of formal balance in such songs, the verses still served tointroduce the refrains.

13Recall that even the notion of a cadence, by its name, implies descent: theword comes from the Latin c a d ~ r ~ , "to fall." Fred Lerdahl writes: "why do weexperience closure in a linear descent to the tonic rather than, say, in a disjunctrising pattern? Because only the former combines progression by step, theGestalt principle of good continuation, the physical relaxation of descending,and termination on a stable endpoint" (Lerdahl, "Underlying MusicalSchemata," in R ~ p r ~ s ~ n t i n g Musical S t r u c t u r ~ , ed. Peter Howell, Robert West,and Ian Cross [San Diego: Academic Press, 1991), 288).


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many listeners.14 It is left to the preceding verse melody toprolong the primary tone in some manner. It could accomplishthis in more than one fashion; e.g., the primary tone might alsoappear near the beginning of the verse, and serve therein as theheadtone of various middleground lines. However, I wish tofocus on a species of prolongation with particular implications forthe type of lyric used in verses: a prolongation in which thestructural melodic line rises from the beginning of the verse to therefrain's primary tone; i.e, one in which the verse serves as an"initial ascent." IS Such an ascent gives the primary tone a strongmelodic impulse as the climax of the escalation, intensifying itsentrance and making it more perceptible. Moreover, as Forte andGilbert state, "[a] scending motion in general, whether linear orarpeggiated ... creates a feeling of expectation, of tension, whichthe [subsequent] descending motion will presumably resolve." 16 Averse melody that negotiates a structural ascent representsperfectly the dynamic of its lyric. Just as the verse lyric preparesor sets up the arrival of the refrain (which begins the main lyricalidea), so does the verse's structural melodic line anticipate therefrain by ascending to its primary tone (which begins the mainmusical idea). Just as the verse's melodic ascent servespsychologically to create anticipation, so does its lyric employ thelanguage of preparation, its main function being to lead thelistener to the "hook" line of the refrain. The ensuing analysesdevelop these ideas, demonstrating a direct relation between theobjectives of the selected verse lyrics and the implications of theirlinear/melodic formulations. 17

14Performers also may think of the refrain alone as "the song": consider that"fake books" (leadsheet compendiums) often include only a song's refrain.

lSI use the term generally, to refer to an ascent to the first note of thefundamental line via stepwise motion (Schenker's A n s t i ~ g ) , arpeggiation, or acombination of both, due to the analogous function of these configurations.

16Allen Forte and Steven E. Gilbert, Introduction to Schenkerian Analysis(New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1982), 155.17Though unrelated to the specifics of the present study, a previous

consideration of ascent and its implications for a song's text may be found inDavid Schwan, "The Ascent and Arpeggiation in 'Die Stadt', 'DerDoppe1gaenger', and 'DerAtlas' by Franz Schubert," Indiana T h ~ o r y R ~ v i ~ w 7/1


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8 Integral

Before proceeding, I should underscore two important points:First, as mentioned above, different verse melodic structures

are possible, of which an "initial ascent)) is but one. Byconcentrating on this speci'es of verse melody I do not mean tosuggest that it has statistical priority within Berlin's own body ofwork or in his songs vis-a-vis those of other songwriters of theperiod; I am interested in the particular affective role i t plays in asong's design, however often it is found. Furthermore, althoughmy analyses are of songs by Berlin, who I will show demonstratedan acute sensitivity to text painting on various hierarchic levels,the more general ideas I will develop, about the connotations oflarge-scale melodic ascent for the purposes and meanings of alyric, might be applicable to songs by various composers and ofdifferent periods and styles.

Second, the appropriateness of and rationale for applying aSchenkerian analytic technique to the repertory should be furtherclarified. To interpret large-scale linear structures, such as of anentire song or one of its principal sections, a set of preference rulesis necessary to differentiate melodic tones; some must be viewedas structurally integral to the underlying line and!or basiccontour, and others as embellishing it. Although othermethodologies are viable,18 I hold as musically satisfying aninterpretat ion based on Schenker's theories, in which harmonicsupport and stepwise continuation are important criteria fordetermining melodic hierarchy.19 The melodies to be examined(1986): 38-50. More tangentially related is the investigation of the structuraland expressive functions of melodic peaks in Zohar Eitan, Highpoints: A StudyofMtlodic Ptaks (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997).

18S ee, e.g., the use of the analytic techniques of Leonard B. Meyer andEugene Narmour (which are based on Gestalt psychology as well as concepts offormal hierarchy and closure) in J. Kent Williams, "Archetypal Schemata in JazzThemes of the Bebop Era," AnnualRtvitw oflazz Studits 4 (1988): 49-74.

190f course, in Schenkerian interpretations of the"common-practice" tonalrepertory, a melodic tone must have more than just "harmonic support"; it mustform, with the bass, an acceptable two-voice counterpoint. However, thepopular-song repertory is arguably much more concerned with harmony thanwith outer-voice c o u n t e r p o i n t ~ a n d even when such counterpoint is considered,one has to allow some intervals-the products of idiomatic harmonies-thatwould be inappropriate in the earlier repertory. (For the most obvious example,


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are eminently suitable to this type of analysis, containing as theydo inherent tonal implications (making inevitable much of theharmonization found in the sheet music), and frequentlyemploying sequence and other melodic patterning by whichlarger lines are suggested through the concatenation of smallerunits. Indeed, as will be shown, the notes emphasized as phrase ormotivic boundary tones, metric downbeats, and/or by thegenerally regular rate of harmonic change that is characteristic ofthe repertory, are often those very notes that are part of structurallines in the Schenkerian sense. While Schenkerian theory wasdeveloped to explain structural characteristics of eighteenth- andnineteenth-century "art music," it can also reveal much about theunderlying features of twentieth-century popular song, as severalanalysts have demonstrated.II.Verses ofAscent

In this section I will examine five Berlin songs whose versesexhibit some manner of large-scale melodic ascent: "I Left MyHeart at the Stage Door Canteen," "HeatWave," "I Got the Sunin the Morning," "White Christmas," and "Because I Love You."consider that the analytic graphs in Fortes T h A m ~ r i c a n Popular Bal/aJroutinely admit outer-voice ninths even in middleground interpretations; theseusually originate in root-position dominant-ninth chords.)

2O$ee e.g. the analyses of: (1) Walter Everett who has authored variousstudies, including "Swallowed by a Song: Paul Simons Crisis of Chromaticism,"in Understanding Rock.' Essays in Musical Analysis, edt John Covach and GraemeM. Boone (NewYork: Oxford University Press, 1997): 1 1 3 - 5 3 ~ and idem, T h B ~ a t l e s as Musicians: Revolver through t h Anthology (New York: OxfordUniversity Press, 1999); (2) Allen Forte, "Secrets of Melody: Line and Design inthe Songs of Cole Porter," T h Musical Q u a r t ~ r l y 77/4 (1993): 607-47, andidem, T h A m ~ r i c a n Popular BallaJ; and (3) Steven E. Gilbert T h Music ofG ~ h w i n (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995), and idem "Reflections ona Few Good Tunes: Linear Progressions and Intervallic Patterns in Popular Songand Jazz," in Music T h ~ o r y in Concept and P r a c t i c ~ , edt James M. Baker, DavidW. Beach and Jonathan W. Bernard (Rochester, NY: University of RochesterPress, 1997), 377-92.


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10 Intlgral

The songs were chosen partly because they share this general andsignificant feature; but each has unique traits that demonstratedifferent facets of melody-lyric coordination. Structural varietywas thus another criterion for their selection, and each will revealadditional elements of design.

"I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen" was one ofseveral songs widely circulated as sheet music from the WorldWar II musical This is the Army (1942): the sales totals for theproduction as a whole reached around one million, making itperhaps the first music-comedy score to attain that number; and"I Left My Heart... " was the first to climb Variety's weekly chartof the top fifteen sheet-music sellers, where it lingered forfourteen weeks, including two consecutive weeks at no. 2, its peakposition. 21 The song also reached no. 2 on "Your Hit Parade," astandard national survey of its time,22 and was disseminatedthrough popular recordings such as on the Victor label by SammyKaye and His Orchestra (Don Cornell, vocalist), and on theColumbia label by Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra (GarryStevens, vocalist).

Its verse melody (Figure la) demonstrates a ratherstraightforward example of ascent. 23 In Figure Ib, conventional

21 Varit'ty, 9 December 1942, p. 34, reported that the score (including songsfor the stage production as well as for the subsequent movie treatment) wasapproaching the million-sales mark, and that it would be the first to do so, "atleast since 1929." The article adds, however, that a "fertile operetta score" like"Show Boat," "New Moon," or "Desert Song" could possibly have reached onemillion in sales, over the years, with various hit songs.

22"Your Hit Parade" was broadcast 1935-59, first on radio and then(beginning in 1950) on television; its rankings were based on various factorsincluding sales of records and sheet music. The number of songs listed eachweek changed several times (from a high of fifteen to a low of five), and thusciting the number of weeks a song was on the list can be misleading, as somehad a greater opportunity for longevity than others. A compilation and index ofthe weekly lists is found in John R Williams, This WaS' ((Your Hit Paradt"(Rockland, Maine: Courier-Gazette, 1973), which provides the full survey listfor each week, even if fewer songs were actually broadcast.

23To conform to the guidelines of the "fair use" clause of the u.s. copyrightlaw (17 USC 107), I will extract only as much of the sheet music as is necessary.Verse melodies will be given, as they are frequently unknown even by those


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stem-and-slur notation shows my interpretation of melodicstructure in accordance with the piano/vocal score of the sheetmusic. 24 (In musical examples and in verbal references, measuresare numbered beginning with the entry of the vocal part.2S) As inmost subsequent analyses, here I include also a middlegroundgraph (Figure Ie), and throughout 'this essay the reader shouldcross-reference corresponding graphs as is necessary.

The verse lyric provides an example of Berlin'scharacteristically natural and unaffected wei ting style:

Old Mister Absent-minded, that's me.lust as forgetful as I can be.I've got the strangest sort ofa mind.I'm always leaving something behind.

familiar with the repertory. But, in other cases, 1 may only provide amiddleground graph of a section. Or perhaps a fo reground graph will beprovided, including measure lines to clarify phrase structure, but with no intrameasure rhythms indicated (and immediately-repeated pitches not shown);segments of the lyric may be aligned underneath their respective measures.While all musical examples will be as complete as is required by mycommentary, those wishing to examine the music in its entirety (which isstrongly encouraged) should consult the 6-folio series, Tht S o n ~ ofIrving Btrlin(Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Publishing Corp. [published under the IrvingBerlin Music Co. imprint], 1991).

241n representing harmonies via Roman numerals, upper and lower casesdenote major and minor triads, respectively; brackets enclose secondary (orapplied) leading-tone chords when the subsequent chord provides theappropriate resolution; and "+6" denotes a triad with "added sixth." Also, I willadopt Forte's convention (as in Tht Amtrican Popular Ballat:/) of beamingtogether those bass notes which are part of a successive-fifths chain.

25Conventionally, the sheet music includes a brief piano introductionwhich I will not include in my numbering; I will discuss this section in a laterportion of the essay.


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Figure 1a. Berlin, tt! LiftMy H ~ a r t at the Stage Door Canteen" (1942): verse melody and lyric

. I UOld Mis - ter Ab-sent Min - ded that's me. Just as for - get - ful as I can be. -

11 13 15~ I I J , I ---I've got the stran-gest sort - of a mind. I'm always leav-ing some - thing be - hind


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Figure lb" Berlin, '1 Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen" (1942): verse (foreground)

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Berry Irving Berlin Dynamic Introductions the Affective Role of Melodic Ascent

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