The Great American Songbook

Product Features

• The people and events that put the music in our lives are celebrated in this lively anthology, hosted (and featuring vocals) by Michael Feinstein, that traces popular music from its roots in ballads and minstrel shows through the jazz age, big bands, Broadway and Hollywood. Delight as Fats Waller boogies, George Gershwin invents a musical rhapsody, Arthur Freed becomes the wizard of oohs and aahs

From the Editors

No Description Available.<br><b>Genre: </b>Documentary<br><b>Rating: </b>NR<br><b>Release Date: </b>22-APR-2003<br><b>Media Type: </b>DVD
Product Description

Customer Response

Excellent Survey Of American Popular Music
I came of age in the rock music scene and also have had a long time interest in folk, blues and country. In contrast, the classic songs of stage and film have never been of much interest to me. But this excellent documentary really brought that music to life and allowed me to learn about an entirely different aspect of American culture.

Pianist Michael Feinstein serves as the narraror and provides fascinating commentary on great lyricists and composers such as Ira and George Gershwin, Lorez Hart and Oscar Hammerstein. The doc begins with America's first popular song, "Yankee Doodle Dandy", and continues through the 19th century, the Jazz Age, big band era and up until the emergence of rock and roll in the 1950's. Much of the music is drawn from Broadway and Hollywood musicals, with some great film clips and other footage from the historical archives. Other featured performers include Al Jolson, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rodgers, Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra. For me this was a tremendously educational and entertaining journey into a musical world that I knew little about. Highly recommended!

Great for the Classroom!!
I am an elementary/middle school music teacher, and use this DVD extensively in my classroom. The original footage of Irving Berlin, Kate Smith and others is invaluable! It is very easy to use sections of the DVD to support eras, genres or artists that are in the lesson. I plan to order another, one for my classroom and one at home. My first copy was actually acquired as a thank-you gift from a donation to Louisiana Public Broadcasting. It has been then finest premium gift I have ever received. If you are a teacher, music or otherwise...BUY IT!!! It is wonderful!

A Superb Effort with Minor Flaws
This film accomplished exactly what it was meant to -- it made me want to learn more about these intensely talented songwriters. Michael Feinstein is a very capable guide. You never get the feeling that these songs represent old-timey "kitsch" to him. He respects the music, and in turn, he infuses our viewing experience with that same respect. My only complaint is that we are never told what movies these songs appeared in. We learn in Feinstein's commentary that he and his co-producer felt that the viewers would be bombarded with too much information if they were to see both the film title, and the songwriter credit on the screen at the same time. Not so. In an age of MTV-style quick edits, and ever-changing graphics, I believe today's consumer is sophisticated enough to take in a few basic pieces of information on the clips that are presented. I immediately wanted to go out and rent some of the movies that appeared in the film, but without film credits, that will be a bigger challenge than it should be. For that, I could have removed one star, but I couldn't bear to. In every other way, this presentation is a delightful, informative cornucopia of movie-going pleasure. I will definitely be purchasing a copy to experience this masterpiece at a level that can only come from repeated viewings.

Great american music
What a fantastic DVD. So many great songs, so many great singers, bands, etc. from 1776 to 1950. What a glorious collection!!!

Get a New Host!
America can claim very little things for itself. Because of immigration, many of the things we claim as our own is truly the product of other nations. However, we have jazz, and can claim the bouncy music as our own. This documentary showcases jazz and the music that came before and after, concentrating on the era between the influx of immigration and the advent of rock and roll. We learn about well known composers like George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Rogers and Hart, as well as lesser remembered names like Jule Styne and Harry Warren. We also hear from famous singers ranging from Al Jolson and Fanny Brice to Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy to Betty Hutton and Frank Sinatra.

The content is presented quickly but thoroughly.

The major flaw here is the choice of Michael Fienstein as host. His love of classic music possibly got him the job, but he proved to be less than desirable. His personality is cloying to say the least. It would have been nice to see film clips used to demonstrate all of the songs; hearing him sing was bad enough, but having him look into the camera while doing so is uncomfortable. He came off like a Vegas showman instead of a piece of Americana.

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