In many of my previous blog posts, I have mentioned the fact that finding sources of inspiration is absolutely critical to your musical vitality.

During the years when I was actively composing concert (i.e. classical) music, a somewhat unusual way to fuel my energy and enthusiasm for creative work became clear to me. I started reading biographies of famous classical composers. This not only validated my career path, but also sent me searching for musical scores and recordings. This process became a regular routine for me as I continued to grow and develop creatively.

It was in fact, during the process of reading Prokofiev’s biography (yes, he composed much more than Peter and the Wolf) that I became aware of the dual identity of the composer of Autumn in New York. Vernon Duke (1903-1969) was born in Russia as Vladimir Aleksandrovich Dukelsky.

Lest you think that Dukelsky simply changed his name when he came to America, he was one of the few composers who maintained two distinct musical careers.

Although Dukelsky changed his legal name to Vernon Duke when he became an American citizen in 1939 (five years after composing Autumn in New York), it didn’t stop him from using his Vladimir Dukelsky identity when working in the area of “serious composition”. Our own Boston Symphony under the baton of Serge Koussevitzsky gave the premiere of Dukelsky’s Dedicaces (Concerto for Piano, Soprano obbligato and Orchestra) in January 1939.

Since he was an American citizen, Vernon Duke served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1942-44. During this period he met saxophonist Sid Caesar in the Coast Guard Band and wrote the music for the touring show Tars and Spars. Dukelsky’s parallel compositional track includes some of his most excellent work including a concerto for cello and one for violin.

After the war, Vernon Duke moved from the USA to France where he continued his dual career. When he returned to America in 1948, he shifted his residence from New York to Hollywood. As a result of this change of location, he was able to work as a film composer while continuing to write music for the theatre.

In addition to playing Autumn in New York, I have also enjoyed performing some of Vernon Duke’s other well-known standards which came from the same era. These include April in Paris, I Like the Likes of You and I Can’t Get Started (my favorite of the collection). Perhaps these songs are on the list of your pieces to learn, but you need some help with figuring out how to play them on the piano. Although our fall term has already started, you can still sign up for piano lessons at one of the Ed Mascari Piano Studio’s convenient locations. We welcome students at any time of the year.

There are a variety of excellent recorded performances of Autumn in New York by well-known jazz artists and vocalists on Rhapsody Music Service. Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald did a duet recording of the song which has maintained its popularity for a number of years. Pianists Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Hampton Hawes, Bud Powell, Tete Montoliu, Kenny Barron, Phineas Newborn, Jr., Andre Previn, Dudley Moore, Bruce Barth, George Shearing and Ahmad Jamal have all offered renditions in their signature styles. Among the tracks which featured other instrumental soloists, there are several wonderful performances including ones by Buddy DeFranco – clarinet, George Coleman-saxophone, Stephanie Grappelli-violin, Kenny Dorham-trumpet, Mark Whitfield-guitar as well as by the Modern Jazz Quartet.

Sometimes when you look at a list of such well-known performers as the above collection, you will wonder what it was about Autumn in New York that inspired them to pick it a vehicle for their creative expression. In Vernon Duke’s classical and popular compositions, his harmonies (chord patterns) are recognized as highly original. At the same time, and his gift for writing exceptional melodies is unrivaled.

What makes the melody of Autumn in New York so unparalleled? For one thing the opening two measures start with a descending pentatonic scale. By using this downward direction, we can see how the composer uses musical tone painting to reflect the image of falling leaves. For me, the interesting thing is that the F pentatonic scale (F-G-A-C-D) is rearranged as: A-G-F-D. Duke follows this with an ascending unfolding of the IV chord Bb (D-F-Bb-D). To give the piece thematic unity, the composer states this down-up two bar pattern 5 times (3 times literally, once transposed and once varied) all within a 32 measure song.

The melody of Autumn in New York also makes excellent use of sequence patterns. You easily see these by looking at the sheet music. Sequence patterns occur in: measures 9 and 10, 11 – 12 and 13 -14 as well as in bars 25 – 26 and 27 – 28.

Although I had performed Autumn in New York quite a few times during the years I was playing solo piano at the Sheraton Milford Hotel, I was reminded once again that arranging and playing this standard on the piano can truly be a challenge. This is because Vernon Duke’s harmonic (chord) progressions are unique (musicians and critics have also often acknowledged this fact). Somehow the composer has found ways to combine our customary harmonies in a very creative way.

To think that the song can begin with the F major tonality, journey to the key of Ab major and end up in the key of C before the A section returns, will certainly keep you as a piano student on your toes. No sooner do we get settled in the repetition of the opening material, do we then find ourselves headed downward to the subdominant key (IV) of Bb minor and then descending even deeper into Db major. The final four measures bring us home, but the key is F minor instead of the anticipated F major.

I certainly hope you will get to know Autumn in New York along with some of Duke’s other standards. In the meantime, remember that with the guidance of one of the Ed Mascari Piano Studio’s piano instructors, you’ll be able to maintain the motivation you’ll need to unlock many of music’s mysteries. What are you waiting for?

Now’s the time to do one of the most important items on your Bucket List (In this 2007 film, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman each created their list of the things they always wanted to do in life). Contact us today!

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