As most of you know by now, I usually go to Rhapsody Music Service to locate tracks of the featured song selection for my current blog post. Having taught piano for more than three decades, I am thrilled that today I can simply tell my students to look for musical examples on the Internet. One of the best ways that a piano student of any age can find inspiration for practicing and learning a new song is to listen to a variety of performances of the particular piece being studied. I do the same myself.
Sometimes the available assortment of recordings is good, occasionally it’s disappointing and once in a while there are some real gems. I have to tell you that recently when I was working on my Beguine blog posts, I was somewhat disenchanted by selection of tracks offered for the Cole Porter standards that I had selected for the series. As a result, I was not overly hopeful when looking forward to researching versions of today’s selection I’ll Be Home for Christmas.
Boy was I surprised…..
There are some real gems included among the ten tracks I added to my library. Jazz pianist Stephen Scott offers a Bossa nova oriented version of I’ll Be Home for Christmas with interludes provided his New York styled jazz quintet. Rob McConnell and his Boss Brass starts his track with a slow tempo rendition of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. After this introduction, McConnell segues into an up tempo Bossa nova oriented version of our featured selection which he introduces with somewhat funky horn punctuations and concludes with an all-out big band swing feeling.
Among the ten treasured recordings of I’ll Be Home for Christmas that I found, one that features solo pianist Dave McKenna is an excellent example of how he employs his signature swing style so successfully. There are many times when I recommend that my students listen to Dave McKenna’s solo piano recordings so that they can hear how beautifully he plays his left hand walking bass lines. This particular track is an excellent model for the piano student to follow for any time of the year. Dave passed away at age 78 for just over a year ago. As a piano teacher, I’m certainly grateful that Concord Records was able to create an extensive catalog of Mr. McKenna’s solo piano recordings that the younger generation of piano players and piano students can look to for inspiration and instruction.
Although my favorite performances of I’ll Be Home for Christmas are somewhat removed from the 1943 Bing Crosby hit recording, the message and origin of this classic Christmas standard have a tremendous similarity to today’s political climate.
The message of I’ll Be Home for Christmas originated by calling to mind the unfounded hope that World War I soldiers had about returning home in time for Christmas. With so many of America’s men and women serving in the armed forces today, we’d all like to have them home for Christmas. Our grandson Jay, who has been in the US Navy for the past 2 1/2 years, is scheduled to be home on leave this year but will be out to sea beginning in January for his second six month deployment in an 18 month period.
In addition to the parallel between then and now that I’ll Be Home for Christmas has, there was also a controversy surrounding the composition of this ever-popular standard. Apparently, Buck Ram (1907-1991), whose extensive songwriting career includes a long-time association with The Platters, had written a song with the same title in 1942. Ram had been a college student when he wrote the song as a gift for his mother. It just so happened that his publisher held back the release of his piece called I’ll Be Home for Christmas so that White Christmas could receive maximum publicity.
In the meantime, Mr. Ram just happened to be discussing some compositional concerns about his song with two casual acquaintances at a bar. These two gentlemen were composer Walter Kent (1911-1994) and lyricist James Kimble “Kim” Gannon (1900-1974). We met Gannon a couple of months ago in my blog post that featured his lyrics for Josef Myrow’s Autumn Nocturne.
Although Buck Ram had left a copy of his piece with these two individuals, he and his publisher were shocked when Kent and Gannon’s published version of I’ll Be Home for Christmas was released with a 1943 copyright date. Despite the differences between his song and theirs (although the titles were the same) the subsequent legal battle resulted in granting Buck Ram the status and recognition as co-writer. He also was then entitled to receive all the royalties associated with this status.
Whether you agree with the court’s findings or not, I think you’ll agree with me that I’ll Be Home for Christmas offers the pianist room to create a variety of possible interpretations. Once again, we have another special selection that reflects the richness of the repertoire from the American Popular Songbook. Whether you are a beginner, an intermediate level student or even and advanced piano student, you can be confident that your listeners will both recognize and enjoy hearing this familiar tune.
It may surprise you to know that November and December are often months when people just like you realize that they want to take piano lessons. They may need some guidance in order to learn how to play the piano or they simply require some assistance so that they can improve their keyboard skills more quickly.
Why wait?
The Ed Mascari Piano Studio has two convenient locations (Natick and Hudson) where you can take piano lessons. The winter months go by much more quickly when you are making music. Contact us today to find out more about Piano Lessons. Our piano instructors are always patient and encouraging. All of us are always delighted to help you Learn to Play the Music You Love!
