What do you think?
Rate this book
Jerome Kern: A Biography
Captures Kern's many-faceted personality--influential songwriter, collector of rare books, stamps, and coins, and brilliant conversationalist--and recreates the sparkling musical era in which he lived
182 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 25, 2020
Can you name a Jerome Kern musical ? Or a movie for which he did the music. Or even a song or two he wrote?
Kern, who moved American musicom away from Euro operetta in the early 19thC, is -- 2d to Cole Porter, who wrote music and lyrics , the great American composer. His melodies are beautiful and haunting (unlike Sondheim who produces pretentious gaz). Kern, w Oscar Hammerstein 2d, wrote the American classic (1927), "Show Boat" --- surely, not arguably, the finest score for any American show. He later wrote the music for the movie musical, "Cover Girl." His 100s of songs include: Long Ago (and far away), The Song is You, Yesterdays, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Lovely to Look At, You Are Love, Look for the Silver Lining, Who? (stole my heart away), All the Things You Are, They Didn't Believe Me --- and so on.
He's below radar today because no one recalls his pre-Show Boat tuners: Sally, Sunny, Very Good Eddie, Leave It to Jane, The Cat and the Fiddle, etc. Further, a difficult neurotica, he had many partners as lyricists: famously, Hammerstein, but also Bolton-Wodehouse, Leo Robin, Dorothy Fields, Johnny Mercer, Otto Harbach, Herbert Reynolds. Kern could be a nasty snot and all-around bore. And sneaky. (He secretly negotiated a higher % than partner Bolton on a contract).
This bio is rubbish. Author, eg, writes of Kern returning by boat to US c 1905, and he "could see the Chrysler Building." This art deco wonder went up in 1930. He refers to critic Ward Monkhouse enthusing abt Kern. He means Ward Morehouse. There's also the dancer Zarina; he means Vera Zorina. Can Freedland get anything right? He says Kern turned down an offer from Hammerstein to do the music for Oklahoma! ~~ A Richard Rodgers bio sez that after lyricist Larry Hart collapsed fr alcoholism and rough trade, the producing Theatre Guild asked him to find a partner and he chose Hammerstein. Rodgers & Hart were marvelous. Rodgers & Hammerstein repped very successful low-brow stuff.
In mid-40s, Kern , always high-strung and fidgety, was in NYC to discuss - after years in Hollywood - a new show: Annie Get Your Gun. He died of a stroke, age 60, after crumpling on the street. The site was swank Park Avenue & 57th. Very Good, Jerry.
This volume is an example of the worst kind of biographical writing and editing. Kern nonetheless needs to be cherished in this era of noisy Broadway nonsense, which packs in the iggynorunts.
Kern, who moved American musicom away from Euro operetta in the early 19thC, is -- 2d to Cole Porter, who wrote music and lyrics , the great American composer. His melodies are beautiful and haunting (unlike Sondheim who produces pretentious gaz). Kern, w Oscar Hammerstein 2d, wrote the American classic (1927), "Show Boat" --- surely, not arguably, the finest score for any American show. He later wrote the music for the movie musical, "Cover Girl." His 100s of songs include: Long Ago (and far away), The Song is You, Yesterdays, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Lovely to Look At, You Are Love, Look for the Silver Lining, Who? (stole my heart away), All the Things You Are, They Didn't Believe Me --- and so on.
He's below radar today because no one recalls his pre-Show Boat tuners: Sally, Sunny, Very Good Eddie, Leave It to Jane, The Cat and the Fiddle, etc. Further, a difficult neurotica, he had many partners as lyricists: famously, Hammerstein, but also Bolton-Wodehouse, Leo Robin, Dorothy Fields, Johnny Mercer, Otto Harbach, Herbert Reynolds. Kern could be a nasty snot and all-around bore. And sneaky. (He secretly negotiated a higher % than partner Bolton on a contract).
This bio is rubbish. Author, eg, writes of Kern returning by boat to US c 1905, and he "could see the Chrysler Building." This art deco wonder went up in 1930. He refers to critic Ward Monkhouse enthusing abt Kern. He means Ward Morehouse. There's also the dancer Zarina; he means Vera Zorina. Can Freedland get anything right? He says Kern turned down an offer from Hammerstein to do the music for Oklahoma! ~~ A Richard Rodgers bio sez that after lyricist Larry Hart collapsed fr alcoholism and rough trade, the producing Theatre Guild asked him to find a partner and he chose Hammerstein. Rodgers & Hart were marvelous. Rodgers & Hammerstein repped very successful low-brow stuff.
In mid-40s, Kern , always high-strung and fidgety, was in NYC to discuss - after years in Hollywood - a new show: Annie Get Your Gun. He died of a stroke, age 60, after crumpling on the street. The site was swank Park Avenue & 57th. Very Good, Jerry.
This volume is an example of the worst kind of biographical writing and editing. Kern nonetheless needs to be cherished in this era of noisy Broadway nonsense, which packs in the iggynorunts.
October 11, 2019
Very well researched and full of interesting detail, but Kern doesn't come out of it as a pleasant person: ambitious, self-centred, so aware of his own talent that everyone else had to kowtow to his intentions, vindictive and generous in almost equal measure. His behaviour towards his wife, who seems to have loved him more than he deserved, was curious. She wasn't his intellectual equal, and to a great extent he seems to have despised her for it.
In spite of all the admiration for the music the man wrote, and there's no doubt he was an excellent composer in his field and even knew his (few) limitations, you come away from the book with something of a sour taste.
Another reviewer on here says there are some mistakes in the book. Good on them for picking them up, though I doubt if most of us would have noticed them.
In spite of all the admiration for the music the man wrote, and there's no doubt he was an excellent composer in his field and even knew his (few) limitations, you come away from the book with something of a sour taste.
Another reviewer on here says there are some mistakes in the book. Good on them for picking them up, though I doubt if most of us would have noticed them.
April 28, 2024
This is an extremely interesting, well written biographer of one of the great popular song writers.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews