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Home > Yankee Doodle Dandy by George M. Cohan, arr. Marc Adler

Yankee Doodle Dandy by George M. Cohan, arr. Marc Adler

Yankee Doodle Dandy by George M. Cohan, arr. Marc Adler | July August 2010

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This duet is based on one of George M. Cohan’s (1878-1942) most popular tunes, “I’m A Yankee Doodle Dandy,” which made its first appearance in his 1904 Broadway musical, Little Johnny Jones. The tune includes a direct musical reference to the much earlier tune “Yankee Doodle,” which dates back to colonial days. That tune was initially used by British officers and militia to describe the disheveled appearance of the American militia prior to and during the Revolutionary War.
This duet arrangement is in the style of the vibrant and upbeat early-20th century popular music, such as you might have heard in Vaudeville, Tin Pan Alley, or late Minstrel, and the eighth notes should be played “straight” or even – not swung. The eighth note remains constant throughout. The measures in 6/8 accent the melody in a more pronounced manner than they would if they were notated in 3/4 with the melody syncopated. Have a fun Independence Day holiday and enjoy the duet!

For a PDF of this duet see Online Extras.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Leonard Feather

For over four decades Leonard Feather has been critically acclaimed as among the first to offer scholarly technical analyses of jazz. Active in almost every facet of the jazz world, Feather is distinguished for his accomplishments as a critic, pianist, composer, lecturer, lyricist, disc jockey, TV producer, and talent scout. He is the author of The Encyclopedia of Jazz, and other books and texts on jazz. Feather toured Europe with his own group, and in 1964 received a Grammy for his notes on the album The Ellington Era. Since 1965, his weekly syndicated newspaper column has appeared in more than 350 papers in the United States and abroad. (Bio from 1984 edition.)

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