“Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook,” a three-part road trip through the musical history of the early 20th century led by its most ardent proponent, continues Wednesday with an episode on how music provides both solace and inspiration during wartime (check local listings). But viewers inspired to learn more about the songs and the history featured on the show will soon have a plethora of online options starting today.
The Michael Feinstein Foundation for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook debuts its extraordinary free website today in which music aficionados, music historians, teachers, and cultural researchers alike will find nirvana. Produced by writer Ken Bloom and documentarian Amber Edwards (who produced and directed the PBS series) the site draws upon Feinstein’s vast personal collection of musical treasures. It features hundreds of restored rare audio and video clips dating to the 1910s, and endless images of singers, musicians, artists and productions Feinstein uncovered on his quest to find the ephemeral treasures of American musical history.
PBS Arts website debuts its “Inside Michael’s Collection” exhibition with rare materials from Feinstein’s private collection of audio and video, including:
· Recently found color videotape of the 1959 NBC special "Meet Cyd Charisse," previously seen only in black and white.
· Select pages from an 84-page bound journal, in George Gershwin's own hand, of musical ideas he had from 1929 to 1931.
· Rare photographs of Gershwin, including the only known existing color photo of the composer.
· Audio clips including the original demo recording of "Moon River" sung by Johnny Mercer with Henry Mancini at the piano; Bing Crosby singing "In The Land Of Beginning Again" in rehearsal during filming of “The Bells of Saint Mary's” in 1945 (Feinstein salvaged the lacquer disc from the RKO warehouse in 1978); Kate Smith’s 1938 radio performance of "Rockin' The Town"; and "My Intuition," sung by Margaret Whiting in an unreleased recording given to Feinstein in 1980 by composer Harry Warren.
· Curator's Note from Feinstein talking about his collection
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment