Harold Arlen

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Arlen, Harold [né Hyman Arluck] (1905–86), composer. Born in Buffalo, he began his career by writing songs for cabaret productions and by interpolating numbers in Broadway revues. His first success, “Get Happy,” came in an otherwise undistinguished show, 9:15 Revue (1930). Arlen's music was heard in Earl Carroll Vanities (1930); You Said It (1931); Life Begins at 8:40 (1934), which offered “Let's Take a Walk Around the Block”; Hooray for What! (1937), recalled for “Down with Love”; Bloomer Girl (1944); St. Louis Woman (1946), whose score included “Come Rain or Come Shine;” House of Flowers (1954); Jamaica (1957); and Saratoga (1959). One of his most famous songs, “I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues,” was interpolated in the 1932 edition of the Vanities. Arlen's music leaned heavily on commercialized jazz forms, especially blues, and other black musical mannerisms. Biography: Happy with the Blues, Edward Jablonski, 1961.

(b Buffalo, 15 Feb 1905; dNew York, 23 April 1986). American songwriter. Originally a ragtime pianist and dance-band arranger, by 1925 he arranged for Fletcher Henderson and by 1930 was writing revues for the Cotton Club, New York. In 1934 he turned to musical comedy and film-score composition, mainly with the lyricists E.Y. Harburg, Johnny Mercer and Ira Gershwin. His popular songs include Get Happy (1930), Over the Rainbow (1939) and That Old Black Magic (1942) and blend jazz with popular idioms. Among his film scores are The Wizard of Oz (1939) and A Star is Born (1954).

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From the time of his birth until he wrote the music to his first popular hit, "Get Happy," the growth of Harold Arlen (1905-1986) from cantor's son to jazz pianist, composer, and arranger could not have been better orchestrated if he wrote it himself.

Born in Buffalo, New York, on February 15, 1905, Harold Arlen (originally named Hyman Arluck) received his first introduction to music from his father, a cantor. As a youngster of seven, Arlen sang in his father's choir. Two years later, he began demonstrating his musical skill at the piano. He studied classical music and remained a student of classical piano etudes until 1917, when the jazz age introduced America to a new form of music. Arlen was immediately intrigued with this new style and was soon arranging songs and playing piano with his own group, the Snappy Trio. He assumed the leadership role, by arranging and performing numbers in a jazz format. He was also the vocalist.

The trio experienced immediate success and redefined themselves into a quintet, the Southbound Shufflers. The Shufflers entertained around the United States and across the border in Canada. Arlen's blossoming musical career quickly established him in the Buffalo music scene and, to his parents' dismay, he left school early to pursue a musical career. He was quickly absorbed into a popular local group, the Buffalodians, where his talents as pianist, vocalist, and arranger continued to define his future. It was not long before Arlen and his band were drawn to Broadway.

New York Beckons

In New York City, Arlen landed a singing role in Vincent Yourman's Broadway musical Great Day. When Yourman discovered the young actor's many talents, Arlen was quickly moved to a role behind the scenes where he played piano for the performers and arranged music for the shows. His stage career ended, but his composing and arranging career flourished. It was during this time that Arlen teamed up with Ted Koehler, a young lyricist, for what would prove to be a long and successful relationship. Sometimes referred to as the "melody man," Arlen penned tunes to Koehler's words. He churned out a successive string of hits including "Get Happy," "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea," "I Love a Parade," and "I've Got the World on a String." In 1931, Arlen took his talents to the stage with his first Broadway show You Said It.

The Cotton Club Revues

The first Koehler/Arlen collaboration, Get Happy, was produced while working on Yourman's musical Great Day.. This tune was received with such enthusiasm by audiences that the duo quickly found new opportunities. In 1930, Arlen and Koehler joined Harlem's renowned Cotton Club. During the very productive years between 1930 and 1934 Koehler and Arlen produced many tunes for that club's revue that have become jazz and blues classics. One of the most popular performers at the Cotton Club, Cab Calloway, played and recorded such classics as "Trickeration," "Kickin' the Gong Around," "Without Rhythm," and "Minnie the Moocher's Wedding Day." The durability of these songs can be seen in the continued popularity of Calloway's recordings that are still sold today.

The years at the Cotton Club were among Arlen's most prolific. Noteworthy tunes emerging during this era included "Ill Wind," "Blues in the Night," and the seductive "Stormy Weather." "Stormy Weather" became a wildly popular song and eventually a trademark of singer, Lena Horne. It led the creative team to venture into movies, where they experienced their first film success, Let's Fall in Love. This film classic cemented Arlen and Koehler's reputations on the West Coast, and the pair continued their successful collaboration in Hollywood through many more film classics.

Hollywood Success

While working in Hollywood, Arlen's style caught the attention of film producer, Arthur Freed. He signed Arlen to collaborate with lyricist E. Y. Harburg on a fantasy film. Both the movie-1939's The Wizard of Oz (1939)-and the musical score have remained popular for the greater part of a century. The best-known song from the score was "Over the Rainbow." It earned an Academy Award for the duo and became the hallmark song for the movie's star, Judy Garland. During his time in Hollywood, Arlen scored many other movies including Cabin in the Sky (1943) and A Star Is Born (1954).

The Hollywood of the 1930s and 1940s was ruled by a small group of businessmen best known for creating the "star system." They decided who would be a star, based in large part on an individual's ability to draw movie-goers to the theatre. Composers did not fall into that category. While Arlen remained in demand for the next two decades, because of the star system he remained behind the scenes and enjoyed a quiet life as a composer of songs that others made famous. However, his work was continuous and he maintained a good income during his years in Hollywood. A quiet man who preferred time with his wife Anya, son Sam, and the family dogs, he was content with his golf, tennis, and swimming. Although not a household name, his prolific songwriting was responsible for helping make others in Hollywood famous.

Arlen's productive career spanned the jazz age of the 1920s through Hollywood's bountiful years of the 1930s and 1940s. His talent for scoring both movies and Broadway musicals placed him among the finest composers and arrangers of the time. His works on Broadway continued even after his move to the West Coast. They include Life Begins at 8:40 (1934), Hooray for What? (1937), Bloomer Girl (1944), St. Louis Woman (1946), Saratoga (1959), and House of Flowers (1954). During his long career, Arlen teamed with other well-known lyricists such as Johnny Mercer, writing such popular hits as "Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive," "That Old Black Magic," and "Blues in the Night." In 1954, he wrote the music for the Broadway hit House of Flowers with author Truman Capote and in that same year he worked in Hollywood with Ira Gershwin on the film The Country Girl.

Arlen continued to work into the 1960s, although there were few opportunities that enticed him. This was a time when he produced lesser-known orchestral compositions such as "Mood in Six Minutes," "Hero Ballet," and "Minuet,"-each of which was scattered throughout various films and shows, but did not achieve the acclaim of his earlier compositions. Arlen enjoyed shedding his reputation as a blues composer, and took advantage of this time to further expand his talents.

High Praise from Peers

Arlen earned his place among such songwriting greats as George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Irving Berlin, and Jerome Kern. Praise from such peers was high indeed. Gershwin referred to him as "the most original of composers." Rodgers took this a step further, saying "I caught on pretty soon to his unusual harmonic structure and form" which was "his own and completely original." Among Arlen's favorite pieces was a little-known song titled "Last Night When We Were Young," a favorite of performers like Frank Sinatra.

Although his career seems to have followed a direct path from local popularity to Broadway to Hollywood, Arlen did not become a household name. Even at the peak of his career he chose to remain behind the scenes, satisfied to compose and arrange music for others to perform. Arlen left a portfolio of over 300 tunes, many of which are still played every day throughout the world. After his death in New York City on April 23, 1986, Irving Berlin summed up the life of this brilliant composer at an ASCAP tribute, saying: "He wasn't as well known as some of us, but he was a better songwriter than most of us and he will be missed by all of us." Arlen's music remains fresh and continues to be performed throughout the world.

Further Reading

Jablonski, Edward, Rhythm, Rainbows, and Blues, Northeastern University Press, 1997.

Billboard, April 27, 1996.

Time, September 4, 1995.

Harold Arlen Biography, http://www.mplcommunications.com/mbr/haroldarlen/arlen/featuredbio.html (February 23, 1999).

See Harold Arlen Lyrics

• Born: February 15, 1905, Buffalo, NY
• Died: April 23, 1986, New York, NY
• Active: '30s, '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s
• Genres: Soundtrack
• Instrument: Songwriter
• Representative Albums: "Harold Arlen Sings Sweet and Hot," "Song Is Harold Arlen," "I Love to Sing: The Other Songs of Harold Arlen"
• Representative Songs: "Stormy Weather," "Over the Rainbow," "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive"

Biography

An American songwriting legend and son of a cantor, Harold Arlen was fascinated early in his life with the sound of ragtime. While singing in his father's synagogue he also played ragtime piano in local Buffalo bands and accompanied silent films. After arranging for the Buffalodians, Arlen moved to New York. His jobs included arranging for Fletcher Henderson and serving as a rehearsal pianist for radio and theater. A vamp he devised while practicing was later turned into the song "Get Happy," with lyrics from Ted Koehler. Arlen and Koehler wrote eight revues for the Cotton Club, one of which included the anthem "Stormy Weather," first performed by Ethel Waters. Though he moved to Hollywood in the '30s, Arlen kept penning songs for Broadway, working with other lyricists like Dorothy Fields, Leo Robin, Johnny Mercer, Yip Harburg, and Ira Gershwin as well as Koehler.

His list of hits and accomplishments is amazing; they include songs for the films Take a Chance, Star-Spangled Rhythm, The Sky's the Limit, and his most famous, The Wizard of Oz. Arlen also composed tunes for the plays Earl Carroll Vanities, Rhythm Mania, and St. Louis Woman. The incredible array of unforgettable compositions includes "I've Got the World on a String," "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues," "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea," "Come Rain or Come Shine," "It's Only a Paper Moon," and "Over the Rainbow." Numerous jazz artists have recorded his songs, as well as pop performers across the spectrum. Arlen made a few recordings as a performer, among them sessions with Duke Ellington and Barbra Streisand. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide

Song Is Harold Arlen Buy this CD	Over the Rainbow Buy this CD	Hooray for Love Buy this CD	Music of Harold Arlen Buy this CD	Harold Arlen Songbook Buy this CD
All-Star Tribute Buy this CD	Harold Arlen Sings Sweet and Hot Buy this CD	Grandma Moses Suite/Blues Opera Buy this CD	Wizard of Oz 1939 Radio Preview Buy this CD

• Born: Feb 15, 1905 in Buffalo, New York
• Died: Apr 23, 1986 in New York City, New York
• Occupation: Actor
• Active: '30s-'60s, '80s
• Major Genres: Musical, Comedy
• Career Highlights: The Wizard of Oz, 'Round Midnight, A Star is Born
• First Major Screen Credit: Strike Me Pink (1936)

Biography

One of the best and most prolific of Broadway and motion picture composers, Harold Arlen could boast a true "Jazz Singer" background. His father was a cantor in a synagogue, and Arlen made his performing debut singing with his dad during the High Holy Days. Any plans to follow in father's footsteps were forgotten when Arlen went into professional show business at 15, playing the piano for a vaudeville musical trio. The years of barnstorming paid off in 1928 when Arlen's song "Get Happy," first performed in The 9:15 Revue, scored a hit. Among Arlen's best-known collaborators during his busiest movie years were Johnny Mercer (Star-Spangled Rhythm), Ira Gershwin (the 1954 version of A Star is Born) and E. Y. Harburg (The Wizard of Oz). Harold Arlen's string of hits for both Broadway and Hollywood include "Stormy Weather," "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Blues in the Night," "That Old Black Magic," "One for My Baby," "Accen-tu-ate the Positive," and of course the Academy Award-winning "Over the Rainbow." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hot to Trot! Buy this Movie	Shoot to Kill Buy this Movie	Ishtar Buy this Movie	'Round Midnight Buy this Movie
City Heat Buy this Movie	Downhill Racer Buy this Movie	Judy Garland: Judy Garland & Friends Buy this Movie	The Judy Garland Show, Episode 15: The Christmas Special Buy this Movie

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