NRR Project: 'Rose Room' (1939)

 

‘Rose Room’

Music by Art Hickman, Lyrics by Harry Williams

Performed by the Benny Goodman Sextet with Charlie Christian

Recorded Oct. 2, 1939

2:45

The guitar was not thought of initially as a natural jazz instrument. The sound was too soft to compete with the brass and drums of the big bands. Therefore, it was used primarily as a rhythm instrument.

It took Charlie Christian and the invention of the electric guitar to change that. Utilizing an amplifier, the electric guitarist could make himself heard above the surrounding musicians. However, it took a musician of Christian’s genius to make the instrument essential.

Christian grew up in Texas, the son of musicians. He developed his skills on the electric guitar and soon gained a reputation for his work. Record producer John Hammond encouraged him to try out with Benny Goodman. Goodman was reluctant to try him. However, he gave him a chance at a date in a Los Angeles restaurant. Goodman had his band play “Rose Room,” which fortunately Christian knew inside and out. The song went on for 45 minutes, with Christian improvising an incredible 20 choruses. He was hired.

Christian became part of Goodman’s fabled sextette and performed extensively until his death in 1942. His supple single-note style of play fit in perfectly with the sound Goodman was trying to produce. Before Christian’s demise, he is said to have coined the phrase “bebop” for the new and challenging type of jazz he was pioneering with a few other musicians in L.A.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: Billie Holliday sings ‘Strange Fruit.’

NRR Project: 'Peter and the Wolf' (1939)

 

Peter and the Wolf

Composed by Sergei Prokofiev

Performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Serge Koussevitzsky, conductor

Richard Hale, narrator

Recorded 1939

24:24

Holy cow! I was asked by the Library of Congress to write about this piece, which I did in 2019. My explanatory essay sits at the National Recording Registry website, which you can read here.

The official term for music that educates is pedagogic music, and most of it is as awful as that sounds. Official culture in every society seeks to inculcate its values, moral and aesthetic, in each of its young generations, and many a child has been bored to tears by something earnest and condescending it is thought they “should” like. It’s a rare piece of music that remains as fresh and persuasive as Peter and the Wolf.

In classical music, there are a number of designated “kid-friendly” pieces that serve as gateways to Western art music, the symphonic world. Saint-Saen’s Carnival of the Animals, Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. There are inadvertently famous classical riffs as well, and some children graduate into a love of the classical music they only heard snatches of. The Lone Ranger’s signature music is eventually understood as the overture to Rossini’s opera, Giullaume Tell, and the grand three-note opening theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey becomes Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra (especially as taught by kid-friendly composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein at one of his televised Young People’s Concerts).

One of the most successful of these compositions is Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, a “symphonic fairy tale for children” written in the Soviet Union but first recorded in America, by Serge Koussevitzsky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Since its premiere, it’s been recorded more than 400 times, in a dozen languages.

The young and enterprising Prokofiev left the fledgling Soviet Union in May, 1918; after many successes, he returned permanently in 1936. There, educator Natalya Sats asked him to write a piece that would teach instruments of the orchestra to children, for her Central Children’s Theatre.

The official culture of the day in the USSR was socialist realism, a style that featured idealistic depictions of the common man, depictions that were mandated, reviewed, critiqued, and censored by the central government. A useful work of art taught a moral lesson and reinforced Soviet values. For a libretto, Prokofiev started with a rhyming narrative by popular Soviet children’s writer Antonina Sakonyskaya, about a Young Pioneer (the Soviet equivalent of a Boy Scout) challenging an adult mired in reactionary, pre-Revolutionary thinking.

Dissatisfied, Prokofiev tossed the original poem aside and wrote his own story in prose. Turning to the music, he completed the piano score in less than a week, and the orchestration in another. Peter and the Wolf debuted on May 2, 1936 at a children’s concert by the Moscow Philharmonic. The American premiere took place in Boston in March, 1938, due to the presence there of Koussevitzsky.

Serge Koussevitzsky was another Russian, but one who chose life in the West after the Russian Revolution. A respected bassist and composer, his financial situation enabled him to advance his career by doing such things as hiring the Berlin Philharmonic for his conducting debut and forming a dominating music-publishing company that printed the work of composers such as Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, and . . . Prokofiev. Koussevitzsky led the ensemble during a period of artistic greatness. (The primary performance space at the BSO’s legendary summer concert venue Tanglewood bears the name of the Koussevitzsky Music Shed.)

According to Koussevitzsky biographer Moses Smith, “Prokofiev appeared as a soloist and guest conductor for a program of his own music which included ‘Peter and the Wolf’ in its first American performance. In a pre-concert interview with newspapermen he had pointedly alluded to the bad reception Boston had previously accorded his more ‘serious’ works, which he was accordingly omitting from the forthcoming program.” Prokofiev biographer Simon Morrison adds, “Prokofiev informed a Time magazine reporter that because audiences in Boston could not grasp his ‘serious music,’ he was obliged to pander to them with ‘simple things.’”

Despite the composer’s deprecating comments, the simplicity of the composition is not to be confused with a lack of quality. It’s the story of young Peter, who, defying his Grandfather’s words of warning, defeats and captures a hungry wolf, with the aid of a few animal friends. Each character has a dedicated instrument and a distinct theme — what Wagnerians would call a leitmotif. Peter is voiced by the strings, and there is his grumpy Grandfather (bassoon), a bird (flute), a duck (oboe), a cat (clarinet), and the wolf himself (French horns). With precision and economy, Prokofiev sketches out the characters thematically as he moves the story along.

The role of the Narrator in the performance is key, and the debut recording features Richard Hale as such. The respected baritone was a frequent concert-hall performer; in later years he turned to character acting in films, becoming a familiar face in fare such as To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Hale gives the reading a directness and emotional force absent in many other renditions of the role. In Hale’s performance, the story is thrilling and vital.

After the premiere in Boston, Prokofiev toured America in 1938. He made a point of going to Hollywood and playing Peter and the Wolf for Walt Disney, in the hopes he would craft an animated film based on the score. Disney nearly added a Peter and the Wolf segment to his animated/classical music anthology Fantasia (1940), but eventually produced it as a segment of the anthology Make Mine Music in 1946.

The premiere recording exists as a six-part set of 78-rpm records bound together (these bulky, heavy folders gave us the phrase “record album”). The initial release was wildly popular, and soon recording followed recording, sporting narrators as varied as Boris Karloff, David Bowie, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Alice Cooper. Peter and the Wolf is popular — and sturdy — enough to endure hundreds of renditions.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: Charlie Christian plays ‘Rose Room.’

 

SOURCES

 

Koussevitzsky

Moses Smith

Muriwai Books

2017 (1947)

 

Serge Koussevitzsky

Hugo Leichtentritt

Harvard University Press

1946

 

The People’s Artist: Prokofiev’s Soviet Years

Simon Morrison

Oxford University Press

2009

 

 

NRR Project: 'Over the Rainbow' (1939)

 

NRR Project: ‘Over the Rainbow’

Music by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg

Performed by Judy Garland with Victor Young and his Orchestra

Recorded July 1939

2:47

One of the greatest American songs was crafted for the groundbreaking Technicolor fantasy film The Wizard of Oz in 1939. It was written expressly for Judy Garland to sing as Dorothy in the sepia-toned prologue to the movie, set in Kansas. There, amid her colorless, ramshackle environment, Dorothy sings of wanting to be somewhere else, somewhere “the dreams that you dream really do come true.”

First, read Walter Limler’s excellent explanatory essay here. It breaks down just how difficult it was for composer Harold Arlen to come up with the music for this song. He was adept at crafting comic songs, but this one needed to be heartfelt. (In musicals, this type of song is often referred to as a “wants” song, one in which the lead character expresses longing for change.)

The movie was a hit, and so was the song. It became Judy Garland’s theme song (she was only 16 when she first recorded it), and is one of the most familiar tunes of all time.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time:‘Peter and the Wolf.’

NRR Project: 'O Que e que a Bahiana tem’ (1939)

 

NRR Project: ‘O Que e que a Bahiana tem’

Performed by Carmen Miranda and Bando de Lua

Recorded December 1939

3:17

Carmen Miranda (1909-1955) persists in our collective imagination as “the lady in the tutti-frutti hat,” the exuberant Brazilian songstress whose outrageous outfits were her trademark.

There are two excellent explanatory essays on her at the National Recording Registry – one byKathyrn Bishop-Sanchez, here; and one by Cary O’Dell, here. I can only add a bit myself.

She released her first album in 1930. She was already popular in Brazil when she recorded this song in 1938. It’s from her fifth film, Banana di Terra. The song took off and she recorded it in New York in December of that year.

She was an immediate hit. She dressed in an approximation of the wardrobe of the Bahia women – Brazilian peasant-class ladies who dressed extravagantly. She wears bright colors, enormous jewelry, and fantastic headgear, usually featuring fruit and flowers.

“O Que e que a Bahiana tem” and other numbers she performed in the New York show Streets of Paris in 1939. Soon she was seen on the screen, usually filmed in New York due to her theatrical commitments. She was dubbed the Queen of Samba.

In 1940 she did her first American movie, Down Argentine Way. She is always presented as a cliché Other, a weird amalgam of entertaining traits combined with an excessive visual style. She made 13 films in all.

As derided as she might be for her look, her musicianship was excellent and as distinctive as the later Yma Sumac, another Latin phenomenon. She did help immensely to inject Latin music into the American mainstream.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time:‘Over the Rainbow.’

NRR Project: The John and Ruby Lomax Southern States Recording Trip

 

NRR Project: The John and Ruby Lomax Southern States Recording Trip

Recorded March 31 – June 14, 1939

350 performances

The most epic journey in American roots music began March 31, 1939. Seventy-two-year-old John Lomax and his wife Ruby Terrill, 53, set out on an expedition into the heart of the American soul, as expressed through music.

They recorded everything and everyone. They recorded English and Spanish, all faiths, all colors. According to Matthew Barton and the National Recording Registry from which you read here, “the Lomaxes captured a wide range of traditional musical styles in English and Spanish, including ballads, blues, children's songs, cowboy songs, fiddle tunes, field hollers, lullabies, play-party songs, religious dramas, spirituals, and work songs, as well as interviews with the performers.”

In fact, just cut to Barton’s essay here. Just read it. It’s really good!

I can only add that, for the lover of American music, this collection of musical pieces, all fully accessible online, is the mother load of content. In only 10 weeks, the Lomaxes found and captured hundreds of bits of oral culture that could never be accessed today. The wealth of what they collected is still impacting scholars and musicmakers today.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: Carmen Miranda sings ‘O Que e que a Bahiana tem’.

NRR Project: 'In the Mood' (1940)

 

NRR Project: ‘In the Mood’

Composed by Joe Garland and Andy Razaf

Performed by the Glenn Miller and his Orchestra

Recorded Aug. 1, 1939

3:09

I must first point to the extremely learned essay on this piece from Dennis M. Spragg, which you can read here. (He is the senior consultant for the Glenn Miller Archives at the University of Colorado Boulder.) Like any great detective, he searches for the origin of the piece and rings all the changes on it down to the date of its incredible success.

Because the first few bars of the song are instantly identifiable, and in fact evoke an entire period in American history – the span of big-band music, which thrived from the mid-1930s to the end of the Second World War in 1945. This iconic song, in both its instrumental and vocal renditions, bring back memories of grandparents and great-grandparents, all those who survived the Depression and WWII – those dubbed the Greatest Generation.

The story of “In the Mood” is one of the long evolution of a riff, that began in 1925. Jazz is uniquely conducive to the re-formation of music that already exists, so it didn’t take long for different artists and ensembles to adapt, transform, and perfect it. Joe Garland copyrighted his version in 1938. Finally, in 1939 Glenn Miller purchased the tune from Garland. Miller rearranged the number with Eddie Durham, and voila – “In the Mood” crystalized into its eternal form.

It's swinging, instantly memorable, a smoothly orchestrated syncopation that invites the listener to dance. It’s one of those perfect songs, one that deserves it place in the collective consciousness.

Just one caveat -- the National Recording Registry notes that the recording is “seamless and precise.” This is one quality of Miller’s style that can be interpreted in a negative way. All of Miller’s work is based on the flawless and modulated performance of the text as written. He was an auteur, he, like Duke Ellington, could shape exactly the sound he wanted to hear. And his taste was excellent.

This is different approach than that taken by the relatively looser bandleaders Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw, not to mention the real swingers such as Count Basie and Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds of Joy, Is Miller, then more mechanical, more soulless, more vanilla, more . . . wholesome?

It would mark the high point of the general American public’s love of jazz. It would have been fascinating to hear his development after the war years, but his untimely death in 1944 precludes us from knowing other than what became a string of well-machined popular hits for him and his outfit.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: the John and Ruby Lomax Southern States Recording Trip.

NRR Project: 'If I Didn't Care' (1939)

 

NRR Project: ‘If I Didn’t Care’

Composed by Jack Lawrence

Performed by the Ink Spots

Recorded 1939

3:09

First of all, read Andrew Hickey’s excellent explanatory essay here. I can only echo his words.

The Ink Spots were a vocal quartet much in the style of the already popular Mills Brothers, although initially they essayed more comic material. They formed in 1934, and worked steadily at all manner of gigs until they made a huge hit of “If I Didn’t Care,” which sold an amazing 19 million copies.

The song runs on highs and lows – first, the soaring tenor of Bill Kenny, followed by a spoken reprise of the lyrics by bass Hoppy Jones, then another repetition of the opening. This style was immediately co-opted by many other groups, but nothing could compare to the originals. It’s a sweet and yearning tune that still enchants decades later.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: ‘In the Mood.’

NRR Project: 'Body and Soul' (1939)

 

NRR Project: ‘Body and Soul’

Composed by Johnny Green, lyrics by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton

Performed by Coleman Hawkins and His Orchestra

Recorded Oct. 11, 1939

3:02

 

First of all, I could not do better than the fantastic essay written by Stephen Rush for the National Recording Registry. Here it is, and it explicates the importance of this recording quite wonderfully.

Hawkins (1904-1969), originally from Missouri, gravitated to New York in the early 1920s. He is credited as one of the great jazz soloists, in league with Louis Armstrong and Lester Young. Here he improvises from the chord structure of the piece, largely ignoring the melody – a trend in music that would eventually develop into the bebop approach. By taking apart the song and riffing on its chord changes, he elevated the solo jazz instrument as an interpretive outlet for musicians who wanted to move past the more conservative playing of the 1920s and 1930s.

In other words, the piece is beautiful and deserves thoughtful listening.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: the Inkspots do ‘If I Didn’t Care’.

NRR Project: Casals plays the Bach Cello Suites

 

NRR Project: The Six Cello Suites

Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach

Performed by Pablo Casals

Recorded 1936, 1938, 1939

2 hr. 10 min.

This recording is unprecedented. The Bach Cello Suites are six pieces, each consisting of six movements, starting with a theme and then developing into movements based on various dance styles of his day. Like all of Bach’s work, the Suites are both mathematically precise and deeply emotional, raging from deep sadness to pure joy.

Pablo Casals (1876-1973) was born in Spain to a musical father. A child prodigy, Casals had mastered many instruments before choosing to devote himself to the cello. When he was 13, he found the music for the Suites in a second-hand music shop in Barcelona. For he next 13 years, he practiced the Suites daily. Finally, he began to perform the Suites in public.

Soon his reputation grew. He won awards; he played for Queen Victoria; he amassed an international reputation. However, it wasn’t until the Spanish Civil War and World War II uprooted him and sent him to travel in the Western countries that he felt ready to record the suites. Over several sessions in different cities, he accumulated a complete recording of all six pieces.

There is a lack of indication of emphasis in Bach’s manuscript, which leaves the interpretation up to the individual performer. Casals adopts a romantic approach to the music, bowing aggressively and passionately. The result is a revelatory experience, one that combines supreme technical competence with deep feeling. To sit down and really listen to the music is an experience that transports the listener to a higher plane. Casals took a bravura piece for solo instrument and made it into a personal statement that still resounds today. Even after countless subsequent recordings, his original take on the Cello Suites stands monumentally above them.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: Coleman Hawkins plays Body and Soul.

NRR Project: Kate Smith sings 'God Bless America' (Nov. 11, 1938)

 

NRR Project: ‘God Bless America’

Composed by Irving Berlin

Sung by Kate Smith

Broadcast Nov. 11, 1938

4:13

Kate Smith (1907-1986) was one of the 20^th Century’s first entertainment stars, who hosted a radio variety show, from the beginning of network radio in the late ‘20s, for many decades. She was not only a beloved singer in her own right; she broke new acts onto the scene, like Abbott and Costello, Henny Youngman, and what would become The Aldrich Family.

She endured much negative attention for her weight, initially; she describes herself as weeping after particular performances in which she felt humiliated. However, through sheer talent and application, she won everyone over with some sweet and a few hot jazz numbers. Her signature song: “When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain.”

She was searching for a patriotic song to premiere over the air. She turned to America’s greatest songsmith, Irving Berlin, for a tune. Berlin reached into his pile of unused tunes and resurrected one from a 1918 military-themed review – “God Bless America.” Smith premiered it on Nov. 11 – what used to be referred to as Armistice Day – 1940.

In her excellent explanatory essay, which you can read here, Sheryl Kaskowitz analyzes the evolution of the song, especially in the fact of the usual removal of the opening verse, which is a bit dark and rueful, and refers to relief at being far from European conflicts. Smith dropped the opening and gave us the memorable chorus, an optimistic, marching beat that carries listeners along, that convinces them to sing along. It’s a very powerful song. But then again, Berlin was a genius.

This would become known as Smith’s other signature songs, one she would sing thousands of times in her career. It was “her” song. Not too shabby.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: Pablo Casals plays Bach’s six Cello Suites.

Toscanini conducts Barber's Adagio for Strings (Nov. 5, 1938)

  

NRR Project: ‘Adagio for Strings’

Composed by Samuel Barber

Performed by Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony

Broadcast Nov. 5, 1938

7:36

I could not do better than Barbara Heyman’s excellent essay on the piece, which you can readhere.

I can only add that the piece, a gentle ethereal rising of chords in the string section, slow and solemn, has always identified itself in my mind with death. It began with the media around the killing of John F. Kennedy, then cropped up consistently in times of mourning. It is deeply moving the first few times you hear it, but it has become oppressive through repetition.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: Kate Smith sings God Bless America.

NRR Project: 'The War of the Worlds' panic -- Oct 30, 1938

 

NRR Project: ‘The War of the Worlds’

The Mercury Theatre on the Air

Broadcast Oct. 30, 1938

60 min.

The power of radio on the human mind was never so definitively demonstrated than on the night of Oct. 30, 1938. On that night, millions of people across America became convinced that Martians were attacking Earth.

Let’s back up a bit. Orson Welles (1915-1985) was a young genius who, at the unlikely age of 16, became a respected player in theater. He moved into radio, becoming the original voice of The Shadow, a popular thriller series. He mounted numerous plays, which led to him being selected to join the Federal Theatre Project, a government-subsidized arts program meant to offer employment to thousands of underemployed actors and technicians.

In 1936, Welles opened his “voodoo Macbeth” in New York, an adaptation of the play with an all-Black ensemble, which proved a huge success. Welles mounted more plays, growing in fme and reputation. In 1937, he staged a seven-part radio adaptation of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables on CBS, which proved to be a hit also. At this early stage in his career, everything he did was golden.

The success of his radio project led him to form, with producer John Houseman, the Mercury Theatre on the Air, a network-sustained hour-long program that adapted key works of literature and dramaturgy. Their first broadcast was Dracula, on July 11, 1938 on CBS.

Welles was a master of conveying meaning and feeling through sound alone. He and his hard-working crew of regulars – including Everett Sloane, Ray Collins, Joseph Cotton, and Agnes Moorehead – whipped up an engaging and ambitious broadcast, week after week. They were competing against the very popular Chase and Sanborn Hour, starring ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, which played on NBC at the same time. It was their decision to mount H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds on Halloween Eve, 1938, that made them famous – or rather, infamous – overnight.

The writer assigned to the script, Howard Koch, found the adaptation frustrating. How could he convincingly portray an invasion of Earth by the inhabitants of Mars in a realistic and frightening way? Koch, assistant Anne Froelich, Houseman, and associate producer Paul Stewart hammered away at the script desperately, up against a strict deadline. Finally, they hit on setting the invasion in America instead of England, as it was in Wells’ novel, and to make it sound like the invasion was unfolding in real time, with fake news bulletins and eyewitness accounts of the mayhem.

That night, many listeners, having heard Bergen and McCarthy do their opening comedy routine, twiddled the dial to CBS and tuned in to what sounded like a genuine invasion. People panicked. The CBS switchboard lit up with alarmed calls. Thousands hit the streets, or drove frantically away from the supposed origin of the attack – Grover’s Mill, New Jersey.

The first 40 minutes of the program, which had no advertising to interrupt it, continued to sketch scenes of horror as the Martians rapidly took over the planet. At the 40-minute mark, the show’s announcer reminded the audience that it was listening to an adaptation of The War of the Worlds. (A more conventionally narrated conclusion took place after the announcement.) By then it was too late. An incensed crowd of police and reporters jammed the halls of CBS, looking for Welles and company. A shocked and shamefaced Welles emerged from the broadcast studio and apologized for the convincing deception.

The panic was the top story in all the newspapers of the day. Commentators inveighed against Welles. He thought his career was over.

Surprisingly, after a few weeks of world-wide attention, The Mercury Theatre on the Air got a sponsor and became the well-regarded Campbell Playhouse, continuing to put out radio adaptations for another two years. Welles was picked up by Hollywood, and proceeded to make Citizen Kane.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: Barber’s Adagio for Strings.

NRR Project: Abbott and Costello, "Who's on First?" routine -- Oct. 6, 1938

 

NRR Project: ‘Who’s on First?’ routine

Performers: Bud Abbott and Lou Costello

Broadcast Oct. 6, 1938

6 min.

From the late 1930s through the mid-‘50’s, the top comedy duo in America was Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Bud was the tall, thin straight man; Lou was the short, fat laugh-getter. Their lightning-fast routines used word confusion and misdirection to stun audiences into laughter.

They worked together first in vaudeville and burlesque houses; they got their big break on the radio show The Kate Smith Hour on Feb. 3, 1938. They first performed their “Who’s on First? bit on March 24, 1938. (The first surviving recording of this bit took place on Oct. 6, 1938.) Immensely and immediately popular, the duo got their own 30-minute summer replacement show for Fred Allen in 1940. After that, they joined The Chase and Sanborn Hour in 1941, and landed their own show again in 1942.

Meanwhile, they started making movies as well. From 1940 through 1956, they made no less than 35 films, approximately three a year. They were the top box-office draw for may of those years. When television came along, they did that too, from 1952 through 1954. They were finally dethroned as a comedy duo by up-and-comers Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.

“Who’s on First?” is a classic sketch, definitely the best-known of their bits and one of the classic comedy bits of all time. It revolves around baseball players’ nicknames. Bud announces that on his team are Who, on first; What, on second, and I Don’t Know on third. “Who’s on first?” asks Lou. “Yes,” answers Bud. “Look, all I want to know is what’s the guy’s name on first,” says Lou. “What’s on second,” answers Bud. “I don’t know!” says Lou. “Third base,” answers Bud.

And things go haywire from there. Lou gets more and more worked up, at one point saying, “I’ll break your arm if you say who’s on first again!” he hollers. Eventually, Lou gives up. “I don’t care,” he proclaims. “Oh,” replies Bud, “that’s out shortstop!”

The routine itself is fairly old; so old, in fact, that it was held in the public domain until the boys copyrighted it in 1944. They did the routine hundreds, if not thousands, of times – live, on the radio, on film, and on TV. It became their signature routine.

The sketch is so well-known that it plays in perpetuity at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: The War of the Worlds.

NRR Project: Joe Louis-Max Schmeling prizefight -- June 22, 1938

 

NRR Project: The Joe Louis-Max Schmeling fight

Announcer: Clem McCarthy

Broadcast June 22, 1938

2:04

This recording is important not for its inherent memorability – it is after all just the record of a short boxing match. What makes it significant is the meaning placed onto the fight by virtue of its contestants – a Black American and a white German, on the eve of World War II.

Joe Louis, “the Brown Bomber,” was a contender for the heavyweight boxing crown when he faced Schmeling in 1936. Schmeling defeated him in 12 rounds. Louis wanted a rematch, and he became a prized opponent after winning the heavyweight championship against Jim Braddock. Schmeling wanted to defeat him and take the title.

The camps in opposition were fervid. The entire African American community, of course, supported Louis, as did defenders of democracy. The Nazis and the racists sided with Schmeling. The contest was to prove who was superior – the Black man or the white man.

The bout was held at a sold-out Yankee Stadium. It is estimated that 70 million Americans tuned in the to fight on the radio. Behind the mike was the veteran sports announcer Clem McCarthy. Louis was in fine shape, and battered the poor Schmeling incessantly from the word go. Finally, with only a couple of minutes gone in the first round, Schmeling surrendered. Louis was heavyweight champion of the world by technical knockout.

The country exploded with glee. Hitler’s theories of white racial superiority were disproved emphatically. Joe Louis successfully defended his title 25 times after that, remaining heavyweight champion until 1949, the longest reign in heavyweight history. Schemling got drafted into the German army.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: Who’s on First?

NRR Project: Korngold's score for 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' (1938)

 

NRR Project: ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’

Composed by Eric Wolfgang Korngold

Performed by Eric Wolfgang Korngold and the Warner Brothers Studio Orchestra

Narrated by Basil Rathbone

Broadcast May 11, 1938

33 min.

Eric Wolfgang Korngold’s score for the 1938 movie The Adventures of Robin Hood is a classic, right up there with other key scores of the era such as Max Steiner’s for King Kong (1933) and Franz Waxman’s for The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Korngold had already proved himself as a classical composer with works such as his magnificent 1920 opera, Die tote stadt. Escaping the Nazis, he moved to Hollywood in 1934 and began composing for films.

He referred to his Robin Hood score as an “opera without music,” and it certainly bears relation to the genre with its numerous themes, which are developed much in the same way as operatic ones. Warner Brothers knew they had a gem of a score on their hands, and they moved to utilize it to promote the film. Three days before the movie’s premiere, on May 11, 1938, they broadcast a special rendition of excerpts of the score, bridged by narration from actor Basil Rathbone, on NBC radio live.

The result was an electrifying rendition of the music, listened to by millions. It further legitimized the film score as an art form. And, at that year's Oscars, Korngold won the prize for Best Original Score. The score (or rather a suite from it) is still performed by major orchestras. The music stands on its own as a marvelous piece of work.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: the Joe Louis-Max Schmeling fight.

NRR Project: Benny Goodman's Carnegie Hall concert -- Jan. 16, 1938

 

NRR Project: ‘Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert’

Performed by Benny Goodman and his Orchestra

Recorded Jan. 16, 1938

2 hours, 2 minutes

Wow. Some recordings have that special quality that rewards repeated listenings. These are the classics. And Benny Goodman’ Carnegie Hall concert is one of those, and absolute classic that documents the moment jazz shed its disreputable and superficial connotations and came into its own as an art form.

Nobody knew how a jazz concert in the hallowed precincts of Carnegie Hall would be received by the pubic. Jazz was perceived as primarily a vehicle for dance music (save for those early jazz connoisseurs who were already hip). To everyone’s surprise, the concert sold out quickly – extra chairs were placed on stage to accommodate even more listeners.

Goodman was ready to deliver the goods. A perfectionist, he rehearsed his band at the venue itself until it was pitch-perfect. And what a lineup of players! Drummer Gene Krupa and trumpeter Harry James were part of the band. Also present were pianist Teddy Wilson and vibraphonist Lionel Hampton. Significantly, these last two musicians were Black – and Goodman insisted on their participation, breaking the color line in music for all time.

Remarkably, Goodman treated the concert as a teaching opportunity. Rather than just play his hits, he put in a four-song section that outlined the history of jazz. He included numbers by Count Basie and Duke Ellington, and he welcomed some of their players into the concert as well. Count Basie is here, and so is Cootie Williams. Goodman inserted a jam session on “Honeysuckle Rose” that included the great tenor sax legend Lester Yong, alto sax man Johnny Hodges, and trumpeter Buck Clayton. This inclusive, generous approach meant that the enthusiastic audience would get a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Goodman breaks down his band into a small trio and quartet for some of the songs. The great vocalist Martha Tilton gets a couple of numbers. You can actually hear the musicians get warmed up and looser as the concert progresses. Then the band comes together again for an epic rendition of “Sing, Sing, Sing,” Goodman’s signature piece. A couple of encores later, the enthusiastic crowd is sent home.

The concert cemented the idea that jazz was a legitimate, complex, and powerful art form. For anyone who wants to understand what jazz is all about, this recording is indispensable. Man, could they swing!

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: Korngold’s ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’ score.

NRR Project: 'When You Wish Upon a Star' (1938)

 

NRR Project: ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’

Music by Leigh Harline; lyrics by Ned Washington

Recorded by Ciff ‘Ukulele Ike’ Edwards and the Disney Studio Chorus

Recorded 1938

3:15

Not much to say about this one. Read James M. Bohn’s excellent essay here, which outlines the song’s history and analyzes its components.

It’s a sentimental ballad, from the animated Disney feature Pinocchio (1940). It’s sung by the character of Jiminy Cricket, who serves as the puppet-boy’s conscience. The insect is voiced by Cliff “Ukulele Ike” Edwards, by that time a well-loved vaudeville tenor who accompanied himself, of course, on the ukulele.

It won the Oscar for best song, and has become the theme song of the Disney corporation. It asserts that wishing can make dreams come true. If you are sentimental, this song is right up your alley. If not . . . then it is tolerable.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: Benny Goodman’s Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert.

NRR Project: 'When the Saints Go Marching In' (1938)

 

NRR Project: ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’

Traditional

Recorded by Louis Armstrong & his Orchestra

Recorded 1938

2:41

First, read Ricky Riccardi’s excellent essay on the song here. I have but little to add to it.

“When the Saints Go Marching In” was originally a hymn, sung slowly and reverently. However, in New Orleans, where Louis Armstrong grew up, the song was played with a bouncier, more upbeat rhythm as the band accompanying a funeral would play it on its way back from the cemetery. This is the version Armstrong wanted to record.

He met with resistance. In 1931, his then-label dissuaded him from recording it. Finally, under a new label, Decca, he got a chance to set it down on shellac. The recording was released timidly, but immediately became a major seller. Its infectious energy, and the jubilation behind the song is palpable. It is a joyously positive statement.

Many people didn’t feel that way about it. Sixty churches protested against a hymn being rendered in jazz style; they didn’t feel that the secular and the sacred should be mixed so. However, Armstrong loved the song and played it consistently to the end of his career.

Since then, multiple artists have made the transition from gospel to jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock, including Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and Sly Stone. Gospel music itself has become more swinging and infectious, too. It seems that the marriage of the sacred and the secular is a successful one.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: When You Wish Upon A Star.

NRR Project: Bruno Walter conducts Mahler's Ninth Symphony (1938)

 

NRR Project: Symphony No. 9

Composed by Gustav Mahler

Recorded by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Conducted by Bruno Walter

Recorded Jan. 16, 1938

71 min.

This recording of Mahler’s final completed symphony is significant in that it was one of the last times Jewish musicians were permitted to play in what was soon to be Nazi-controlled Austria.

The conductor, Bruno Walter, was a protégé of Mahler’s, and conducted the premiere of Symphony No. 9 on June 26, 1912, approximately one year after Mahler’s death. The artistic director of the HMV recording outfit, Fred Gaisberg, had a vision of recording the symphony with the same orchestra, the same conductor, and the same venue as at its premiere. This he accomplished after many rehearsals and much tricky work with the recording devices.

The result is an enthusiastic and ethereal journey through Mahler’s concluding musical thoughts. Walter directs with precision wedded to passion, producing an extraordinary recording that is still held up as a supreme example of the recording art almost a century after its creation.

The Nazis invaded Austria shortly after this recording was made, 13 Jewish musicians were dismissed from the orchestra. Walter, a Jew himself, went into exile. Mahler’s music, deemed “Jewish” (Mahler, born Jewish, converted to Catholicism in 1897), was forbidden by the Third Reich. It would take the end of World War II to restore Mahler and Walter to the public eye in Germany. And the terminated musicians? Many were killed in the Holocaust.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: Louis Armstrong records When the Saints Go Marching In.

NRR Project: Jelly Roll Morton and the Lomax interviews (1938)

 

NRR Project: The Jelly Roll Morton interviews

Recorded by Alan Lomax

Recorded 1938

9 hours

Jelly Roll Morton (1884?-1941, originally Ferdinand LeMothe) was jazz’s first great composer and arranger. In fact, he claimed to have invented jazz.

He got his start playing piano in the whorehouses of New Orleans, where he developed his style, which moved from the ragtime of the day into something we identify now as early jazz. After that, he toured the country, played in vaudeville, made some recordings, and published many song and instrumental pieces. His career faded in the early 1930s, and he moved from gig to gig, scraping by.

In 1938, the great musical anthropologist Alan Lomax heard him play at a Washington D.C. area bar, and convinced him to sit down with him in the Library of Congress and be recorded. What followed is the remarkable self-portrait of a man in words, extending for nine solid hours of recording time.

In these interviews, Jelly Roll sits at the piano, convulsively vamping as her tells stories of his early life in New Orleans, his claims of originating jazz music, and giving us a portrait of a night-life society he inhabited, full of bad, bad men and loose women. He gives us a remarkable portrait of a time and place that, full of untruths or not, give the listener a unique and concrete sense of the music’s origins. (Please note: some of Jelly Roll's memories are quite obscene and are studded with profanity.)

If you listen to all nine hours, you will hear these stories, and many great musical numbers (and their variants). Morton plays brilliantly, with all his fire. He sings, he scats with ease. It’s as if he’s providing his last will and testament in music, setting things straight for the record. He plays the “Tiger Rag,” the “Kansa City Stomp,” “Lay Me a Pallet on the Floor,” “Wolverine Blues,” “The Pearls,” and more.

Morton is an engaging speaker, full of himself and always ready to toot his own horn. He could be termed a braggart if not for the genuine genius in his playing. We have very few witnesses from that time that got to make their say. Jelly Roll got his chance, and he makes brilliant use of it.

The recordings are a priceless piece of history, essential listening for anyone who loves jazz.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: Bruno Walter conducts Mahler.

NRR Project: 'John the Revelator' (1938)

 

NRR Project: ‘John the Revelator’

Music and lyrics by Blind Willie Johnson

Performed by the Golden Gate Quartet

Recorded 1938

3:01

First of all, you have to read the explanatory essay by Kathyrn Kemp, which you can click onhere. It is outstanding, and tells you pretty much everything you need to know.

The evolution of gospel music is well worth looking into. How did religious music switch from solemn hymn-singing to the vibrant and jubilant sound of gospel music? The Golden Gate Quartet is one of the leading purveyors of what was this new kind of music. Integrating elements of the blues, close-harmony singing, and a throbbing beat, early gospel music was compelling and propulsive.

Many in the religious community objected to what they perceived as the secularization of church music. It took several years of success with the pubic to make the scoffers change their minds. Once adopted, the thrilling vocal techniques that give gospel its pep became an entry point into faith. (Later on, some gospel performers made the transition into rhythm and blues, most notably Aretha Franklin and Sam Cooke.)

The Golden Gate Quartet attacks the song with fervor, with the supporting voices forming a chugging, insistent background to the verbal curlicues of the lead singer. The energy and feeling is intense, even transcendent.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: the Jelly Roll Morton interviews.

Resistance persistence

 

“The summer solider and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” -- Thomas Paine, Dec. 23, 1776

You are living in a police state. If you don’t know this by now, you missed the transition. It was as fast as the snapping-off of a light; one day we were a functioning democracy, the next armed, unidentified militant gangs were kidnapping innocent people off the streets and throwing them into concentration camps.

This is a fundamental problem. The current presidential administration is reportedly considering suspending the writ of habeas corpus (the right of an accused person to be brought before a judge, not held imprisoned indefinitely). However, in effect, this right has already been suspended for those suspected (not proven) to be in the country illegally, and for those who exercise freedom of speech that the government dislikes.

There is so much more malfeasance on top of this. Besides the staggering amount of corrupt, fortune-enhancing activities by the rich men who would run our country for their benefit, there is action against Black people, Latinx people, women, LGBTQ+ people . . . in fact, anyone not aligned with straight white Christian patrimony.

The other two branches of the federal government have already let us down. The Congress has proven itself unequal to the task of striking down these egregious criminals. The Supreme Court has enabled the dysfunction. It turns out that the checks and balances that preserved our free democratic state only work if the will to work them is there. This is a responsibility those supposedly in power have shirked, to our collective detriment.

That’s the bad news. The good news is, you can do something about it.

The ultimate political power in the United States is wielded by the people. Our consent is required for the conduct of government, for good or evil. Yet this power of consent has been largely abandoned; 90 million people did not vote in the last election, a number that is more than the number of votes either presidential candidate received. In short, too many people really don’t seem to give a shit about their quality of life, the right of their neighbors to live a peaceful life, or their children’s future.

Those who don’t actively resist these developments are in the same boat with those perpetrating them. Silence is consent. Do you really want to be on the side of the fascists? Of course not. Well, that means you need to go off your ass and do something about it. Compliance is complicity.

As the Declaration of Independence tells us, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

The almost insurmountable obstacle here is indifference. Resistance requires participation in the democratic process, through the use of your First Amendment rights of peaceful protest and freedom of speech. These must be exercised, frequently and energetically, in order to combat the erosion of liberties. Politicians don’t listen to a few dissenters, but as those numbers increase, so the mandate for change is more effectively promoted.

Now, here’s the problem – resistance is exhausting. There is no immediate gratification involved in resistance; it is hard to measure progress and daunting when it seems to change nothing. Here are some tips for persisting in resistance:

1.     It’s a job

The United States of America was founded on the principle of individual freedom and autonomy. With this principle, however, comes a responsibility. We are in charge, and we need to act like it. You are a boss. Resistance should become a daily practice, part of your routine. It’s a full-time job. You can write or call your representatives daily (5 Calls is a great phone app for that, for example). You can make a sign and march in the streets. You can spread the word. You can stand up when someone tries to take away the rights of those around you who are targeted for oppression.

Now, is it fair that this amount of effort needs to expended, when you already have a life with plenty of demands on your time? No, it’s not. Too bad. We are all part of this ongoing experiment, and our participation in a free society means that, in time of crisis, we have to do pain-in-the-ass things to a bunch of pain-in-the-ass people. In a time when our vision of good government is under assault, it means you have to gird your loins and grind out acts of justice, acts of mercy, acts of compassion, on a daily basis. If you thrive on defiance, there is plenty to go around. 

2.     Lessen the stressin’

In order to sustain any kind of effort, you need resources – not only physical, but mental and emotional. Protest can be draining, especially when you don’t see the fruits of your actions right away. This means you need to step up your self-care. Be nice to yourself. Make time for those activities that make you feel human. There will be days when it all seems hopeless. It’s OK to feel down and discouraged. It just takes that little bit of extra effort to get back up again and take it on the chin, and continue to resist.

But, take breaks. Obsessing about all the bad news coming down the pike can lead to hyper-vigilance, paranoia, perpetual agitation, analysis paralysis. Get away from the headlines, the doomscrolling. Make room for friends and family, for laughs, for art, for music, or something silly, anything, something simple that brings you joy. In this way you can recharge your batteries. In this way, you can stop dictators from living rent-free in your head. 

3.     All together now

 Form alliances. If you are out there busily standing up to bullies, you will inevitably come into contact with similar-minded people. Develop these relationships, make friends, exchange contact information. Look for groups that align with your sensibilities and join them. There always have been and still are many organizations fighting for justice. Get involved. If change is to take place, it will only do so if a preponderance of people get up on their feet and make their voices heard.

Now, is there safety in numbers? Probably not. Anybody who steps out of line, who refuses to cooperate, who calls the bastards out on their shit, has the potential to be a target. If you resist, the odds are that sooner or later you will suffer for it. The alternative, however, is a miserable life controlled by greedy, sadistic ideologues who don’t care about you or your values.

Welcome to the Resistance. No kings.

NRR Project: Franz Boas and George Herzog Recording of Kwakwaka’wakw Chief Dan Cranmer (1938)

 

NRR Project: Franz Boas and George Herzog Recordings of Kwakwaka’wakw Chief Dan Cranmer

Recorded 1938

I have not much to say about this entry. The explanatory essay of Rainer Hatoum covers the ground thoroughly and expertly; read it here. The recordings are filed away safely in research libraries but are not readily available to the general public.

Cultural anthropologist Franz Boas had been exploring Inuit and Northwest Native American culture since the 1880s. First using fragile wax cylinders, then more hardy media such as acetate-coated aluminum discs, he recorded all he could of tribal songs, rituals, and stories. These recordings saved the lore of the Kwakwaka’wakw people and for that we can be grateful.

Unfortunately, the trend of scientific interest in Native American culture developed only after the decimation of the millions of Native Americans who were wiped out by white predation. Artifacts such as these represent a belated but sincere effort to increase understanding, knowledge, and tradition.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: John the Revelator.

NRR Project: Sol Ho'opi'i plays 'Fascinating Rhythm' (1938)

 

NRR Project: ‘Fascinating Rhythm’

Music by George Gershwin; Lyrics by Ira Gershwin

Performed by Sol Ho’opi’i and His Novelty Five

Recorded 1938

2:46

First, read the explanatory essay by Guy Cundell; it’s top-notch! He knows his stuff.

This performance is an example of the mutation and development of a certain kind of instrument and a certain kind of music. The “steel guitar” is simply a guitar played utilizing a steel bar on the strings, thus the name. The tradition of laying the guitar flat and playing it that way originated in Hawaii, and when electric guitars were invented, the first kind produced were steel guitars.

Sol Ho’opi’i was a genius on the instrument, and in this selection, you can hear him ringing the changes, improvising wildly as he plows through several choruses of the song, backed up by a subdued but steady supporting cast of rhythm players. Though couched in the chords familiar from Hawaiian tunes, this version of the Gershwin’s “Fascinating Rhythm” is really a jazz piece.

As Ho’opi’I plays, he goes farther and farther out with his chromatic leaps and chord changes, demonstrating the versatility of the instrument. Playing like this developed other instruments such as the dobro, a favorite of bluegrass musicians, also played flat and with a bar. Country music would pick up on the distinctive sound and adapt it to their own uses as well.

It’s a great example of a marginal, minority-made music making its way into the culture, transforming it and itself at the same time.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: Franz Boas and George Herzog recording of Kwakwaka’wakw Chief Dan Cranmer.

NRR Project: 'The Cradle Will Rock' (1937)

 

NRR Project: ‘The Cradle Will Rock’

Music, Lyrics, and Libretto by Mark Blitzstein

Performed by the Federal Theater Project

Recorded 1938

55 min.

It was the show they could not kill, and it’s still relevant today.

It was the brainchild of Mark Blitzstein (1905-1964), an American composer, lyricist, and librettist of some, er, note. He was a child prodigy; fortunately, he came from an affluent family and could afford to continue his musical studies. He learned his craft at the Curtis Institute of Music, and from European mentors such as Arnold Schoenberg and Nadia Boulanger.

Although initially averse to the work of modern composers such as Kurt Weill (who composed The Threepenny Opera with playwright Bertolt Brecht in Berlin in 1928), he gradually came around to using their style. This approach wedded lyrical scoring with bluesy, angular, vernacular tunes. Additionally, he used Sprechgesang, a German expressionist approach that weds speech and singing. As a result, his work on Cradle was very reminiscent of composers of the day such as Weill and Hans Eisler.

Blitzstein was a confirmed leftist, and he didn’t care who knew it. He played a musical sketch on prostitution for a visiting Brecht, who encouraged him to expand and develop it. He stated, “There is prostitution for gain in so many walks of life: the artist, the preacher, the doctor, the lawyer, the newspaper editor. Why don't you put them against this scene of literal selling.” Blitzstein got to work on the bitterly satiric fable that is Cradle.

In it, a prostitute in Steeltown, U.S.A. is picked up for soliciting and brought to night court. There she meets a timid druggist who has lost his store after witnessing an anti-union bomb that killed his son and three others. Also in the court is the town’s anti-union Liberty Committee, mistakenly arrested as union sympathizers. This group begins to bleat for Mr. Mister, the town’s leading industrialist, to bail them out.

One by one, each of the community leaders is co-opted by Mr. Mister, whose economic power means that what he says, goes. Reverend Salvation, newspaper Editor Daily, college President Prexy, Doctor Specialist, and artist Yasha and Dauber all kowtow to him, and follow his orders to support the conduct of war (in order to sell more steel), and to suppress of the working man.

Into this situation steps union organizer Larry Foreman. Mr. Mister tries to bribe him, but Foreman rejects him and summons the people to rally for solidarity and united action. “When the wind blows, the cradle will rock!” he sings.

At this point in American history, socialist thought was at the forefront of the culture. Violent strikes had marred the landscape, and Communism had not yet been discredited. Blitzstein played the score for New York theater groups, to no avail. Finally, he played it for the 21-year-old wunderkind actor and director Orson Welles, who then advocated for the play’s mounting to producer John Houseman, who was with the Federal Theatre Project, a New Deal government entity that funded arts and entertainment programs across the country.

The opera went forward. Rehearsals began in March of 1937. A theater was hired, elaborate sets were built, costumes were constructed, an orchestra was assembled. However – right-wing politicians got wind of the plan to mount a pro-labor show on Broadway, and behind the scenes they sought to cancel the production. Using the excuse of budget cuts, the show was targeted for shutdown. On June 14, the opera had its dress rehearsal; on June 15, the government padlocked the theater. Sets and props and costumes were trapped inside, unusable.

Performances were already sold out, and the play had nowhere to go. Finally, on June 16, Houseman found another vacant Broadway theater, and quickly rented it. The cast, the crew, and an audience of 600 marched 21 blocks north to it, and prepared to present the show in a bare-bones version.

Ironically, the musician’s union nixed the use of the orchestra, and Actors’ Equity wouldn’t allow anyone onstage without the assent of the original producer – the U.S. government, technically. But the players refused to admit defeat. Blitzstein sat at the piano onstage, pounding out the score solo. In the audience, cast members sat among the audience members, leaping to their feet when it was their turn to sing.

The result was electrifying. The rebellious energy of the performers met with the enthusiasm of the crowd, and the applause at the end was deafening. The show lived. Two days later, the Theatre Guild stepped up to produce the opera, and soon it was being seen in New York and across the country.

The recording is posited as the first complete recording of a Broadway show. The censorship of the show led Welles and Houseman to form the Mercury Theatre, soon to be noted for its dynamic and controversial offerings.

To this day, it remains a wry, beautiful testament to the struggle of working people to overcome the domination of moneyed interests in American society. In 90 years, there is still plenty of inequity to be opposed. Not much has changed.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: Sol Hoopii and his Novelty Five play Fascinating Rhythm.