Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen (1905–1986) was an American composer whose songs, including “Over the Rainbow,” became standards of American popular music.
Great American Songbook: A body of influential American popular songs, mainly written for musical theater and films from the 1920s through the 1950s. Arlen’s standards are a central part of this repertoire.
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film): The 1939 American musical fantasy film starring Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale. Arlen and lyricist E. Y. Harburg wrote its songs, including “Over the Rainbow.”
E. Y. Harburg: An American lyricist and librettist known for writing the lyrics to “Over the Rainbow.” Harburg was Arlen’s lyricist on The Wizard of Oz and several other projects.
Buffalo, New York: A city in western New York on the eastern shore of Lake Erie. Arlen was born in Buffalo and began his musical life there.
Tin Pan Alley: A music-publishing district and songwriting industry in New York City that shaped American popular song. Arlen developed within the commercial songwriting world this name evokes.
Over the Rainbow: A 1939 song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E. Y. Harburg, introduced in The Wizard of Oz. This song became Arlen’s signature composition and an enduring popular standard.
Johnny Mercer: An American lyricist, songwriter, and singer who wrote lyrics for hundreds of popular songs. Mercer supplied lyrics for several of Arlen’s film songs, including “That Old Black Magic.”
Vaudeville: A form of popular theater built from varied short acts, widely performed in North America in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Arlen toured as a pianist and singer in a vaudeville act before composing for Broadway.
Jazz standard: A widely performed song that serves as shared repertoire for jazz musicians. Jazz musicians repeatedly interpret Arlen’s songs, often reshaping their harmonies and rhythms.
The Harvey Girls: A 1946 musical film set around a railroad restaurant in the American West. Arlen and Johnny Mercer wrote its songs, including “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe.”