I posted earlier about small things in life, inspired by Kurt Vonnegut. The small things in life that bring us joy.
Here is another post in the same vein, but this one is in the form of lyrics and music. It’s been 65 years since the Broadway premier of “The Sound of Music”. The movie with Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer is one of my all time favourite musicals and movies. I try to watch it every year, usually around the winter holidays, and every year, it brings tears to my eyes, songs to my heart, a dance to my step and a very big smile to my face.
I found this video that explores the Rodgers and Hammerstein collections at the Library of Congress, and in this video, Michael Feinstein traces the origin of the lyrics for “My Favorite Things”. It is fascinating and enlightening to learn the process behind making music, and this wonderful song in particular.
Here’s a little more detail on the process:
“While originally composed for Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1959 musical, The Sound of Music, “My Favorite Things” has become a holiday classic in its own right. Julie Andrews actually performed the song on a special holiday episode of The Garry Moore Show in 1961 (four years before she played Maria in the film). The 1960s saw a surge of holiday albums from a wide array of artists that featured renditions of “My Favorite Things,” including Jack Jones, the Supremes, Barbra Streisand, John Coltrane, and others; and in more recent years, pop artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Leslie Odom Jr., and Pentatonix have continued to include “My Favorite Things” on holiday albums. Especially in 2020, many of us are currently cherishing those “brown paper packages tied up with strings” arriving at our doorsteps.
Some favorite materials in the Music Division’s special collections are Oscar Hammerstein’s lyric sheets, found in the Oscar Hammerstein II Collection. When working with Richard Rodgers, Hammerstein generally wrote the lyrics first; he then handed his words over to Rodgers, who set them to music. On sheets from his yellow legal pad, we can study Hammerstein’s brainstorm sessions, rhyming exercises, and overall creative process as he crafted the lyrics of songs that effortlessly roll off our tongues today.”
Thank you, I love The Sound of Music! This was very interesting and reminded me of a post I recently read from the group about how poets select the words they use and how much effort it takes to find the perfect word for their work. I appreciate the posts and comments from the group, with the themes and ideas we’ve been exploring. Everything, including yours here, has been so uplifting and comforting. And it’s always wonderful to learn something new.
I really enjoyed this! Thank you!!