Ella Fitzgerald: How High the Moon

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For several decades, jazz music was the most popular genre of dance music throughout the United States. As a popular musical genre, jazz was bound to attract different performers with distinct backgrounds and vivid personalities. One of such artists was Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady of Song, Lady Ella, or Queen of Jazz, as she was often referred to by other people for the immense talent she presented on stage. This article will review two of the hit songs, ‘How high the moon’, performed by many people, including the legendary singer – Lady Ella, and her hit song ‘A-Tisket, A-Tasket’.

‘How high the moon’ was initially introduced in 1940, during the grave time of World War II. The song was performed during the Broadway show, which would be run there approximately 120 times (Muñoz, 2020). The first singer who presented this song was Helen Forrest, which instantly brought the piece to success and rise in the charts (Muñoz, 2020). The song became a jazz standard, the anthem of jazz lovers, and its popularity had spread worldwide.

Soon enough, the song became the second million-selling recording yielding the first place to ‘Mockingbird Hill’. Initially, the music was created as a slow ballad; however, it became an up-tempo song since it gained immense popularity in bebop. Moreover, the composition quickly became the song most recorded by jazz musicians. Critics and jazz lovers call the melody ‘national bop anthem’ or ‘modern jazz anthem’. The music was popular worldwide since talented people on social media make countless covers.

The melody’s structure is relatively complex since it starts as a calm tune, which is livened up by Ella Fitzgerald’s voice. The theme progresses into a faster one, and soon it is almost too fast to listen to. It starts with piano melody combined with cello and guitar. However, as the song becomes faster, the sound of drums appears, which completely changes the music’s mood and properties.

Harmonically, the song ‘How high the moon’ follows a chord pattern, which repeats itself. The first two text lines are followed by more straightforward chords such as A7, D7M, Dm7, G7 and then C7M, Cm7, F7, which sound slower and perfect for the beginning of the song (Nuova Canaria, 2013). Next, the tune progresses, adding several ‘slash’ chords with contrasting bass notes such as Em5-/7 and A7/9- (Nuova Canaria, 2013). These chords sound ‘out of place’, but at the same time, they harmonize with the song perfectly, creating a smooth transition into a faster pace. The song appears hard to play, and some musicians try to find a more leisurely approach to this melody. However, the more effortless sounding of chords can appear too dull.

The song’s duration is quite memorable as well, since it starts with a slow rhythm, and the song appears to be pulsing, synchronizing with the beat of one’s heart. The tempo at the beginning is slower, more romantic and seductive. The first minute of the ballad is crucial since it establishes the jazz scene and gives the listener the impression that it would be as slow later on. However, soon enough, the tempo increases, and the song’s pulse becomes faster, making the person who listens to this tune want to dance. With the increased tempo, the song’s words disappear entirely. Lady Ella demonstrates her immense talent in scat singing, which is vocal improvisation without words, but with the change of melodies and rhythms. Instruments seem to compliment her scats, synchronizing with the beats.

Furthermore, the song’s dynamics are generally soft at the beginning, which turns into a loud tune as the melody progresses. The volume changes gradually with instruments and with the vocals of the main singer. Dynamics are controlled with some compression during the scat singing parts. The song uses jazz improvisation, which perfectly synchronizes and complements each other creating a superb sound which hypnotizes the listener.

‘A-Tisket, A-Tasket’ has initially been a nursery rhyme, which first appeared in America around the 19th century. It was one of the most successful hits of the female jazz artist Ella Fitzgerald, recorded in 1938 (Wells, 2017). The artist modified the lyrics, which was one of many reasons of the song’s success. It became known to be one of the catchiest songs jazz has ever known. Recording this song was Queen of Jazz’s idea since she played a game using the nursery rhyme a lot when she was little.

The period when this song was recorded was characterized by its unique rhythm and the dynamic’s variation. ‘A-Tisket, A-Tasket’ possessed naturally developed smooth rhythmic quality, making it easy for the audience to listen. To achieve such ambiance, musicians had to play slightly ahead of the beat, which made the song’s pulsing be as rhythmic as the heartbeat of the audience (Muñoz, 2020). The music is calm but also upbeat at the same time, which makes the piece unique.

The song starts with a boogie-woogie bass line, along with brass block chords and backbeat in the drums. It appears dissimilar to the nursery rhyme at first, creating an adult volumetric melody. After singing, the piece intrudes, and it is similar to the intro, but apart from the lead voice, there are several male voices helping. Although the melody does not have the fast tempo as in the previous song, it is still relatively fast-paced, which is why it is catchy.

Harmonically, the song follows a simple chord pattern with few repetitive chords such as G, D, C, and some intrusive chords such as G7 and Cm (Some One Ella Fitzgerald, 2018). The song’s first verse follows a pattern of 2 G chords, then 2 D chords, and 1 G chord (Some One Ella Fitzgerald, 2018). It creates an illusion of the song’s simplicity; however, by using basic chords, the author outplays the nursery rhyme concept in the song structure, which is an outstanding choice. The instrumental part sounds effortless and carefree, and the vocal part complements that feeling, which is why the song turns catchier.

To conclude, both songs are the work of art created by the First Lady of Song and Jazz’s Queen – Ella Fitzgerald. Both pieces have unique sounding, dynamics, harmony, rhythm and pulse. Moreover, as both songs aim to imitate heartbeat, they become catchier and enjoyable. Personally, I like Lady Ella as a jazz artist and a female jazz icon. Her talent in scatting is immense since even currently, she is the Goddess of the scat. Although it started slowly, the first song progressed into a faster melody, and the second one was playful, joyful, and simplistic. Both pieces share some common properties, but at the same time, they are both unique and beautiful.

Reference

Muñoz, I. (2020). Ella Fitzgerald. White Star.

Wells, C.J. (2017). “A Dreadful bit of silliness”: Feminine frivolity and Ella Fitzgerald’s early critical reception. Women and Music: A Journal of Gender and Culture 21, 43-65. Web.

Nuova Canaria. (2013). Ella Fitzgerald – how high the moon (high quality – remastered). YouTube. Web.

Some One Ella Fitzgerald. (2018). Ella Fitzgerald “A-Tisket-A-Tasket”. YouTube. Web.

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Ella Fitzgerald: How High the Moon

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