Struttin' at the Waldorf - Philip Lane

◾ The rhythms of "Struttin' at the Waldorf" swagger with self-confidence, reflecting the setting of the Waldorf Hotel (New York) in 1935, with the famous American dancer Fred Astaire tap dancing. The piece sounds like a typical jazz music one would expect to hear at a jazz place in New York. ❓🎵 MORE ABOUT THE PIECE: ◾ The piece has a cinematic picture - a day at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City, with a world of sequins, glitter-balls & Brilliantine. The piece is meant to portray the famous American dancer Fred Astaire gliding through the lobby of the hotel around 1935, in top hat, white tie, & tails. The 1935 movie "Top Hat" features a song titled "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails", which refers to the formal wear required on a party invitation: top hat, white tie, & a tailcoat. ◾ The clippings used in this video are of Fred Astaire & his dance partner Ginger Rogers tap dancing, as well as of Fred Astaire solo dancing. These would help listeners get a true idea of the mood & nature of the music, & groove along to it. ❓📑🎵 MUSIC THEORY ANALYSIS OF THE PIECE: ◾ The LH accompaniment provides a buoyant lift to the texture, while goes well along with the RH syncopated/dotted melody. Together, they help convey the swing nature of the music. The music sounds quite jazzy & sophisticated, providing a groovy nature to the piece. The RH is either playing a wide range of sophisticated large chords structures or a simple, elegant & subtly decorated solo melody line. Sometimes, the melody is hidden among the sophisticated chords. ◾ The change in mood & character comes towards the second half of the piece. The light staccato notes are meant to mimic the tap dance steps, all of which lead to the climax glissando (fingers gliding over the keys) - those with musical knowledge would know exactly which clipping in this video shows the glissando 😉. The main theme returns again, which builds up in volume gradually, & the piece ends with a sudden loud chord. 🎹 ABOUT PHILIP LANE: ◾ Philip Lane (born 1950) is an English composer & musicologist, noted for his light music compositions & arrangements, as well as his painstaking work reconstructing lost film scores. His orchestral works are often written in the style of British Light Music, being largely tonal & featuring lush orchestrations. ◾ Having perfect pitch, Lane reconstructs the original orchestrations by watching the original films repeatedly, listening to the original soundtrack recorded, often under character dialogue & sound effects. His concert works have been performed at major festivals including Bath, Cheltenham & the Three Choirs Festival, broadcast in the UK & overseas. He has composed scores for several BBC classic plays as well as for advertisements & a number of TV series. ❓🕺🏻 ABOUT FRED ASTAIRE: ◾ Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; 1899–1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, choreographer, & television presenter. He is widely considered the greatest dancer in film history. His stage, ilm & television careers spanned a total of 76 years. ◾ He starred in more than 10 Broadway & West End musicals, made 31 musical films, 4 television specials, & numerous recordings. As a dancer, his outstanding traits were an uncanny sense of rhythm, perfectionism, & innovation. His most memorable dancing partnership was with Ginger Rogers, with whom he co-starred in a series of 10 Hollywood musicals during the age of Classical Hollywood cinema. He took the genre of tap dancing to a new level. ❓🕺🏻 ASTAIRE'S DANCE STYLE: ◾ Astaire was a virtuoso dancer, who could convey light-hearted venturesomeness or deep emotion. His technical control & sense of rhythm were astonishing. Astaire's execution of a dance routine was prized for its elegance, grace, originality, & precision. He drew from a variety of influences, including tap & other black rhythms, classical dance, & the elevated style of Vernon & Irene Castle. His was a uniquely recognizable dance style that greatly influenced the American Smooth style of ballroom dance. 🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL: /channel/UCkUHy3uU9jMuSHCbKA9m-rw ◾ CREDITS: Thumbnail pictures: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/the-original-waldorfastoria-hotel-opens-in-1897-combining-the-astor-and-waldorf-hotels-it-was-destroyed-in-1929-to-make-way-f--6544361934016906/ and Triangle vector created by rawpixel.com - https://www.freepik.com/vectors/triangle Video image: Vector Vectors by Vecteezy - https://www.vecteezy.com/free-vector/vector Video clippings: YouTube videos - TOP HAT, Mark Sandrich, 1935 - Heaven (FilmStruck); Tom & Jerry | The Piano Mouse (Boomerang UK); Fred Astaire - "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" From "Top Hat" (1935) (Bluebirdsings56) #StruttinAtTheWaldorf #PhilipLane #piano #pianomusic #music #Waldorf #Astoria #WaldorfAstoria #NewYork #hotel #dancing #tapdance #tapdancing #FredAstaire #GingerRogers #jazzmusic #broadwaymusic #dancemusic #TopHat #TopHatWhiteTieandTails

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