"The Great American Songbook" - a Loose Collection of Pop- and Jazz-Standard Tunes from the 20th Century

[DonRocks]

Some of us may have heard the term, "The Great American Songbook," and we've actually used it in this community during various discussions, but it's a relatively obscure term that many of us may have heard spoken before, or read before, but don't really know what it is.

What "The Great American Songbook" is, is all the familiar (and at one time popular) songs from the end of World War I up until the advent of Rock and Roll - mainly the 1920's into the 1950's, and largely consisting of famous Broadway tunes and songs from musicals that have been covered over-and-over again throughout the decades. That's all it is - a convenient way of saying "famous early-to-mid 20th-century songs."

Composers such as George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers (of Rodgers and Hammerstein), Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington, all contributed to "The Great American Songbook."

There's no concise definition, and there are no rigid rules for inclusion or exclusion - it really is just a "term" used for convenience (and because it sounds appealing).

The Wikipedia link (in the first sentence) contains many examples, and also some other links that will help you dig deeper should you wish to. Other than that, you now know what "The Great American Songbook" basically is.

Think quick! Think of the first famous early-mid 20th century tunes that come into your mind. They're probably considered part of The Great American Songbook. "White Christmas?" Yes. "I Got Rhythm?" Yes.