366 PART 3 | FROM WORLD WAR I THROUGH WORLD WAR II
timing section text comments0:00 intro Based on end of chorus’s a section.
0:06 a Heaven,
I’m in heaven...Two-note motive (“Heaven.. .”) is manipulated
by inverting it and by stringing together in
melodic ascent; relaxes downward. Ending
breaks from motive.
0:29 a Heaven,
I’m in heaven...Literal repeat of melody and accompaniment.
Note alternation of strings and saxes over
danceable rhythm section, with muted brass
“sting” at end.
0:52 b Oh I love to climb a
mountain...Jaunty syncopation sets a more relaxed mood.
Walking bass and muted trumpet add a jazzy
touch, while strings hint at the a section’s two-
note motive.
1:17 c Dance with me... Impassioned melody over a bed of sustained
saxes, with dramatic trumpet fanfares.
1:29 a Heaven,
I’m in heaven...Literal return to the opening a.note This excerpt from a studio recording fades out after the fi rst full chorus.Listen & Refl ect
- Compared with his dancing, Fred Astaire’s voice seems unremarkable, even ordinary.
Yet he was a favorite singer of Irving Berlin and other songwriters. Why might
that be? - Using a DVD or other resource, view the scene in Top Hat that includes “Cheek to Cheek,”
noting how the song is used both preceding Astaire’s singing (as underscoring) and fol-
lowing it (as dance accompaniment). What features of the music make it appropriate for
both purposes?
date: composed 1935; this recording
from 1937
performers: Fred Astaire with studio
orchestra
genre: fi lm musical song
meter: duple
form: aabca chorus, 72 bars
(16 + 16 + 16 + 8 + 16)Listening Guide 15.1 “Cheek to Cheek” IRVING BERLIN
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR- romantic ballad in dance rhythm
- Astaire’s relaxed, informal vocal delivery
- extension of chorus with second bridge
CD 3.2172028_15_361-385_r3_ko.indd 366 23/01/13 8:36 PM