Short bio Harold Arlen
Full biography Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen was an American composer of popular music , with a career spanning several decades during which he created an extensive catalog of over 500 songs. He is best known for his contributions to jazz, blues, and Broadway music.
Born in Buffalo, New York on February 15, 1905, Arlen was exposed to music from an early age since his father was a cantor and his mother played the piano. He studied music at New York University before starting his career as a songwriter in the 1920s.
Throughout the early and mid-1930s, Arlen collaborated with lyricist Ted Koehler to write shows for the famous Cotton Club. Together, they established a reputation as the foremost writers of Negro music in America. In the late 1930s, Arlen teamed up with lyricist Yip Harburg to create the music for the movie The Wizard of Oz, for which he composed the iconic song "Over the Rainbow." The popular song earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1939.
Arlen's music was known for its jazz-based, blues-rooted quality and his willingness to experiment with different musical styles. He often broke free from the standard 32-bar model of Tin Pan Alley and created songs that were longer and more free-flowing, yet still maintained their rhythmic structure.
Aside from "Over the Rainbow," Arlen's other famous contributions to popular music include "Stormy Weather," "Blues in the Night," "That Old Black Magic," and "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive." In 1982, Arlen was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame as a testament to his tremendous impact on American music.
Harold Arlen passed away on April 23, 1986, leaving behind a legacy as one of the greatest American composers and songwriters to have ever lived. His music continues to inspire generations of musicians and listeners alike to this day.
Albums featuring Harold Arlen
| # | Сover | Name album | Year | Music label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
That Old Arlen Magic(2×CD, Compilation) | 2012 | Retrospective Records |
| 2 |  |
Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg, Bergur Þór Ingólfsson – Galdrakarlinn í Oz - The Wizard Of Oz - Original Icelandic Cast Recording(CD, ) | 2011 | 12 Tónar |
| 3 |  |
Saint-Subber presents Truman Capote ∗ Harold Arlen – House of Flowers(CD, Limited Edition) | 2009 | Kritzerland |
| 4 |  |
Arlen, Gershwin, Weill, Schwartz - Carole Farley, John Constable – Classic American Love Songs(CD, Album) | 2007 | Naxos |
| 5 |  |
Various / Harold Arlen – St. Louis Woman (Original Cast Album) / Harold Arlen And His Songs(CD, Album, Compilation, Reissue, Remastered) | 2006 | DRG Theater |
| 6 |  |
Harold Arlen, Various – Harold Arlen Songbook - Over The Rainbow(CD, Compilation) | 2005 | Definitive Records (2) |
| 7 |  |
Harold Arlen - Various – Harold Arlen : Centennial Celebration 100 | 2005 | Concord Jazz |
| 8 |  |
Richard Glazier, Harold Arlen – Harold Arlen: Hooray for Love(CD, Album, Stereo) | 2005 | Centaur Records |
| 9 |  |
Somewhere Over the Rainbow(DVD, DVD-Video, Single, Mono) | 1999 | WinStar Home Entertainment |
| 10 |  |
George Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Fats Waller, Hoagy Carmichael – Original Jazz Legends: Salute to George Gershwin (Volume 3)(5×CD, Compilation) | 1999 | 1201 Music |
| 11 |  |
Harold Arlen, Various – Soar Over The Rainbow With Harold Arlen | 1999 | Reader's Digest Music |
| 12 |  |
Over The Rainbow(CD, Compilation, Mono) | 1997 | Flapper |
| 13 |  |
Harold Arlen Songbook: That Old Black Magic(CD, Compilation) | 1997 | Verve Records |
| 14 |  |
Harold Arlen, Various – The Song Is ... Harold Arlen(CD, Compilation, Mono) | 1995 | ASV Ltd. |
| 15 |  |
Peggy Lee , Rare Songs By Harold Arlen With Keith Ingham And His Octet – Love Held Lightly | 1993 | Angel Records |
| 16 |  |
Various – House Of Flowers | 1990 | Columbia Masterworks |
| 17 |  |
The Great American Composers: Harold Arlen(2×CD, Compilation, Club Edition, Remastered) | 1990 | Columbia Music Collection |
| 18 |  |
Royal Shakespeare Company – The Wizard Of Oz (London Cast Recording) | 1989 | London Records |
| 19 |  |
The Harold Arlen Songbook(Cassette, Compilation) | 1989 | RCA |
| 20 |  |
The Harold Arlen Songbook(CD, Album, Compilation, Remastered) | 1989 | RCA |
| 21 |  |
Lee Wiley – I've Got The World On A String | 1986 | Ember Records |
| 22 |  |
Diahann Carroll With Ralph Burns And His Orchestra – Diahann Carroll Sings Harold Arlen Songs | 1984 | RCA Victor |
| 23 |  |
Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg - Lena Horne, Ricardo Montalban – Jamaica(LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo) | 1982 | RCA Victor |
| 24 |  |
Richard Rodney Bennett, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Richard Rodgers – Special Occasions: Richard Rodney Bennett Plays The Ballet Music Of Cole Porter, Harold Arlen & Richard Rodgers(LP, Stereo) | 1978 | DRG Records |
| 25 |  |
Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg - Celeste Holm, Original Broadway Cast – Bloomer Girl(LP, Album, Reissue, Mono) | 1977 | MCA Records |
| 26 |  |
Ira Gershwin with Kurt Weill, Burton Lane and Harold Arlen – Loves to Rhyme(2×LP) | 1975 | Mark56 Records |
| 27 |  |
Harold Arlen Sings (1930 - 1937)(LP) | 1975 | JJA |
| 28 |  |
Harold Arlen Sings(2×LP, Album) | 1974 | Mark56 Records |
| 29 |  |
Harold Sings Arlen (With Friend) | 1966 | Columbia Masterworks |
| 30 |  |
André Previn Plays Songs By Harold Arlen – André Previn Plays Songs By Harold Arlen | 1961 | Contemporary Records |
| 31 |  |
Richard Rodgers, Harold Arlen, Poliakin Conducting His Orchestra And Chorale – The Music Of Richard Rodgers. The Music Of Harold Arlen | 1960 | Everest |
| 32 |  |
Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer – Saratoga (An Original Cast Recording) | 1959 | RCA Victor |
| 33 |  |
Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer – Saratoga (An Original Cast Recording)(7", 45 RPM, Single, Promo) | 1959 | RCA Victor |
| 34 |  |
Harold Arlen / Andre Kostelanetz And His Orchestra – Blues-Opera(LP, Album, Mono) | 1958 | Columbia |
| 35 |  |
The Music Of Harold Arlen | 1955 | Walden Records |
| 36 |  |
Let's Fall In Love / This Is Only The Beginning(Shellac, 10", 78 RPM) | 1934 | His Master's Voice |
| 37 |  |
Raoul Poliakin, Raoul Poliakin And His Orchestra, Richard Rodgers, Harold Arlen – The Music Of Richard Rodgers/The Music Of Harold Arlen(7", 45 RPM, EP, Mono) | - | Everest |
| 38 |  |
Raoul Poliakin, Raoul Poliakin And His Orchestra, Richard Rodgers, Harold Arlen – The Music Of Richard Rodgers/The Music Of Harold Arlen(7", 45 RPM, EP, Mono) | - | Everest |
| 39 |  |
L. Novosad, J. Kulíšek, J. Mc Hugh, H. Arlen, Antonín Julina, Gustav Brom And His Orchestra – Unruly Night(7", 45 RPM, EP, Mono) | - | Supraphon |
| 40 |  |
Harold Arlen And His Songs(LP) | - | Capitol Records |
| 41 |  |
Harold Arlen, Cole Porter – Composers at play(LP, Album) | - | "X" |
| 42 |  |
Harold Arlen - Judy Garland, Various – The Wizard Of Oz - Original Cast Album(CD, Album, Reissue) | - | CBS Special Products |
| 43 |  |
American Musicals: Bloomer Girl / House Of Flowers / Jamaica(3×LP, Album, Stereo, Box Set, ) | - | Time Life Records |
| 44 |  |
J.S. Bach, A. Vivaldi, A. Panzini, L. Boccherini, J. Kern, K. Weill, G. Gershwin, H. Arlen, G. Jacob, J. Moody – Stagione Concertistica 2004-2005(2×CD, Compilation, Promo) | - | Università Degli Studi Dell'Insubria |
Videos featuring Harold Arlen
Get Happy
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
Get Happy · Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald - Gold
℗ 1960 The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Released on: 2003-01-01
Producer: Norman Granz
Associated Performer, Recording Arranger
Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead
Provided to YouTube by Sony Music Entertainment
Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead · Harold Arlen
Harold Sings Arlen (With Friend)
℗ Originally released 1966. All rights reserved by Sony Music Entertainment
Composer, Lyricist: E.Y. Harbourg
Producer: Tho
Harold Arlen And His Songs (LP Album)
Recorded From The LP. Edited w/ Audacity.
More Info About This Release Here: https://www.discogs.com/release/12263658-Harold-Arlen-Harold-Arlen-And-His-Songs
Tracklist:
1 Ive Got The World On A String
2 Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive
3 Come Rain Or
Harold Arlen - Over The Rainbow
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Duet for 2 voices and piano, arr. Hugo Frey.
Additionally arranged for soprano, baritone and clarinet.
Music by
">(Somewhere) Over The Rainbow - Harold Arlen
-- Waltraud Strößner (Stroessner), soprano
- Ruediger Buell, baritone - Ulrike Zeitler, piano --
From the M.G.M. Picture "The Wizard of Oz".
Duet for 2 voices and piano, arr. Hugo Frey.
Additionally arranged for soprano, baritone and clarinet.
Music by
A Sleepin' Bee
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
A Sleepin' Bee · Mel Tormé · The Marty Paich Orchestra
Mel Torme: Swings Shubert Alley
℗ A Verve Label Group Release; ℗ 1960 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Released on: 1960-01-01
Associated Performer, Recording A
I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues · Louis Armstrong
Pops Is Tops: The Verve Studio Albums
℗ A Verve Label Group Release; ℗ 1957 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Released on: 2018-04-13
Producer: Norman Granz
Associated
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