Scope and Content Note
The Charlie Barnet Collection of Big Band Arrangements is made up entirely of arrangements for approximately 650 songs and instrumental numbers used by Barnet and his band. The majority of these arrangements are represented by full scores, though thirty-seven are represented by parts only, and an additional thirty-one include both a full score and parts. Unless otherwise noted, everything listed is a full score. In a few instances, a score seems to fall somewhere between what would be identified as a full score and a short score (a score that combines, for instance, instrumental parts on one stave, and often includes no piano or rhythm part). Some songs are represented by more than one arrangement. There are twenty-two arrangements for medleys.
Items in the collection are arranged alphabetically by title. Before the materials arrived at the Library, an inconsistent numbering system had been applied to each of the arrangements. It was determined that there was no useful reason for keeping materials in numeric order, however, the numbers have been recorded in the container list and are noted in parentheses beside the titles.
Although most of the scores are undated, it is believed that the majority are from 1939 to 1949. A fire in October 1939 at the Palomar Ballroom in Hollywood resulted in the loss of the band’s arrangements. Evidently Count Basie supplied the band with a few of his arrangements (some by Skippy Martin), and it is possible that one or more of the Basie arrangements is included in this collection. At least one arrangement in the collection appears to date from 1938. There are also a handful of arrangements that may date from 1957 or 1958, and it is speculated that at least one may be from 1963. However, the majority of arrangements date roughly from the World War II period, and serve as a musical reflection of that period—referring directly or obliquely to patriotism, the home front, or the plight of those in the military. Such is the case with the songs “Anchors Aweigh,” “Comin’ in on a Wing and a Prayer,” “G. I. Jive,” “I’ll be seeing you,” “I’ll walk alone,” “One-A in the Army,” “They’re either too young or too old,” and “The Things we did last summer.” Among the songwriters who are particularly well-represented in this collection, with ten or more songs, are: Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, Johnny Burke, Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, and Jimmy Van Heusen.
While several of the scores clearly identify the arranger, many do not. We have made every effort to identify the arrangers by matching the handwriting from known arrangers to scores where no arranger is indicated. Researchers should be aware that some scores have been identified in this way. We were also guided by work previously done with the collection by Andrew Homzy of Concordia University.
There are approximately fifty arrangers identified in this collection, including: Billy May with eighty-four arrangements; Andy Gibson with eighty-two; George Siravo with seventy-one; Conn Humphries with forty-nine; William Moore with forty-four; Dave Matthews with thirty-four; Skippy Martin with thirty-one; Neal Hefti with twenty; Ralph Burns with eighteen; Horace Henderson with fifteen; and Bobby Burnett with fourteen. Two different hands possibly have been identified as Charlie Barnet’s own: one hand is represented by thirteen arrangements; the other (identified as [2]) is represented by forty-two arrangements. Other arrangers who are credited include well known names such as Benny Carter, Abe Osser, and Eddie Stress. Several of the Conn Humphries arrangements incorrectly list his last name as “Humphreys” on the scores, but we have corrected and standardized the spelling in this finding aid.
Every effort has been made to identify the songwriters, most of whom are not credited on the scores themselves. The primary resource for this information was The Great Song Thesaurus by Roger Lax and Frederick Smith (Oxford University Press, New York, 1984). Identifications are based primarily on titles and date ranges, and, as is the case with the arrangers, it should be understood that these attributions are provided as possibilities—particularly regarding some of the more obscure titles.
Many of the arrangements feature vocalists, though rarely is a particular vocalist identified. Among the vocalists who are identified by name on some scores are Peanuts Holland, Phil Barton, Frances Wayne, and Kay Starr.