Kompositionen der abendländischen Kunstmusik
im Repertoire von Swing-Ensembles
In the analysis when and to what extent ensembles of the “Swing” style adapted compositions of European composers and took them into their repertory it became obvious that – with the exception of some attempts in Ragtime Music – there were no receptions during the “New Orleans Jazz”, “Dixieland” and “Chicago” styles. It started especially during the “Swing” style and began to boom in 1937, had its climax in 1941 and continued on a lower level until 1949, when the analysis ends because of the decay of the “Swing” style. With the exception of the John Kirby Orchestra there were not the famous orchestras of Afro-American leaders (Duke Ellington, Count Basie, etc.) but especially ensembles of white coloured leaders dominant in that movement, especially the orchestras of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Claude Thornhill, Benny Goodman and Larry Clinton. The latter was important in this respect as he was also an arranger for other bands (Tommy Dorsey et al.) and an analysis of which ensemble started with a special classical composition in its repertoire (usually soon followed by other bands) finds his band on top together with John Kirby’s. The composers whose compositions were elected for reception were mainly those of the 19th century with Claude Debussy, Antonin Dvorák and Frédéric Chopin on top. The favourite compositions were Humoresque by Dvorák, Donauwalzer (Blue Danube) by Strauß, Réverie by Debussy and Serenade by Schubert. The reasons for the reception of works of European composers by ensembles of the “Swing” style were not so much the attempt to work seriously in that category of music but more to take well-known pieces of music into their repertory in order to make it more attractive.