March 09, 2016

God Bless Irving Berlin!


He “Loved A Piano” and We Do Too!

It was 1915 when the incredibly prolific songwriter Irving Berlin penned “I Love A Piano” for the musical comedy, Stop Look Listen. Berlin was 27 years old and “Piano” was just one of the estimated 1,500 songs Berlin would write during his 100 years on earth.

Gaby Deslys sang “I Love A Piano” in the show as a tribute to this “grand” instrument; we at CSS Music shout of our love piano music! It’s one of those instruments that is flexible enough to underscore a movie like The Piano (duh!) or even the action-drama The Firm where only a piano was used for the entire score. (Dave Grusin composed the music.)

Much of the appeal of a solo piano is the space it leaves for dialog. Even in busier passages a piano track can be potted down to keep the energy moving. And with it’s warmth of tone, percussive aggressiveness or ethereal airiness, the piano is truly a chameleon. With the ability to provide bass, harmonic structure and melody all at once, its no wonder the piano remains popular.

A perfect example: think about the number of films that have used Claude Debussy’s hauntingly beautiful “Claire de Lune.” From Frankie & Johnny to The Right Stuff to Ocean’s Eleven, this famous melody has underscored so many diverse scenes.

CSS Music has excellent piano music we think you’ll not only love, but will use over and over again. Tell us the mood you’re after and we’ll email you a playlist of piano pieces!


(And if you hadn’t figured from the title: Irving Berlin also composed the beloved “God Bless America.”) ;-)

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