[Dixielandjazz] Avalon -- the verse - Same key as Chorus?

[Jim O'Briant]

I wrote:

> > The unusual thing is that the Verse begins and ends 
> > in G, with a double bar -- and a "cautionary" key 
> > signature at the end of the last line, indicating 
> > a new key for the Chorus.  The Verse is in G, and 
> > the Chorus is in F -- a rather uncommon modulation.


Lily Korte replied:

> ... the version of "Avalon" that I have is different. 
> The whole thing is in G, verse and chorus!  Mine says 
> "Arr. by J. Bodewalt Lampe" at the top of the page, ... 
> What's the copywrite date on the modulation version? 
> (Mine says 1920, ... )

There's no copyright date, and the single page I have, a copy of a page from
the Anderson fake book, appears to have been assembled from a wide variety
of sources.  The other tune on the same page, "My Buddy" has both the verse
and chorus, but they are very different from each other (and different from
the "Avalon" verse) in terms of manuscript style, size and legibility.  See
Craig's comments, below....

Craig Johnson wrote:

> I sent what I had (the Anderson Book). ... I can only 
> say that I have found some rather odd things in the 
> Anderson Fake Sheet collection. It could be that the 
> key for both the Verse and Chorus should be the same. 
> Many short cuts were made in producing the Anderson 
> book and it could be that the chorus was simply copied 
> from another sheet and not transposed to match the verse. 

I'm beginning to think that this is the case.  But the compile of the
Anderson book did recognize the key discrepancy!  If the verse is supposed
to end in G, the final chords (the last 1 1/2 measures or so) would be:  

     D7 / | G / / / || 


In the Anderson book, the chords are:

     D7 / | G7 / C7 / ||

This would lead into a chorus in F, but is a bit awkward as the chorus
begins on a dominant seventh (C7) chord.

Musically, it would be much stronger (and mush more conventional) if the
verse and chorus were in the same key.  If that key is G, then the verse
would end on a G chord, with the chorus beginning on a D7.  If we put them
both in F, then the two chords would be F and C7.  

Craig continued: 

> This splitting of tunes across pages, copying pieces of a 
> single tune from 2 different other fake books, whilst 
> combining 2 tunes on one of those pages is the reason 
> that I am putting a lot of those tunes into Sibelius 
> and creating independent (and "whole") lead sheets for 
> the tunes I like.

I, too, am re-engraving all this stuff, but in Finale (with the intention of
eventually using my laptop as a music stand, with immediate transposition
capability).  Until I find more compelling evidence to the contrary (such as
a published copy of the sheet music), I'm going to put both the chorus and
the verse in the same key.

Thanks to all for their input!

Jim O'Briant
Tuba
Gilroy, CA