[Dixielandjazz] "Star Dust" (was Standard Keys)

[Bill Haesler]

John McClernan wrote:
> My friend, cornetist extraordinaire Scott Black, says he carried on a personal correspondence with Carmichael when Scott was a teenager. Carmichael told Scott he wrote it in C.

Dear John,
According to Richard Sudhalter in his Hoagy Carmichael book, 'Stardust Melody', Hoagy submitted the lead sheet for copyright on 5 January 1928 in D-major.
Then on page 113 he quotes: 
"Hoagy had a penchant for the key of D," said saxophonist and campus friend Wally Wilson. "We couldn't play 'Stardust' or 'Rockin' Chair' in that crazy key. I rewrote them in C. 'Stardust' finally came out in Db, of course."
However, Dick Sududhalter contradicts this in his footnote (page 369).
"Wilson errs about the published key, though it it easy to see why. The published sheet music appeared in C and remains in that key to this day. But the publisher's "stock" orchestration, on which several notable "Star Dust" records are based, is in five flats. Accordingly, this has long been musicians' "standard key" for the song. Nor does the matter end there. Hoagy's own manuscript and the first records are in D........" 
and so on with a lot of related 'technical stuff'.
Very kind regards,
Bill.